Oliver’s Coffee Bar

Good variety and brilliant quality food and coffee, the only downside is its sometimes hard to get a seat.

I called in this afternoon for a takeaway coffee — a vanilla latte. Very nice coffee, everything made fresh, though a bit pricey — my weekly treat. They have loyalty cards though — buy 7 hot drinks and get one free There wasnt a queue so served straightaway. Their sandwiches and sweet treats are displayed very well and the coffee bar is very clean. I am a regular customer and will be back next week!

Lovely place to have a cuppa and something delicious. A bit pricey for anything else, unless you’re being treated. Their coffee is fine, but I go for a smoothie or a nice cuppa tea. Everything is impeccably presented and it’s often difficult to find a seat. Word of warning for mums, there is no baby changing facilities and not much room for a pram.

I love the chilled feel of here. Though can be hard to get a seat and the seats are not very comfy. The menu is also on the expensive side. It’s the sort of place to go if someone else is buying lol ;)

Nice food, we had some pancakes as it was breakfast time. Would love to go back and try some of the baked goodies. Slight issue in that they brought the wrong order out but were very good, took it straight back no quibbles and whipped up the right order for us.

I had heard a lot about this place before visiting, so it was with high expectations that I headed off on a cold Wednesday evening with the wife to see what Olivers is all about. Now, we were only having tea/​coffee and a bun so I can’t comment on their food generally, but I am glad to say they passed the taste test on the hot drink and snack side of things. Upon arrival we were surprised by how small it was inside. The place was busy, especially as we arrived only 45 minutes before closing, but we were lucky enough to grab a couple of window seats. The clientele seemed to be a mix of students and ‘ladies who lunch but have decided to keep going until dinner’ types. I ordered at the counter and within a very short space of time my Americano and my wife’s chai tea had arrived. The tea was brought over along with a little egg timer, or tea timer in this case, and the helpful waiter explained that when the sand had run out, the tea would be perfect to drink. This was a nice touch and seemed more than just a gimmick as my wife was extremely happy with her fragrant and refreshing beverage. My coffee was excellent also, as was the accompanying slab of chocolate biscuit cake, which if anything was a little too rich and decadent, if that can actually be a problem where chocolate is concerned! All in all a nice experience and certainly a place to which we will return to try out the rest of their wares.

Walking along the Belmont Road you can’t fail to miss Olivers, mainly because the name covers the whole side of the building, but you cannot deny it is a very pretty looking café. The rugged brick and wood, the very fancy lighting, there has been a lot of care, thought and attention to detail put into the décor and I’m always a fan of nice décor. This place is very popular with always someone in, which is why I thought I’d give it a try. I also can never resist a window seat in a coffee shop for people watching, and one had just become free.
What I’m not a fan of so much is being ignored by staff and hard scones. I stood at the counter waiting to be served so long I was almost embarrassed, as two trendy and attractive boys leaned over the back counter trying to fix something on their phone. I don’t mean to have a go about phones as mine is practically surgically attached, but hello, coffee needed.
Eventually a girl came out of the kitchen and served me instead, caffeine in means calm in. The coffee was nice enough, but the scone was hard and dry. They had so many on display perhaps they just aren’t selling them quickly enough. Or perhaps it is how I ended up feeling about the place generally– a little style over substance. I like style, but I like nice food too.