Value for money: Poor, overpriced
Service: AverageDécor: Quirky with a vintage twist
Taste: Good, yummy panini and tea
.
My boyfriend and I were looking for somewhere to go for lunch in Cardiff on a Wednesday afternoon. We had walked past Coffee Barker (situated in one of Cardiff's famous arcades- Castle Arcade) several times before and have either been turned away because they were closing or the queue looked to long for us to wait.
This time it was pretty quiet so we decided to give it a try.
We both had a panini (at £6-£7 each) and shared a packet of crisps and a pot of tea.
The paninis seemed very expensive, especially as we chose them from a fridge rather than a menu. They came served with chutney, which was nice, but a side salad would have been appreciated for that price.
The pot of tea was around £3 which seemed a lot to us, and when we asked for one pot they advised we got one each. Being students we couldn't justify spending £6 on tea so settled with one, hoping it would be enough. It was plenty, we got about two cups from it each.
Above is the panini my boyfriend had, he wasn't very impressed with either the price or the taste and rated it 'average.'
Above is the panini I had, which was delicious and went well with the chutney but I still felt was overpriced.
The décor of the place was very nice, which is what initially drew us in. With tea light candles and flowers on each table, comfy leather chairs and even blankets outside. It seemed like our kind of place but we felt it was a little pretentious when we sat down.
The tea was lovely, I didn't catch the brand but it was a loose leaf. It had that comforting flavour I search for in tea. It was served in mismatched china cups and saucers and with this cute milk bottle. These were all nice touches but we are not sure if they deserved the price tag!
We love exploring Cardiff and the independent cafes and coffee shops and will continue to do so. We will not be returning to this particular one as we felt it a bit overpriced, not particularly welcoming and over all a little pretentious.
They have pretty good reviews on TripAdvisor so maybe it just wasn't for us. We didn't have an awful experience just not an amazing one.
Do you have any favourite places to eat in Cardiff?
I would love to hear your recommendations,
Until next time,
Emily x
The paninis seemed very expensive, especially as we chose them from a fridge rather than a menu. They came served with chutney, which was nice, but a side salad would have been appreciated for that price.
The pot of tea was around £3 which seemed a lot to us, and when we asked for one pot they advised we got one each. Being students we couldn't justify spending £6 on tea so settled with one, hoping it would be enough. It was plenty, we got about two cups from it each.
 |
| Tomato, Mozzarella and Pesto Panini |
 |
| Beetroot and Goats Cheese Panini |
 |
| Coffee Barker cup of tea |
 |
| Cute milk bottle |
We love exploring Cardiff and the independent cafes and coffee shops and will continue to do so. We will not be returning to this particular one as we felt it a bit overpriced, not particularly welcoming and over all a little pretentious.
They have pretty good reviews on TripAdvisor so maybe it just wasn't for us. We didn't have an awful experience just not an amazing one.
Do you have any favourite places to eat in Cardiff?
I would love to hear your recommendations,
Until next time,
Emily x
Always wanted to try it here- the mugs and decor look so cute and homely! Maybe I'll give it a second thought now!
ReplyDeletehttp://dearcharlottesdiary.blogspot.co.uk/