Store Street Espresso — Restaurant in London

Changed my rating from an optimistic 4 to 3 stars. Their pricing have increased a bit, £3.90 for hot chocolate with oat milk and it's an incredibly tiny cup. It's also lukewarm at best, which isn't ideal. I wish they would ask for your preferred temperature instead of making it lukewarm each time (I've tried it 3 times).

The service is also not that friendly. You don't feel very welcomed in this coffee shop, and they don't smile or greet you warmly.

It's a shame. I was very optimistic. I shall continue my hunt for the best coffee shop...

OLD REVIEW (27/04/2024): Considering my experience today, I would rate this place with 3 stars, but I'm optimistic, so I'll rate it with 4 stars, which I'll justify below.

I came to this café today at around 11:40 am on a Saturday. It wasn't busy at all, which surprised me since it's the weekend.

I was greeted as soon as I came in, which was nice, and I ordered a cinnamon roll and a hot chocolate with oat milk. It cost me £6.70. They give you a small block with a letter on it so they know what order corresponds to which table if you decide to eat in.

The cinnamon roll was okay. It didn't blow my mind. The outside was dry and tough, but the inside was light and fluffy. They also could've done with a lot more cinnamon since it was rather bland. I'd rate it 3/5.

I waited for my hot chocolate for about 20 minutes (let's not forget that it wasn't busy and I was the only person that was ordering at the time) until I decided to ask about it. They seemed confused, as if I didn't order it. I guess the communication isn't that great in this café between the person that took my order and the batistas that make the drinks. But I wasn't too bothered, it's probably been a long week for them.

They quickly made my drink in two minutes, so all is good. It was lukewarm, but I guess they wanted me to be able to drink it quickly instead of waiting even longer. I wish they could've asked me about the temperature first, though, since I would've preferred it hot.

Temperature issues aside, I liked the hot chocolate. It was creamy and smooth. It wasn't extremely chocolatey but the texture outweighed the taste. It was a reasonable price, £3.80, and they don't charge extra for alternative milk (which I am so grateful for!). In an ideal world where the drink comes quickly and is served hot, I'd rate it 4.5/5.

The service was okay, some of them seemed friendly, particularly the bald barista. I also liked the atmosphere, they were playing some old iconic songs, which brought me some joy.

Anyways, mistakes happen. I'll try to go here again to have a more normal experience (and to perhaps try different pastries), and I'll edit my review accordingly when...

I visit this shop quite often, as my work space is in that general area. I was there yesterday to get some food and pastries with a couple of colleagues and even though the coffee and service were pretty good and the cakes and pastries absolutely spectacular and low-key the best collecton not only in the area but generally in London, the food was a big let down. I had the portobello mushroom and fried egg dish and it wasn't an enjoyable experience. The mushrooms were greasy and overcooked, kinda chewy. The yolk of the fried egg was completely set and the white looked a bit steamed, as if they placed it in the pan when the oil was barely hot and put a lid on it. No point in serving fried eggs without a runny yolk, in my opinion. The goat cheese was very tasty and the cavolo nero pesto tasted pretty ordinary. One of my colleagues had scrambled eggs and they looked great, he was really happy with it. The other colleague had a shakshuka and he said it lacked salt and had a hit of burnt. His eggs were pretty nicely poached. However, the cakes and pastries were the real standouts. A great mix of simple, unique and borderline bonkers items is what I look for in my cafe's cake display and they delivered on all fronts. The chocolate chip cookie is my go to jam, but if you love coffee, dunk the chocolate caramel almond cookie in your coffee and take a trip to a different realm. So many textures! The black sesame and white chocolate gf cake is elegant and perfectly balanced. My colleague thoroughly enjoyed the blueberry grandma tarte, and even though he didn't understand the name straight away, he got the message when he tried it. All three of us agreed on the nostalgia factor. And finally, the maple pecan pumpkin pie croissant. I'm an avid pastry hunter and even I were impressed by this. I've never seen this combination anywhere. Truly unique and absolutely delicious. I hope the food will become as good as the cakes and coffee. Then this place will...

Not really sure what happened to this place. I've been a frequent customer of Store Street Espresso over the last few years, and today (Thursday 30/10) was probably the last time I visit this branch. The cakes were always the highlight for me and they have yet to disappoint. I had a wonderful espresso cookie and it was the highlight of my day. I also had an avocado toast which was terrible. There was no seasoning, and the avocado somehow tasted watery. I've never experienced this in my entire life. Lasty, the service and the atmosphere was, to put it politely, uncomfortable. The young lady was very nice, but I can't say the same about the other guy. I always try to be pleasant and I usually receive an almost I'm-doing-you-a-favor face. Today was more unwelcoming than usual. He served me and I could smell the cigarette breath after he left. The place was busy at the time of my visit so I guess people aren't that bothered. I will probably only visit the other sites. Honestly, if it wasn't for that cookie, I'd leave a...