Costa

I called in Costa while in The Merrion Center to simply call in the toilet, but after discovering a gluten free wrap, I decided to call in and get one, and spend some of my loyalty points.
They had a good range of gluten free foods here, with wraps and brownies both available, the staff seemed pleasant and the checkout process was done rather quickly.
This is quite a nice store, it is large with a lot of seating and it looks quite nice, and is a nice addition to The Merrion Centre and makes it look a lot better, brighter especially with the spot within the Center it is in.
I can’t really comment on the wrap as it wasn’t specifically made by the store, but it was reasonably priced at £3.20, and for a gluten free wrap it was quite nice, the staff seemed nice and it is a nice store, the only major flaw is that they struggled to handle the queue and could have done everything a lot quicker, and maybe had more of gluten free stuff, as I didn’t notice any cherry bakewells, and I also think I took the last wrap, maybe adding more variety could be an idea for the future.
I personally find the coffee quality at Costa in general to be much poorer than other chains such as Starbucks, but I feel it would be unfair to mark this store too much down on that, as I have not purchased a coffee.
I still feel they was something this store was lacking, maybe better coffee in general, a better vibe, a better selection for gluten free (even though it was good — it should be better), quicker dealings with customers, better pricing on certain items such as ceramic mugs and some food products, I still feel I can only give 2 stars for now, which although I admit is a little unfair, it is much more fairer than a 3 stars, which I don’t feel this store warrants as of now.

This Costa is very close to my work so I have frequented it quite a bit, and I do find it to be one of the nicer Costas in Leeds. Its size is definitely an advantage; it’s a very rare day indeed that you can’t find a seat in here. The staff are friendly and move very quickly — I’m left stunned sometimes at the speed at which they prepare a drink!
Considering that so many people pass through this particular Costa, I find it to be very clean and well maintained. The staff are right over tidying a corner up once a group of patrons leave, which is so much nicer to see than in some chains where the debris is just left there for the next customer to awkwardly shunt onto another table.
Lots of natural light pouring into this place which is also really nice, and the big windows make it a great spot for people watching.
I do wish this place just had a little more flavour to differentiate it from being ‘just another chain café’. The Costa in Headingley for instance has live music every now and then and in my opinion has a bit more of a community feel as a result. I think something like this would really raise the Merrion Costa’s profile.
That said, I’m a big fan of ‘what you see is what you get’ and that makes this particular Costa a thumbs up in my book.

What a brilliant product Costa Coffee is, I have never had a bad one anywhere but I have to recommend this particular branch. The staff are great — polite, efficient and they pay so much attention to detail when preparing your Latte! The Café is kepy very clean too! Costa is the only coffee I have ever had which always just hits the ‘spot’, it is never bitter and never leaves a bad taste in your mouth like some coffee, it’s perfect everytime and so smooth. If you have never tried a Costa then make the effort to go to one — there are branchs everywhere now so treat yourself!