Starbucks

Dunno why but I always end up In this Starbucks and this weekend was no different. Obviously it’s conveniently located by Apple Store. It’s not a bad layout and the coffee is fine, but can often be a long wait. Does the job but to be honest there are proper coffee shops right in soho.

Pretty large Starbucks, never been a massive fan of the chain, but this one sells reserva coffee, so they offer different coffee beans from Peru, Ecuador and a couple of other coffee growing countries and serve it as a long black. It takes a while because they have a special machine to make it, aside from the standard one which produces the usual lattes and cappuccinos. It’s a pretty decent price at £2.45 for a medium and nice coffee for a chain.
If you wanna kill sometime near regent street and let the world pass by, then you could do a lot worse than stop by here for a while.

This Starbucks is great for people watching as there are seats right in the window. The staff are lovely and the tables and seats comfy and perfect for catching up or doing some work. You can pre-​order your drinks using the Starbucks app and pay using your phone too. When I came here at night the place was quite and I was served really quickly, however, when I came here one morning the queue was really long and nearly out the door, although they did say that one machine was broken and that was what was causing the delay. This store is in a great location.

I never really saw myself as a Unilocal-​person. But yet here I am reviewing and Unilocaling away like a boss after a long ass break being back on Unilocal.And who knew, surprise surprise, it’s a Starbucks.
As a full blood New Yorker and die hard Starbucks junkie (yes, junkie!) in desperate need of caffeine after a long ass flight and the not-​that-​much-​of-​a-​real-​breakfast-​coffee-​and-​muffin you get on a plane this is the perfect place for me. It’s a little far away from the W14 Hotel I’m staying at but it’s cool. I already checked out the area around my hotel and there at least 3 Starbucks stores nearby ;).
Besides, needing to kill three hours and change until I can check in at the hotel, I couldn’t find anything better. At the same time I’m getting to know the city so it’s perfectly fine.
It’s very comfortable and the staff are extremely friendly (to be honest, I’ve never been at a Starbucks where these criteria didn’t meet). You don’t have to wait on line (for all the non-​New Yorkers and everybody who isn’t familiar with the New Yorkisms — «in line») so long either. You get your coffee quick and the staff really make an effort to get your beverage as perfect and as fast as possible. Plus, there are plug sockets everywhere conveniently placed all over the store for an iPhone girl in need of a charge.
An Apple Store is very close by as well so if you forgot your charger in the suitcase which is sitting pretty in the storage room of the hotel (like me!) and you run out of battery your day is already saved =))
I’ll only be staying for a week but will definitely make time to visit again.
So, in the (slightly amended) words of Simon Cowell: «That’s five stars from me.»

This is perhaps the snazziest Starbucks around Oxford Circus, although it is also one of the busiest! There is the usual fare, plus Starbucks Reserve coffees, which are a nice change from the standard blend. The décor is innovative, with beaten steel «drum» tables in the window upstairs and enclosed «cubby hole» tables downstairs in the old wine cellar.

Worst Starbucks I’ve ever been to… internationally!!!
Why?
There are 5 staff members that seem to be too busy to serve the next person in the line (even though there are 2 people waiting).
They’re completely unaware of their own promotions (which was the £2 breakfast option on this particular day).
The seating area always seems messy, dirty and never clean — yes, I know that there are two floors, though there are far bigger Starbucks that don’t seem to have this issue.
They never seem to have the usual friendly warm attitude towards their customers.
About ½ of the time they don’t have soya milk (why does this ONLY occur in this Starbucks?) and without any really apology.
Even though my Client’s office is next door, I walk up the road to another Starbucks where I receive the wonderful top Starbucks service.

Starbucks are everywhere in London, but when I’m visiting here, I always come to this Starbucks because they have more spaces than others. The location is good and down the stairs to find the greatest lounge you’ve ever seen. And the paintings around are so cool.

I was a 3−5/week visitor to this location when I lived in London as my SO’s office is across the street.
This location is nice because it has a large downstairs lounge area. There are a couple semi-​private nooks where groups can meet and have a nice meeting.
The staff is always on point with the orders.

