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Notes Coffee Roasters & Bar — Coffee shops in London

Notes Coffee Roasters & Bar

Coffee shopsLondon

4.1 out of 5 stars4.1(1,536 reviews)

“Gourmet coffee served alongside a menu of pastries, pies & charcuterie, plus wine & beers.”

Quick info

+44 20 7240 0424
31 St Martin's Ln, London WC2N 4DD, United Kingdom

About Notes Coffee Roasters & Bar

Notes Coffee Roasters & Bar is a coffee shop in London at 31 St Martin's Ln, close to Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. The hot chocolate menu is organised by cocoa percentage, so there is a range of strengths to choose from alongside the coffee. Pastries and desserts come in a selection with many options, and pies and charcuterie sit on the food menu too. Brunch is served all day. A bar pours wine and beers for those who want something other than coffee. Inside, a communal table stands alongside tables for two, and the seating continues toward the back of the room.

Reviews

4.1/5
1,536 reviews

What reviewers say

Reviewers most often mention pastry selection, hot chocolate, matcha and tea and banana cold brew.

5★
770
4★
445
3★
153
2★
79
1★
89

Customer Review Summary

Coffee draws the most praise, with reviewers singling out a mocha described as rich and well balanced, a Banana Cold Brew, and an orange Americano that one found a funny combination that worked. A hot chocolate is called delish. Pastries come close behind, called exceptional and fresh by some and pretty good but not phenomenal by another, while the yoghurt and granola gets a mention and one family found the brunch menu suited a picky tween and two teens. The room is described as stylish with high ceilings, busy, a bit noisy and lively. Complaints centre on service and value: one notes slow service, another a cold welcome, one found the scrambled eggs overcooked with no hollandaise, and another called two drinks and two slices of bread overpriced. One reviewer describes being told to leave after ordering through the café's app, with a man behind the counter repeatedly saying they needed to go in what was called an aggressive tone.

Featured reviews

  • Google user
    “I almost never leave negative reviews, but this experience was so uncomfortable and unnecessarily hostile that I feel compelled to share it. I popped in yesterday with my sister and was seated immediately. I have the café’s app, and as the café was busy at the time, I ordered my coffee through it while my sister was still deciding what she wanted. We then heard a commotion behind the counter. The man who had welcomed us in was visibly agitated with a female member of staff who was preparing our drinks. We could hear him very clearly and repeatedly saying, “They need to leave, they need to leave, they need to leave,” in an extremely aggressive tone. The woman then came over and told us that, unfortunately, we would have to leave because orders placed through the app are cheaper. That was the explanation given to us, literally. There was no indication in the app that ordering through it meant the order was takeaway only, and if there is a difference in price between takeaway and sitting in, this could surely have been explained politely or the difference simply charged. My sister was also still going to order something, so there was every opportunity to resolve the situation normally. I completely understand that cafés can have different policies for takeaway and table service. What I found extraordinary was the way this was handled. The member of staff who spoke to us was polite and clearly seemed to be caught in an uncomfortable position herself. The behaviour from the man behind the counter, however, was unnecessarily aggressive and made us feel as though we had done something terribly wrong when we had simply used the café’s own app to order a coffee. There was also another uncomfortable interaction happening at the same time. Two women who arrived after us were seated at a table for two and asked if they could move to a nearby communal table. They were turned down in a similarly abrupt manner and told they needed to book in advance for multiple people. This was particularly strange given that the café was not full and the communal table was empty. Perhaps there are perfectly legitimate policies behind all of this, but they were not communicated clearly, and the manner in which they were enforced was completely disproportionate. I have never experienced this level of hostility and lack of tact in a café before.”
  • Google user
    “Stopped over for a brief Hot Chocolate, and it was delish! Didn't have the warmest of welcomes but then a lovely attentive waitress, (a beautiful black woman with the most flawles melanated skin) who did a wonderful service and put a smile on my face in a very rushed environment. Whoever you are, thank you.”
  • Google user
    “Nice food - overpriced for the portion size you get. Two drinks and two slices of bread shouldn’t cost me £32. Coffee was amazing - Banana Cold Brew!”
  • Google user
    “Very good visit here - had the yoghurt and granola which was great. It is much bigger inside than it appears so lots of seating at the back. Staff were polite and professional.”
  • Google user
    “Loved this coffee shop. The mocha and coffee were amazing, rich and well balanced. The pastry selection was impressive, so many options and everything we tried was fresh and delicious. The ambiance was warm and inviting, a great place to sit, relax, and enjoy your drink. Highly recommend stopping by if you’re in the area.”

Location

Coffee shops near Notes Coffee Roasters & Bar

Notes Coffee Roasters & Bar
4.11,536

The 3 nearest coffee shops by distance. Ratings, hours and review terms come from public business profiles.

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