Dundee Espresso Lab — Restaurant in Scotland

Yesterday I had one of the worst service experiences I’ve ever had at espresso lab Dundee. My four year old daughter and I were excited to get some treats, however we were completely ignored by the staff at the counter. There were no customers but three staff members at the counter one was a young man who smiled at us however didn’t serve us (I got the feeling it was his first day) there were two female staff members not two feet from whom we’re discussing their staff rota, neither girl looked up to acknowledge me, I sheepishly said hi, but they didn’t answer and continued their conversation. I looked over to the young man to find him pottering about and also waiting for us to be served, I got the feeling he was uncomfortable interrupting them, so I continued to wait. My daughter was starting to get upset as she had chosen the cake she wanted and didn’t understand why we weren’t buying it with this I looked up at them confused and annoyed that we were still being ignored and we decided to leave. I looked back to find they had no reaction to our annoyance or abrupt exit.

As a person of colour I found this experience very unnerving and upsetting, the whole thing didn’t last very long but felt like a very long time. I didn’t understand why we were treated this way, customers in the cafe seemed to be happily sipping their coffee, non of which looked like me. It’s hard to separate the issue of race from this situation, and this is not an experience I want my child to have again. The absolute lack of regard on a human level was disgusting. I also want to add many people have commented “friendly staff” in their reviews which only makes my experience seem more personal. I would advise anyone who supports equality to avoid this...

Do you want to be humiliated by staff members? Well this is the place for you! If you have autism, I'd advise anywhere other than Dundee Espresso Lab.

They are reportedly LGBTQ friendly, but has proven itself not friendly to people with autism or anyone who presents as working class.

Have had an awful experience in my recent visit. Staff were audibly making jokes about paying customers, including myself, all while believing they were being covered by not very loud music. I made eye contact with one of the staff after overhearing comments made about myself, who immediately hid behind the counter for the rest of my time there.

While the quality of staffing had always been the weakest part of this coffee shop, the effort to hide disdain for the customers, or at least the non-upper middle class customers, has completely disappeared.

I spend thousands every year in coffee shops - I'm an author - and this was one of the worst experiences I've ever had. Will...

Espresso Lab is my absolute favorite place in all of Dundee and you'll catch me there as often as I can be. Truly the most friendly staff that are kind, considerate, and knowledgeable about the menu.

I recommend the butternut squash + sweet potato soup (their soups are on rotation, but they are ALWAYS vegetarian). Second favorite would be the tomato + pesto + mozzarella sandwich (available on baguette or focaccia.

Secret off-menu recommendation...ask for a mocha with banana puree–it will taste like banana bread!

Very bummed that after finally getting the dishwasher fixed that Wi-Fi has been unavailable for the past week. It makes coming to say and order multiple drinks whilst doing school-work...