Caffe Nero

Certain situations prompt me to actions I wouldn’t normally take and this was the case today, with an early departure from Waverley station necessitating a trip to Caffe Nero. I stopped in for a breakfast bite and coffee.

I’d visited when compiling the Espresso 100, way back when, and had been thoroughly underwhelmed by their coffee. I gave their espresso another try and it was sadly just as bitter and burnt as before.

Their breakfast options included a couple of filled muffin options, so I opted for the ham and egg over the bacon and ketchup. This was heated by the friendly and efficient counter staff.

Soon enough, I was on my way with a defeated looking, squished breakfast muffin in hand.

It was one of the poorest items I’ve been served in all of our quests. Lightly filled with egg mayonnaise and two small, thick triangles of ham, it was a sad effort at breakfast sustenance. The outer casing was like plywood. A couple of hours of southward train journey and I had to eat again, so it didn’t even do the job of addressing my morning hunger. It was complete and total in its failure.

So overall, while Caffe Nero runs an efficient ship that quickly manages down the commuter queues, the fare on offer is dispiritingly poor. Bagel Factory aside, Waverley could, in general, use a refresh of its food options. Caffe Nero needs a major rethink of their breakfast options as what I sampled today was shockingly bad.

Scores
Blythe scores Caffe Nero
1/5 for food
2/5 for presentation
3.5/5 for service
3/5 for setting
giving an overall 9.5/20

I ate: egg and ham breakfast muffin

I drank: espresso

I wore: brown suit

Total bill: £4.35

www.caffenero.co.uk