It’s always nice to see Starbucks.

The secret is out: everyone (and I mean, everyone) now knows that this Starbucks that was previously tucked away on Conduit Street exists and good luck on actually getting a seat. Which is a shame because it is one of the more comfortable Starbucks in the area, as well as their showcase location. It sure beats the Starbucks on top of Regent’s Road, which is in dire need of redecoration [downstairs] because the lighting and seating do not provide a relaxing ambience. Plus, it’s loud, loud, LOUD! I deducted a star because Conduit Street is a stone’s throw away from the Apple Store on Regent’s street. Yes, the ubiquitous fruity sign can be seen from a million and 1 Macbook Pros and Airs. Some of the clientèle can be a little bit cooler than thou, like one ‘cool’ customer who refused to acknowledge my presence when I politely tapped him on the shoulder and asked if anyone was sitting opposite him. Even when took his mute response as tacit acceptance, sat down, and rested my iPad2 and Burberry coat, he still refused to look up from his laptop. Compare and contrast with a Caffe Nero on Great Windmill Street (I think?). I generally prefer the ambience of Starbucks (some, anyway) but I got chatting to a guy who asked me if I wouldn’t mind looking after his laptop whilst he went to buy some food. We got talking about his Ph.D. (organic chemistry), and conversed on education, living abroad and other subjects. I’m currently in-​between coffee shops, and am looking for ones which meet the following criteria:
1. cosy
2. free wifi
3. good seating I’m happy to go with Starbucks for language exchanges but looking for something a little different for dates [Oriental chicks].

I know it’s strange to review a Starbucks, of all places. They exist EVERYWHERE. But there are a few key things that make this noteworthy for a tourist like me from the U.S.
Fact: London is expensive! I was traveling with my daughter and there were two saving graces: (1) We slept through «breakfast» every day because we never fully acclimated to the time change, and (2) Starbucks was a block away from where we stayed at The Westbury and it served as our lunch stop every single day while we were in London.
In California and Oregon, Starbucks offer a single case of pastries, donuts, and a few pre-​made sandwiches. In London, this Starbucks and the few others I saw, have 2 large cases of a huge variety of sandwiches all day long. The choices are phenomenal and the quality really nice.
I started every single day with my double tall «skinny» vanilla latte and a croque monsieur (ham, Gruyère, and English mustard on a warmed panini, so the cheese oozed out as I bit into it). Divine!
I wish our Starbucks in the US lived up to the Starbucks in the UK. We are missing out here.

This location is of the «New Starbucks Generation»: soft wooden tones dominate, it looks less «corporate» and the space is very generous! They even have different mugs here than they have at the «Old Starbucks Generation-​Stores»…
In fact, the downstairs is huge and is the perfect area for studying, working or holding informal meetings. Also, the free wifi makes this definitely well-​worth a visit! However, word-​of-​mouth has already made this location a hot-​spot for students and business men alike and in the afternoons and early evenings is simply too packed! I would recommend Sunday mornings at 8 am…

