Caffe Nero Group

Caffe Nero is one big illusion. It calls itself ‘The Italian Coffee Co.’ and yet it’s about as Italian as McDonalds, but, that said, it attracts a wide variety of people. Why? Probably because it’s a nice illusion & gives you a chance to take a break & buy into a slice of cosmopolitan sophistication, albeit stereotypical and manufactured. And that, of course, explains the pricing.
Good coffee for a high street chain, but pricey and the ‘Caffe Nero experience’ is pretentious and stereotypically conservative, with a little ‘c’. The music’s awful Classic FM type stuff and they sell The Times to people who still think that’s a good paper, but the coffee’s nice & the atmosphere relaxed, especially in the seating outside first thing in the morning (Mon-​Fri 8am; Sun 9am). Parking at the rear, by Crown House (1hr free) or at Tesco’s (2hrs free). The staff are a nice bunch of people, too.