Coffee#1 The Friary — Restaurant in Wales

After an afternoon in Cardiff, this place was our go to stop off for a quick refreshment before going back to the car and home. How things have declined of late. The only dairy and gluten free item for my wife was an unappetising, feeble flapjacky sort of thing measureing in at about a quarter of an inch thick. Ok, they still do the hot chocolate made with oat milk or soya for my wife, and I'm pretty well catered for with a good selection of coffees and cakes, but I mean....big deal, I can go anywhere for those. She can't. They used to have a reasonably good selection of items for people with food intolerances, even the sandwiches, but it's as if, now, they just can't be bothered. A pity. We are going to try that new place in Queen Street that cater for ALL dietary needs. Let's see how we get on. Coffee #1, you've lost the plot and two loyal customers.

Well, you'll be pleased to know that in the 3 years since my last scathing review, my wife and I went back purely out of desperation. Things have...

One of the best coffee chain options in Cardiff, Coffee #1 regularly makes a much better coffee than the other big name coffee chains. With a host of wonderful, and friendly staff, this is a regular haunt for a craft group I am part of. We like to buy multiple drinks, and various food items across a span of several hours on a weekend morning, and the staff in this branch have always allowed us to stay for as long as we like. You can spend hours in here chatting with friends or family - take note though, that the WiFi is unreliable. This can be good for promoting conversation, but does make for a tricky location to work on a laptop from. Overall, whilst there are independent coffee shops whose coffee I prefer, this branch of Coffee #1 always delivers when there's a big group of us with differing drink preferences. Big shout out to the lovely staff, with the manager (I think, though I don't know her name) being a particularly friendly and lovely person. Thank...

The lady who took my order around 3pm on the 25th was pleasant enough, but when she was trying to plate up a slice of Christmas cake for me, she dropped it on the counter behind the computer. She picked it back up with the tongs and held it in the air, asking if if I’m happy to take that one. I thought she was joking at first, but when I told her I’d like a different slice, she set that one back on the tray to be served to another customer 🤦‍♀️ I’m pretty realistic about restaurants and cleanliness, having worked in the industry for years, and I don’t think I’m being unreasonable by thinking that wasn’t appropriate. The counter and cords behind the till are notoriously neglected and a cake that has been dropped there shouldn’t be served to customers. Hopefully, more training can be given to staff about food safety...