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Starbuck’s flagship store in Conduit Street for the first time in order to attend Aroma Lab event.
My original plan was to arrive in the area with time to spare and have a stroll around Mayfair but after the weather had gone from cold and sunny to cold, rainy and miserable I ended up arriving at Starbucks about an hour early. Despite my very early arrival, I was warmly greeted by Georgie and Matt, who showed me to the area where the event would take place, which was very cosy with comfortable upholstered chairs and sofas, and a bookcase to boot it was very much like being in someone’s living room.
While waiting for the other Qypers to arrive it quickly became apparent that this event was superbly organised and taken very seriously by all involved. Every member of staff who helped set everything up introduced themselves and made sure that I was feeling at home.
The event kicked off with Starbuck’s coffee ambassador Alan Hartney, a friendly Irishman who knows everything there is to know about coffee, telling us about the different coffee-​growing regions and giving several tips on how to brew a perfect cuppa and the best way to store coffee (never store ground coffee in the fridge!).
The first coffee he introduced us to was the Colombian Nariño Supremo, a coffee described as ‘medium-​bodied, well balanced and smooth’. After brewing the Nariño Supremo to perfection (of course!), Alan showed us how to properly smell and taste the coffee. After sniffing out some tobacco aroma, I tasted the Nariño and, after my initial surprise at how different the taste was to the smell I think I was expecting a much stronger brew I quickly established that this was a pretty damn good cup of coffee. It was indeed very well balanced and smooth and, being a black coffee fanatic, I found the lovely roasted coffee taste to be very pleasing.
I was honestly a bit surprised to taste a Starbucks coffee that was so enjoyable without milk or sugar; I had always assumed that the main criteria for Starbucks was that the coffee must taste good with milk and compliment the many special coffee creations they offer.
The next coffee Alan introduced us to was the Kenya blend, which was so much stronger than the Nariño blend that I was very surprised to learn that it had the same amount of caffeine as the Nariño.
After that we tasted the Sumantra blend which was also rather strong but I found it to be not as harsh as the Kenya blend, which was perhaps due to the lack of acidity. As part of this event was about pairing coffee with food, we were presented with foccacia finger food and a selection of cheese. The coffee went very well with the cheese, my particular favourite being the Kenya blend along with a mild goat’s cheese I never would have anticipated that this combination would be so pleasant.
Our final coffee of the evening was Starbuck’s Christmas Blend, which is a blend of Latin American and Asian/​Pacific beans. I found this to be a strong and acidic coffee which perfectly complimented the gingerbread loaf that was served (along with a cheesecake and Yule loaf).
We were then presented with a wonderful goodie bag as well as a special Christmas drink (which was extra special since we got to try them before they actually go on sale). I had an egg nog latte which tasted very good and was the perfect way to end a great evening.
This really was a great event which fully convinced me that Starbucks offers excellent black coffee (I previously did not consider Starbucks to be a go-​to place for black coffee; I only ever went there for a soya latte). I was most impressed by every member of staff we dealt with it was so very apparent that everyone was very passionate about coffee and for anyone who needs further convincing I recommend that you ask for the Coffee Master when you next visit Starbucks, who will happily lead you through the different blends on offer; they really do know their stuff.
Thank you to everyone at Starbucks who made this event happen and thanks to Chris for organising this fab evening!

Starbucks flagship UK store, this one is a little more swish than you’re used to I imagine. Forget the busy, noisy Starbucks off Oxford St, head for this one. Great ambience and very comfortable — a recommended stopping point for all of the coffee afficionados out there :)

My favourite Starbucks this is, and I have been to quite a few. The location is great, just off Regent’s St. However, it is not as busy as you would expect. Not only you can always find a place here but it is also quieter than other branches. It is more spacious too and overall I find it a great place to have a break from the hustle and bustle of Picadilly/​Oxford St area, catch up with friends or just relax while reading a book after work. If you like Starbucks, make sure you pay a visit to this branch.

Finally a Starbucks like I am useded to (more like those in Canada). Good seating, good lighting, good amount of space. A comfortable place to meet up with friends and to escape the hustle and bustle of Regent Street for a bit.
Also I love the free wifi, very handy.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Another Starbucks … yadda yadda yadda … you know the scene. But the Conduit Street ‘bucks just off Regent Street is a little different. It’s the showcase location for their new and improved locally-​inspired shop design. Apparently, the idea behind the sprucing up is to inspire the look and feel of new stores and refurbishments throughout the UK and Ireland in the future, meaning no two Starbucks will ever be entirely the same. I suppose if we must live in a corporate landscape of same-​old-​same-​old, more individuality and less monotony can only be appreciated.
I swung by the Conduit Street location for a press viewing (
) of the newly launched desiang, and I must admit that I was much impressed. This new and improved coffeehouse offers a much comfier, more subdued and overall more pleasant experience than the bog standard Starbucks I’m accustomed to.