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Stations which have coffee shops in them

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ValleyLines142

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Following on from Techniquest's thread about supermarkets at stations, what coffee shops are present in some stations?

Considering I work for Costa myself, this thread could be quite interesting!

Swansea: Costa in the concourse
Cardiff Central: No major chains, considering it is a main station, only Uppercrust!
Bristol Temple Meads: Starbucks in the underground passage (although only a franchise and they're robbing buggers!) and Uppercrust
St Pancras International: Costa and Caffé Nero (the latter very usefully being after Eurostar customs, which means I'll pick up a coffee on every Eurostar journey I make!)
Birmingham New Street: Costa and Starbucks
Manchester Picadilly: Starbucks
London Victoria: Costa and Uppercrust
London Paddington: Costa, Starbucks and Uppercrust
Crewe: Gourmet and Uppercrust
Newport: Uppercrust
Bristol Parkway: Uppercrust

Any others?
 
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DarloRich

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Most mainline stations! ;)

Or do you want a list of which brands you can get at which station? MKC has, for instance, 3 in the station with a Costa in the parade outside!
 

Yew

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Nottingham has an AMT and Pumkin cafe, with a Starbucks just across the road.
Newark Northgate has a Costa
Worksop has an Independent Cafe (That does a brilliant bacon roll)
 

EM2

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Following on from Techniquest's thread about supermarkets at stations, what coffee shops are present in some stations?

Considering I work for Costa myself, this thread could be quite interesting!

St Pancras International: Costa and Caffé Nero (the latter very usefully being after Eurostar customs, which means I'll pick up a coffee on every Eurostar journey I make!)
Assuming you mean all the places that sell coffee, you can add:
Pret A Manger
Starbucks
Fine Burger
Sourced Market
Benugo (x2)
Caffe Fratelli (x2)
Peyton & Byrne
Des Vins
Le Pain Quotidien
Fortnum & Mason
Patisserie Valerie
AMT
Camden Food
West Cornwall Pasty
Chop'd
Betjeman Arms
The Grand
Carluccio's

I think that's it :lol:
 
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DarloRich

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Why is it that the lack of "major chains" is seen as a problem? You often get better service and value from the smaller shops
 

Greenback

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Indeed. The small shop at Llanelli seems very popular. It sells tea, coffee, bacon rolls and toast, along with some magazines, pre packed sandwiches, cold drinks, crisps and chocolate.
 

306024

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Witham has two coffee shops on the up main platform. The name of one of them is 'Bean and Gone', which kinda amused me.
 

Kite159

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Best thing with Pumpkin Cafes...

£1.99 Sausage/Bacon baps

Although they can't beat the sausage baps I can get from the cafe at Romsey station
 

LowLevel

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Beeston station cafe does a nice cup of coffee that is very reasonably priced.
 

Nym

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You can usually go round the corner from a fair few commuter stations in London and get a much nicer bacon sandwich that Starbucks, Costa, Upper Crust etc.
 

VTPreston_Tez

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Any Preston fan knows that there's one in Waterloo, as of course Graham Westley was sacked in Carluccios.
Preston and Blackpool have 'em too. Crawley arguably has one, depending on what you call a coffee shop. I think Brighton may have one too.
 

Techniquest

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DanTrainMan185, you missed Costa off your entry for Manchester Piccadilly. Two small outlets, one next to p12 near the facilities and another small one upstairs in the lounge area for p13 and 14.

Swansea station must have changed a fair bit then, Costa wasn't there on my last visit!

Glasgow Central has a Costa, en-route from the main concourse towards the high numbered platforms. I'm sure Edinburgh Waverley also has a Costa, but not 100%. Think it may have been in the retail/catering area right above the station. Not been since September 2012 so memory's a little hazy.

Paddington has a Costa next to p1. Most other places I can think of straight away are the standard SSP places like Pumpkin and Upper Crust.

Interesting thread so far, another one that'll be useful for future reference out and about. As for why people want major chains at stations, I for one do as I'm a Costa Coffee Club member so like to build my points up. Plus I know I can have a proper, decent coffee in Costa so if I'm on a long journey down the Marches I will ensure I visit the Costa outlet by p12 at Piccadilly!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Also, are we including places like Pumpkin and Upper Crust? If so, you missed off Pumpkin at Crewe. Stockport has Gourmet and Pumpkin. Hereford has Pumpkin too.

Could name a lot of places in the Midlands for those!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
harry42:1723469 said:
Worksop has an Independent Cafe (That does a brilliant bacon roll)

It does indeed! :p

It does an excellent cooked breakfast and coffee, I sung its praises in the 2012 ALR trip report :)
 

DarloRich

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Plus I know I can have a proper, decent coffee in Costa

That kind of depends on your definition of "proper decent coffee"!

