Clements

As I’ve said before Clements is about my favourite coffee place in Belfast. This one was while I lived close by, my ‘local’. As has been pointed out it really is tiny, the way the buildings have been designed along this section of Stranmillis leaves the street facing part as literally just a door and small window, so you could be forgiven for not noticing its there. That said once you go in it opens up until its just big enough to form a cosy coffee shop (which sells my favourite coffee in Belfast).
It’s clean, has the typical nice Clements staff and has that feel about it that you don’t get in the larger franchise chain shops. I’ve read other reviews referring to Clements as a ‘chain’ but really a Belfast based coffee shop with 4 or 5 main outlets all in Belfast alone hardly constitutes a big chain, so it stall has a good vibe.
Finally (and this for me applies to all the Clements and is not criticism of this particular branch). The limited menu was never a problem for me as the food that was there, although pricey, was always great. I mainly when in, would have a scone or a sausage roll by way of something quick on my limited lunches. These were always amazing. Sadly lately they haven’t been as good. A friend told me they asked a staff member about it and were told they had changed their suppliers. I hope its not a mark of a downward trend in quality. To be fair the all the food is still good, it’s just not as good as it was. Still, it’s all about the great coffee for me.

My only bad experience with Clements is described as follows:
It was 8.30am, and I had worked ’til 2am the night before and was in severe need of caffeine. At the time, I was going through a difficult period with a Starbucks addiction (a massive latté and a muffin every day) and so, shambled into Clements in a state of baggy-​eyed disarray and asked for a Venti Cappuccino with an extra espresso. The coffee house equivalent of asking for a Big Mac in KFC, but it turns out that coffee house staff are a bit more proud of what they serve, and the guy behind the counter didn’t react very favourably at all. He was all wild-​eyed and and extremely peeved looking. One espresso too many, possibly.
But that was all my fault. Clements do the best coffee in Belfast — at least, this branch does to my knowledge as I haven’t tried the others. Their extremely tasty coffee and excellent sandwiches & paninis have kept me going through many a grim morning.

You could almost be mistaken for thinking this south Belfast coffee shop nestled in the bosom of the thriving (and pricey) Stranmillis is nothing more than just a door… it is very small and strangely shaped.
Due to the premises it occupies you basically walk down a narrow area or corridor to a small counter where you can get the usual coffee and accoutrements, squeezed in against the wall (god knows what this place is like to work in with a busy crowd)
It does fan out towards the back and widens to a snug, cave like coffee house. The coffee is good, a little on the pricey side for the usual accompaniments but I suppose that’s to be expected from every coffee shop in the city.

This branch of the Northern Irish coffee chain is definitely the smallest, but you know what they say about small packages!
There’s only room for about 20 people in the place, so it can be quite busy, but don’t let that put you off. The staff are incredible. That’s actually true across all the Clements branches, so bravo to whoever’s in charge of training them! They are always helpful, friendly, and most importantly, genuine. You never feel like they are putting on a fake customer service bit just to get a tip out of you.
As for the food and drink, top marks. I’m not a coffee drinker, so I can’t comment on that, but they do a great rice krispie square (which I am an expert on!). They also have a good range of sandwiches. THey aren’t made fresh on the premises as far as I can tell, but the bacon and brie panini is divine so it doesn’t matter that much…
Like its sister branches, this little café is a great place to come for a catch up with friends in a relaxing and friendly atmosphere.