Queen's Lane Coffee House — Restaurant in Oxford

I went in there on 5 February 2016 to order a panini. As things transpired, I ended up with merely a warm baguette, but we'll get onto that later. I was pleased with the filling options available (I got chicken, hummus, cheddar and spinach) but not with how these options ramped up the price and I ended up paying £4.95 - that's expensive no matter who you are and where you're from. I then watched as the waiter put the admittedly well-stuffed baguette in the panini press, and as more time passed (I ended up waiting a good five minutes) I anticipated a panini with properly melted cheese and thoroughly cooked, piping hot chicken - after all, chicken not heated to at least 75°C can make one ill. The bread was not toasted. The cheese was not melted. The chicken was not piping hot. The spinach and hummus were fine. It was not a panini as we all commonly understand a panini to be. It was not worth any money at all, let alone £4.95. I can't be the first person for whom this has been the case, and a I fear I won't be the last - what kind of place thinks it can get away with blatantly short-changing people in such a way? Some people might say "it's only an independent cafes, lay off them" or "it's only a panini, there are more important problems in the world", and I can understand these sentiments. But firstly, I want this place and all other independent cafes like it to survive, and to justify their existence they have to serve better food. Taking a lazy approach to food preparation is a sure-fire way to ruination. And secondly, this is just one instance of a place taking its customers for granted, thinking it can serve up any old trash and that we'll pay them over the odds and thank them for parting us from our money. This is an important point. We, not only as paying customers but also as human beings, deserve respect. If someone doesn't respect you enough to properly prepare the food for which you have paid, why should they respect you in...

If you ever want to experience an attack from a manager of this place, you are welcome to stop by! I have stopped at this place with my two kids and friends to have a quick lunch. Being a foreigner and a guest in Oxford I didn't know the strict rules about 'take-out' items you purchase, which you suppose not to eat inside the cafe. Hello, we do not have this in Canada, please write in big red letter right before the entrance to your cafe! My kids had full 'eat-in' lunch and I took a 'take-out' wrap as I didn't want chips and salad served on a side for an eat-in item. I had to patiently sit and wait till my kids almost finished their lunch when I opened my wrap for a quick bite. Out of nowhere a woman manager jumped on me and in a very authoritative teacher-like voice told me if I had not heard that it was not allowed to eat the 'take-out' items inside the cafe. She was talking to me as to a misbehaving kid right in front of my kids and friends that I needed to pay now an extra pound for having a bite inside her cafe. SERIOUSLY? Are you so apprehensive and 'customer friendly' that you do not have a shame to really jump on a visitor who doesn't have a clue about your strict rules? And is it worth of one pound to create a scene and spoil the rest of my day? YOU ARE A SHAME to any possible customer-service ventures! I would pay you five pounds if you are so desperate to avoid your unfriendly face! I had to throw my wrap outside as I had a smack of the day. Never in my life, even if I am dying of hunger I would step in this...

Chose this place due to moderate reviews, and appeal of having breakfast at such an old establishment. Ordered a Jumbo breakfast as I was in the mood for an English fry up jumbo size. The menu suggested it came with toast, beans, bacon, eggs, sausage and a side of roast potatoes. Also coffee and orange juice included. Orange juice was freshly squeezed. Nice start. Coffee was brought too early so was cool once the breakfast had arrived. Although it said beans on the menu, it didn't say 2 cans worth of beans would be on the plate! The rest of the breakfast was drowned in the stuff. There was a massive half tomato that had clearly been microwave heated instead of fried, ham instead of bacon, and a cheap tasteless excuse for a sausage. There was cheese scattered over the top as if it were a pizza, and to really disappoint, the side of roast potatoes failed to show. In summary, the breakfast was soggy, tasteless and overpowered by a tsunami of baked beans.

When I queried the no show potatoes, the waitress replied "you should have told me earlier". She came back 5 minutes later and told me that all breakfasts except the Jumbo breakfast come with potatoes (which contradicted what was in print on the menu). No refund or discount offered. Can't imagine who the audience for the Jumbo breakfast is, but it certainly wouldn't appeal to anyone who likes a nice traditional fried English breakfast. Unfortunately my expectations weren't met here. Will I visit again? Probably not. First impressions...