Caffe Nero

I try not to use chains where possible, and in the past, I’ve found Caffe Nero’s coffee to be substandard. (it always seemed to taste burnt!)
However this Caffe Nero is right by my house and I’ve found myself popping in there to grab a quick flat white whilst waiting for a bus.
The coffee at this Nero isn’t actually that bad. The flat white is okay, I’d say satisfactory. There are better options in the area, and I much prefer to use independent cafes.

This one is much nicer and larger than other Caffe Nero locations I’ve been to. The Aussie behind the counter was super friendly and had a chat with us while making our cold drinks. We were there on a hot and sunny Sunday afternoon, so it was pretty empty inside, but that just meant we had our pick of window tables. Big, airy, and with giant windows to let in the light — it’s great if you want to have a coffee without sitting in a dark hole in the wall. I could see myself plonking down at an outdoor table with a book to enjoy some summer sun if I lived in the area.

Love the coffee from here but sometimes I am not overly impressed with the service.
If you go in the morning, you are greeted by two enthusiastic, energetic guys. These barristas are very welcoming, efficient and professional. Even if you are, let’s say, sixth/​seventh in the queue, they will greet you, ask you what you want, hold it in their memories and try and have it ready for you by the time you get to the counter. Even if they don’t the effort is there and most appreciated.
If you go any other time, you are served by two girls who are unfriendly and sluggish. A few times, it has only been me at the counter and I have been ignored while they took their time doing other things. Never do you even get a I’ll be right with you. They generally look miserable or grumpy and you start to wonder why you are there and not in one of the other lovely independent coffee shops down that road.

I’m not generally a fan of chain coffee shops. I hate chains in whatever form, and I don’t drink coffee, so it was never going to be a match made in heaven. However, as far as chain coffee shops go, this branch of Café Nero ain’t half bad!
Situated on the corner of Church Road and The Drive, its a great spot and is always quite busy. There are reasonable amounts of seating, the vibe is very relaxed with many people chatting with friends, reading books or browsing through the newspapers. There is also free wifi if you want to get some work done on a week day.
The hot chocolate was lovely, as was the biscotti. As I say, I can’t comment on the coffee. However, it was nice to while away an hour here on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

This particular Caffe Nero has one advantage over the other branches dotted around Brighton and Hove. It’s on a sunny strip of Church Road so its a great place to sit on a crisp autumn or winter day.
Unfortunately, they won’t let you take a flask with you — which means sitting in the sun drinking lousy coffee. To make matters worse, the music they play is obviously selected to not offend any customers so it’s light jazz, acoustic and ambient music all the way.
Talk about giving with one hand and taking away with the other!

This Nero’s looks huge as you approach it along Church Road, but once you get inside it’s actually quite small and narrow. I don’t mind Nero’s generally, it’s not bad coffee for a chain, a little burnt tasting. This one though leaves me cold-​the inside seems echoey and sitting at the tables outside is a little glum and noisy right by the road. I usually only turn to it to get a take away coffee before heading to the local cricket ground!

When coffee chains like Starbucks, Nero and Costa started I am sure they didn’t want to be known as the faceless, indistinguishable dens of caffeine-​based iniquity that they have become today. These cafés pop up everywhere with little thought paid to their effect on local businesses and Britain’s coffee culture in general. It’s not that their drinks are awful, or the décor offensive, they are just so mundane: the novelty has worn off.
However, there are times when you walk into a chain coffee shop (it’s hard not to) and you realise what they were planning in the first place: what the «vision» was supposed to look like in reality. One such example is the Caffe Nero in Hove. This commodious coffee abode is well worth a visit. Due to the success of Nero and the other chains they are able to buy/​rent some seriously nice properties to park their prefab, coffee paradises in. I would actually choose to go to this particular café over other local ones in the area. The coffee is pretty good, there is a good selection of cakes and snacks to compliment your beverage and there is ample space to sit and relax. Sometimes this is all you want on a wet afternoon.
Afterall, f I wanted to have an okay coffee in a cramped space I’d have stayed at home.

In my mind the best lattes/cappucino’s in the UK. Some prefer Costa’s which is also good but give me Nero any day.
You must also spend a quid to buy a box of dark chocolate covered coffee beans. They will make you weak in the knees.

I love the location of this place, it’s a generic coffee house, but a good place to sit and watch the world go by. Not far from Hove Lawns. Chairs outside for the hardy and the dog walkers! Food and coffee overpriced (as usual in these joints). More squishy chairs would be appreciated!