Caffe Gusto

I have always had a bit of a soft spot for Gusto. I was coming here as a regular place for many years prior to the indie coffee explosion across Brum.
This (and a few other places) was where I used to work, drink coffee and occasionally eat.
I have been coming back here a bit more of late for business and it all looks and feels very familar. They do a good job — friendly service, useful toastie and hot drink deal, pastries, a healthy sandwich selection, milkshakes, smoothies, bagels, hot food and far more besides.
The take out market clearly thrives here and the seating isn’t the most comfortable to stay in for more than short amounts of time.
That said, Gusto delivers in an unfussy, honest and consistent way.

Oh Gusto, your salmon and egg bagels and mango juice, how close we became, with almost indecent speed. (And there it is, the most middle class thing ever written).
Blink and you’ll miss it, set back as it is from the commercial crowd at the top of an escalator. Don’t miss out though, it’s a little dream; the best thing in The Mailbox after Kinnaree.
You should just about find a seat, although take-​out, I imagine, is its bread and butter. But the experience will really amount to the same, namely coffe, pastries, sandwiches and those bagels all seeming fresher than similar venues trying to appeal to a similar crowd: ie, people pretending to be too posh for Subway and think of Pret a Manger as McDonald’s without the yellow dungarees.
On the sarnie with coffee spectrum, it’s Mac to competitors’ PCs. If I start with a silly sentence, by crikey, I’ll finish with one.

I went to Caffe Gusto for a quick little breakfast whilst on a weekend trip to Birmingham. I found out about it from the Qype app on my phone. There’s nothing scenic about it as it’s inside a mall but the food is good, quick and reasonably priced. I was impressed by the large number of menu options plus smoothies and milkshakes.
I had the vegetarian omelet with a side of sausage (and a weird look from the server when I ordered that) and soy latte. Omelet was healthy, not greasy, with loads of veggies, side salad, tasty cheese slices and yummy toast. My soy latte tasted a bit funky though.
My boyfriend asked for a sausage, bacon, and cheese panini and they make it for him on a nice seeded panini bread with side salad. Very tasty.
Good place for a quick breakfast, but nothing much to look at.

When freelancing with a local news agency located literally a stone’s throw from The Mailbox, I often had to grab lunch quickly and on the go. America is the fast food capital of the world, and when working there, I had no shortage of quick greasy spoons or even really healthy grab-​and-​go options.
But even big cities like Birmingham in the UK can be a little limited for this type of fare. Nice sit-​down restaurants are everywhere, but unless you want greasy, limp chip shop chips (why do people eat these?) or an over-​priced, under-​cooked Starbucks sandwich, your limited are options, if you see what I mean.
Enter Caffe Gusto, a cute, Italian-​style café situated, strangely in one of the more pretentious shopping areas of Brum — The Mailbox.
Caffe Gusto do delicious food. Fresh, mouth-​watering, unsual flavours, and any combo or specialisation you can ask for. And yes, as a Yank, I ask them to hold the mayo, tip it upside down and do a little dance for me, just to cause trouble.
Their hot paninis and hand made sandwiches are divine, inexpensive, and quick.
Their coffee, milkshakes and hot drinks are really good, all freshly made, and they even offer soya milk! Don’t pooh pooh it – a soya milk latte or milkshake is nice and tasty, and doesn’t contribute to more Co2 (that’s right, I’m greener than thee).
The staff isn’t friendly, but they are efficient. Gusto’s is always packed to the gills, a testament to their fresh food and inexpensive menu. But the service is always fast and the food always excellent. I’ve never had a less-​than-​delicious meal from Caffe Gusto’s.

One of the few reasonable priced places in the Mailbox, and its got great opening hours. Its just to next to Nando’s after you come up the escalator.
They have all the usual café products — tea, coffee, sandwiches, cakes etc.
There is seating both inside and outside the café, the food and drinks are nice enough as are the staff here.

This is the nearest coffee shop to work and my it is gooood. They have a huge range of breakfast options and enough juices/​teas/​coffees to please any palate. Later on in the day you can choose from pannini’s, jacket potatoes and make your own sandwiches. The food and drinks are really good but they are expensive. Expect to pay around 3 pounds for a smoothie or fresh juice. Sandwiches are reasonable enough but paninis are around 4 pounds. I use this place as a daily for drinks but only rarely for lunch as it really can add up. Expect to wait ⁵⁄₁₀ mins for your drink too, even if you are only buying a tea. Opens early– 7am I think. Located upstairs in the Mailbox, opposite the BBC café