The name tempts you in,and anyone who likes coffee will enter with high expectations. They have got the seating right too, it looks relaxing and informal with a mxture of comfy settees (these go first, especially the ones by the window) and more traditional tables and chairs. The food is of a good standard, I enjoyed the smoked salmon and rocket sandwich, and have also tried the bacon egg and mushroom pannini at breakfast time , also mouthwatering . On the downside the food is pricey,not somewhere the average student could afford for example. To Starbucks credit I have seen a small selection of gluten free food there, which is very useful for anyone on a gluten free diet.

So, Starbucks gets some things right, unfortunately it also gets practically everything else WRONG. for one thing the length of time you usually have to stand and wait to order. Most of the time there seem to be several staff faffing around behind the counter. I say faffing around because what can they be doing, after all the basic menu of coffee and sandwiches isn't difficult, the sandwiches are ready made. Often one of the staff seems to be in training, which means they can't really serve you as they haven't learned to use the coffee machine yet. Also, I may be nit-picking here, but they aren't too hot on clearing the tables either, unlike for example Sidolis which employs someone to do just that, and the jug of milk for customer use keeps running out.

My main moan is the coffee itself though. Yuk.It doesn't taste right. There is usually a choice of coffee beans, they all taste about the same ,may as well go for one you're sure is Fairtrade, ofcourse they all should be. For Gods sake don't try the Christmas blend unless you enjoy a shot of nasty medicine added to the brew. Tastes like that anyway. AND the coffee is never hot enough, by the time you get to the bottom of one of their giant mugs its stone cold and pretty disgusting. I have asked if they could warm it up and was told they couldn't understand it being warm only, as the coffee comes directly from the machine.I tried the coffee misto which contains steamed milk, but it made no difference.Recently a friend told me that coffee is not supposed to be served scalding hot, if so I apologise as I didn't know that. I haven't tried the more milky coffees as they aren't my favourite.

One more minor moan: Thee were some newspapers on display, which I thought was a nice idea until I realised they are for sale, not for the customers to look at unless you pay.

Starbucks seem to be trying to make your coffee a memorable experience, but don't succeed.