Starbucks (London) > Reviews

Advantages: Plentiful
Disadvantages: The More you ignore me the closer I get

...you do not go into Starbucks for the Coffee and definately not the food - over priced and by most means underflavoured - but for the variety of Insurance workers that populate Starbucks-CGNU during their lunchtime. In Norwich we have the chess players, a game for those that have never forgotten the abysmal cartoon 'Dungeons & Dragons' but keep some vigil for Star Trek Next Generation bollocks, one has dark hair and looks Polish and the other dresses ... Read review

Advantages: Heavenly taste, huge range of coffee (incl. soya milk varieties) and an atmosphere that oozes cool and sophistication
Disadvantages: Can get packed in there, the foreign staff sometimes have a hard time conversing, and you need to be a millionaire to go regularly

...you). And before we slag Starbucks off for being too commercial, keep in mind they do support CARE, which teaches environmentally sound farming practices in Ethiopia. If the prices came down then I would be an extremely satisfied customer, but until then, my frappachino addiction looks set to make me bankrupt. ... Read review

Advantages: Big Brand Name - Consistency
Disadvantages: Consistently poor coffee!

Starbucks is alledgly the market leader in expresso bars, and is certainly dominant in the states. However, their coffee is weak, sandwiches are expensive and cakes are hard! I used to really enjoy drinks from the seattle coffee company, which starbucks took over last year. The staff tended to have a good sense of humour and level of service was generally better. This all seems to have changed since the takeover, and Coffee Republic now seems ... Read review

Advantages: A great relaxing place to hang out with friends to drink and chat
Disadvantages: Very pricey

I am a regular Starbucks customer. I go there at least once a fortnight. I'm not too sure if that is good or bad considering their reputation (extortion prices, monopolising capitalists). I do try to avoid the lure of the delicious coffee aroma floating around the streets of London, but I always end up waltzing (not literally!) to the counter, and placing my order. I tend to stick to the Cappuccinos and Frappuccinos. I once ordered a Hot Chocolate, ... Read review

Advantages: Great views, great atmosphere, great coffee
Disadvantages: A bit expensive

...my nearest and dearest. I think Starbucks is rather like marmite, you either love it or you hate it. Some people hate the fact that they have to pay £3 for a cup of coffee, other people can't get enough. I am definitely in the second camp, I am a Starbucks fan. I think what has captured the world is their relationship with coffee, they like to think of their stores as a "third place", ie the third place you go in this world after home and work ... Read review

Advantages: £10 cup of coffee
Disadvantages: They don't sell things that cost less than a fiver

...pay £10 for lunch? then starbucks is the place for you. why not come along to this capitalist organisation of expensive coffee and sandwiches and spend loads of money to help feed the fat cats of this society. They have loads of other things you can but for outrageous prices as well such as chocolate and 'authentic' south american music cds. If you didn't get the sarcasm above, what I am trying to say, is that starbucks is a major rip off with ... Read review

Advantages: for non smokers it's smoke free
Disadvantages: price, ambience, noise, service, poor coffee

Ok so Starbucks may have re-invented the coffee bar, but that's no justification for its exorbitant prices. Their coffee is weak and the sandwiches and pastries are awful. When you consider the competition they have now, like Coffee Republic (the best), to Caffe Nero (great coffee and great toasted sandwiches) and Costa Coffee to name but a few, I don't understand how Starbucks manages to sucker so many people. I would far rather walk a few ... Read review

Advantages: few
Disadvantages: many

...occasions, and the new Starbucks retains the spaciousbness and lovely wood -panelled walls of the old establishment. quite a contrast from the other Starbucks I've been in: Baker street and Bayswater are both pretty pokey. the ones in Borders bookshops tend to have more space, but are souless and grubby and I hate Borders anyway. The Carnaby Street branch looks OK. All coffee shops come up with the staple coffees, latte, capuchino, black and white, ... Read review

Advantages: good coffee, plugs for laptops and mobile phones, comfy sofas, papers
Disadvantages: very, very, very expensive considering, bad food

...of other smaller chains. When Starbucks first bought Seattle Coffee Company a couple of years back and started changing the decor, I thought they were tacky and very over-priced, particularly based on my experiences of the New York branches. These seemed to me like the McDonald's of coffee, not somewhere I'd think of grabbing a brew and chilling out. But...my opinions changed. Sure the food is still pretty bad, and extremely over-priced, but the ... Read review

Advantages: Nice product
Disadvantages: Price

There happened to be 2 Starbucks put in on the street I was working on. Knowing the reputation from the US I assumed good products at affordable prices. It all looked and seemed very nice indeed the coffee was good, but at what cost? It's another nice trendy London thing that is too expensive, a nice coffee should not cost 4 times as much as an average coffee. It all tastes nice enough, but not at the prices charged. It's good if you're out to impress ... Read review