To be frank I’m happy that these station cafes have closed. They’ve been taking advantage of travellers for far too long, hopefully going forward some reasonably priced alternatives will take their place.
I wouldn't hold your breath.
To be frank I’m happy that these station cafes have closed. They’ve been taking advantage of travellers for far too long, hopefully going forward some reasonably priced alternatives will take their place.
Nah! The "must have" food, back in the day, were the slightly outsize chocolate chip cookies that you could normally get onboard from the buffet cars on Inter City services.I remember Casey Jones. For a young teenager they were the 'must have' food to accompany a rail roving day!
To be frank I’m happy that these station cafes have closed. They’ve been taking advantage of travellers for far too long, hopefully going forward some reasonably priced alternatives will take their place.
The few station cafes I’ve visited in the likes of Spain , France & Germany all seemed on the dear side. Is there actually any first world country where most of these facilities are noticeably cheap ?To be frank I’m happy that these station cafes have closed. They’ve been taking advantage of travellers for far too long, hopefully going forward some reasonably priced alternatives will take their place.
The cafe on the entrance road to Oxford Road Station (Java?) was much better.Blimey, I've not seen that one open for years. I'd assumed it had shut ages ago !
The cafe on the entrance road to Oxford Road Station (Java?) was much better.
The few station cafes I’ve visited in the likes of Spain , France & Germany all seemed on the dear side. Is there actually any first world country where most of these facilities are noticeably cheap ?
The cafe on the entrance road to Oxford Road Station (Java?) was much better.
I use the Pumpkin at Manchester Oxford Road station occasionally for a coffee and still find it expensive even with the Bitecard discount, which I admit is not much now (5%) - but I see this is covered on another thread.
You get what you pay for (except Starbucks where you get very little of quality!) so you either pay for a better quality offering [Pret/Nero/Costa] or have a cheap and cheerful outlet like Greggs.
At Portsmouth Harbour not long back I noticed flies everywhere buzzing around which was a bad sign !Pumpkin are dreadful and I wouldn't miss them if they disappeared. Surly staff, the tables, decor and (lack of) cleanliness are like a throwback to the 80s. Really expensive for low quality stuff too. Last time I was in one I bought a coffee. I picked up a very artificial looking Danish pastry and put it down again when I realised what they were charging for it, decided to go hungry instead.
Coffee was OK because it was a bit tasteless, which is better than the really astringent stuff the posh chains sell.
That is indeed the key to Starbucks. Although their filter coffee is pretty good too imo.Other than their inability to pay their taxes (not something unique to them) I don't share the hate for Starbucks, provided you put a second shot in to get the strength up it seems OK enough to me.
That said, their motorway-services self-service machines produce dishwater, it really is vile, incredibly weak. Whereas I find Costa Express machines produce better coffee than their manual shops do. Actually there's a question - why don't you see those at stations?
That is indeed the key to Starbucks. Although their filter coffee is pretty good too imo.
Starbucks, while pricey, do do a tasty cup of tea.
Yes, that's true, the filter is good and cheap (and you get a free refill if drinking in).
Interestingly Starbucks' heritage is based on filter coffee (like say Tim Hortons) - they didn't do espresso based drinks initially.
Yeah, their tea isn't bad, and indeed that's the only way to get a decent drink out of their "on the go" machines. That said, the winner of that one is the Sainsbury's Local at Manc Picc which does Yorkshire Gold (for there is only one) for about a quid.
Why most places do PG Tips I have no idea, they might as well just bag up the floor sweepings once a week.
Not quite as bad as Twinings "Everyday", but not up to much. TBH ordinary "Yorkshire" is a pretty superior tea IMO.
That's fair enough & I do it roughly 50% of the time too for work. Other days I either can't be bothered or prefer to buy out. When I am off however or going somewhere for leisure I have never taken a pack up & always purchase from station outlets or onboard. It's all part of the adventure.I spend a bit of time at home making sandwiches, take fruit, yoghurt, drinks from home, rarely use a fff fastfoodfacility
Saves time on the journey, saves cash, I make exactly what I want to eat
Indeed. Although I used to stick to the Milkshakes which were far better than the Burger King variety.(Casey Jones)
On privatisation they became Burger King franchises. I remember Casey Jones. For a young teenager they were the 'must have' food to accompany a rail roving day!
What I really need is a railway station cafe that serves lapsang souchong
That card was a god send when gave 20% off at the beginning, it made eating at the station comparable to walking 5 minutes outside to a normal outlet! But now its a shower of sh*te I'm not even sure if I should bother carrying the card around any longer!I use the Pumpkin at Manchester Oxford Road station occasionally for a coffee and still find it expensive even with the Bitecard discount, which I admit is not much now (5%) - but I see this is covered on another thread.
That card was a god send when gave 20% off at the beginning, it made eating at the station comparable to walking 5 minutes outside to a normal outlet! But now its a shower of sh*te I'm not even sure if I should bother carrying the card around any longer!
Pumpkin are dreadful and I wouldn't miss them if they disappeared. Surly staff, the tables, decor and (lack of) cleanliness are like a throwback to the 80s. Really expensive for low quality stuff too. Last time I was in one I bought a coffee. I picked up a very artificial looking Danish pastry and put it down again when I realised what they were charging for it, decided to go hungry instead.
Coffee was OK because it was a bit tasteless, which is better than the really astringent stuff the posh chains sell.
Does Shoreditch High Street not have a hipster tea shop where you pay what you think the tea was worth, while taking selfies of yourself and your tea for your instagram profile?What I really need is a railway station cafe that serves lapsang souchong