We will have to disagree as i think "proper decent coffee" doesn't taste of insipid dish water and doesn't come served by a disinterested student in a paper cup from an identikit branded coffee shop
 

Techniquest

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Ooh, forgot Durham has a tiny Costa outlet on the London platform, and Newcastle has one on the main concourse too. There is another coffee place on platform 4 I think, but memory fails me on this one.
 

Greenback

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Swansea station must have changed a fair bit then, Costa wasn't there on my last visit!

Yes it has! The Costa appeared after the recent refurbishment of the station. On leaving the platforms it is on the right as you head towards the main entrance, just past the similarly new information desk.
 

MidnightFlyer

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That kind of depends on your definition of "proper decent coffee"!

We will have to disagree as i think "proper decent coffee" doesn't taste of insipid dish water and doesn't come served by a disinterested student in a paper cup from an identikit branded coffee shop

Indeed. I prefer stodgy, instant coffee served in polystyrene cups to any of the offerings of Costa or Starbucks style outlets. It's nearly always cheaper too for a similar amount of beverage, and doesn't take 10 minutes to prepare. If I was given the choice of an independent-style cafe on a station or a Costa, the former would get my custom without question.

Bolton has a decent independent cafe on p1/3, as does Hebden Bridge. Both serve coffee ;)
 

Techniquest

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DarloRich:1724254 said:
Plus I know I can have a proper, decent coffee in Costa

That kind of depends on your definition of "proper decent coffee"!

We will have to disagree as i think "proper decent coffee" doesn't taste of insipid dish water and doesn't come served by a disinterested student in a paper cup from an identikit branded coffee shop

As someone who's tried most of the brands, strengths etc of the coffee available in the supermarkets, I can tell you for fact that there is an enormous difference between Asda Smart Price coffee (though its good for 47p) and Asda Gold Blend. There's also a huge difference between that and Nescafe Gold, then a smaller difference between that and Douwe Egberts Pure Indulgence. However I do love Costa coffee but despise Starbucks' hot water, milk and ground up brown Crayola!

It may be obvious I drink a LOT of coffee in an average year...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Greenback:1724258 said:
Swansea station must have changed a fair bit then, Costa wasn't there on my last visit!

Yes it has! The Costa appeared after the recent refurbishment of the station. On leaving the platforms it is on the right as you head towards the main entrance, just past the similarly new information desk.

Ah right! Well if I happen to pop into Swansea tomorrow, I'll have to see how much it's changed. That being said, I also wish not to see it yet to preserve my memories and nostalgia of what was for quite some time my home away from home!
 

DarloRich

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As someone who's tried most of the brands, strengths etc of the coffee available in the supermarkets, I can tell you for fact that there is an enormous difference between Asda Smart Price coffee (though its good for 47p) and Asda Gold Blend. There's also a huge difference between that and Nescafe Gold, then a smaller difference between that and Douwe Egberts Pure Indulgence. However I do love Costa coffee but despise Starbucks' hot water, milk and ground up brown Crayola!

It may be obvious I drink a LOT of coffee in an average year

Lots of instant branded coffee. Not real coffee ;)
 

Techniquest

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DarloRich:1724268 said:
As someone who's tried most of the brands, strengths etc of the coffee available in the supermarkets, I can tell you for fact that there is an enormous difference between Asda Smart Price coffee (though its good for 47p) and Asda Gold Blend. There's also a huge difference between that and Nescafe Gold, then a smaller difference between that and Douwe Egberts Pure Indulgence. However I do love Costa coffee but despise Starbucks' hot water, milk and ground up brown Crayola!

It may be obvious I drink a LOT of coffee in an average year

Lots of instant branded coffee. Not real coffee ;)

Instant coffee is good enough for me, unless I'm in a coffee shop I have no patience for grinding the beans and all that at home!
 

DarloRich

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Instant coffee is good enough for me, unless I'm in a coffee shop I have no patience for grinding the beans and all that at home!

Get them to grind it in the shop - you dont know what you are missing! It makes the branded stuff look like dirty dishwater!

Admittedly of little use whilst on the move, unless you have a flask ;)

Anyway i drink tea unless it is very early!
 

starrymarkb

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There are two nice coffee shops a couple of minutes walk from Exeter Central.

Streamers in the Harlequins is a nice independent and very cheap too.
A bit futher up Queen Street is Boston Tea Party. They are a local chain of 14 shops mostly in the SW. Again far nicer then an identikit international chain and it's an interesting building too!
 
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