WatchHouse Roastery — Restaurant in London

I had the pleasure of experiencing WatchHouse Maltby Street yesterday, and from the moment I walked in, I had a good feeling. I was greeted by their front-of-house, Lea, who was so kind and welcoming. She made me feel right at home and was more than happy to answer any questions about the cafe and the area in general.

The space is beautifully designed, with a bright and inviting interior. It has a large area at the back where they roast their own beans, it’s fascinating to watch the baristas at work. The manager there, Ani, was incredibly knowledgeable about different types of coffee and suggested a few roasts for me to try, which were all fantastic, what a lovely guy! It was the perfect place to sit for an hour or so, catch up on the news and enjoy a delicious flat white. The coffee is some of the best I've had in London: It was rich, smooth, and perfectly brewed with absolute care.

The thing that really stood out to me about this cafe was the sense of community. The staff are all so friendly and genuinely care about their customers who come from all walks of life: journalists, finance bros, tech bros, photographers, designers, curators and brickies!... I saw them chatting and catching up with many of their regulars, which is always a good sign. It was clear that WatchHouse Maltby is more than just a place to grab a coffee, I suspect friendships have been made, ideas brainstormed, and even romance has budded there.

I’ll definitely be returning to this cafe in the future, and recommending it to my...

My visiting friend and I went here last Saturday to quickly grab coffee as a kickstart our tour around London. It was well at the beginning, especially me being overwhelmed and giddy with the shop's chic interiors and huge selections of pastries.

However, the female barista with a failed mullet and dirty tattoos all over their arm was very very very rude which ruined the overall experience for me. They called out my name once, but it was hardly audible (let alone they didn't pronounce my name correctly) that's why I didn't realise it was me being called at the beginning. They called out again and that's when I had to check if it's mine or not. When I approached the counter, they were very hostile for some unknown reasons but they made you feel it.

I shoved it off.

They then called out my friend's name so I said I'll just take his order. For context, my friend and I ordered separately so I didn't know which is which. So when I asked them which one is for my friend, they started to sound mad with a bitter tone saying, "this or this, whichever they're the same flat white", when she could have handled it better and explained to me in a calmer way which is which. This really put me off.

I usually go to specialty coffee shops all over the world to taste and experience coffee, and part of it is interacting with nice baristas. But this one was insanely rude and ruined the whole experience for me.

And mind you, the pistachio pain au chocolat was also cold and tasteless. A pastry from Tesco would have been a...

I've been having a terrible time getting a refund from the WatchHouse, and wanted to share my experience.

Several weeks ago I went with several friends, I placed the order, paid and didn't pay attention to the £35 charge for 4 coffees. Luckily I quickly checked by receipt and saw they charged an outrageous £14 per each pour over. I managed to stop them before they made it (apparently these are 'award winning' coffees, although I didn't clarify if I was drinking the last cup of coffee of an extinct coffee bean). I asked, and was quickly given, a 'refund'. Fast-forward three weeks and no refund has actually been processed. Calling didn't get me very far and I was told to email. After emailing and providing all my particulars, they've decided to process a refund (we will see if it comes this time) in 5 days. So that is nearly a month to actually give me my money back. Whether it is a cash-flow issue (they are always fundraising and expanding far too quick), a dodgy company trying to maximise profit or just incompetent I don't know. But I do know that I won't be quick to pay in the future and hope never to require a refund again.

I should say, their coffee is really good (so shame they are dodgy/incompetent/going into administration). I can concur with other reviews that their banana bread is too dry (terrible comes to mind) and they are overpriced for their coffee...