Cafe Nero

Café Nero is good if you want to chill. You’re never rushed out and the added benefit of people watching and free WiFi. What better way to while away a couple of hours.

I hadn’t actually been to this Café Nero before but I was running a little early for a meeting and i thought I’d grab a quick coffee rather than show up ridiculously early.
There’s loads of Café Nero’s in Belfast City Centre but this one definitely has the best views. There’s an outside seating area facing City Hall and ideal for people watching. Like to people watch but don’t like the outside, never fear there’s a huge upstairs seating area with a window looking out in the same direction.
In terms of other facilities this is your standard Nero’s. There’s often a bit of a queue, especially around lunchtime but the staff seem on the ball in this branch and work through the line as quickly as possible. In terms of coffee you know what you are getting with Nero’s — good coffee and a decent price.

I wouldn’t say I am a coffee lover but every now and then I like to have something different than my morning home-​made latte gulped down between doing my make-​up and brushing my hair. That’s when I pop in to Caffe Nero for a caramelatte or a cappuccino. These are both quite nice actually. I pass one of the branches every day and it is always busy, however I don’t think I have ever waited more than 3 – 4 minutes for my coffee. I have to admit that I dont really like to sit in because tables are sometimes quite dirty and I was not satisfied with the cleanliness of the ladies room either.

I was impressed. Four of us visited having just left the Red Panda across the road, where we enjoyed a good lunch. So four different coffees required. This coffee place is fairly roomy, it’s nice and big with comfy seating. As it was lunch time there was a queue that moved at an alright pace. The servers were under a bit of pressure but remained cheery and efficient. My espresso con panna was ace quality with the strong sophisticated complex multi flavours that you only get with the more expensive skilfully roasted arabica beans at £1.90. It was a perfect finish to the great lunch. We lounged for about an hour in the comfy couches, relaxed and chatted — this is café society at its near best. As a regular Starbucks fan I noticed that the staff here were much more tuned into cleaning the tables and with general tidying up and it was very busy when we were there. Free, hassle free wifi and clean toilets were also welcome. They also have a loyalty card for regular customers.