Wotton Coffee Shop - Stroud

Really relaxed feel to the cafe, friendly staff, good prices. Ordered a hazelnut latte, best coffee I’ve ever had

Having spent the morning shopping locally we fancied a coffee so headed for Wotton Coffee Shop. As instructed by the chalk board outside we checked in with the NHS app. We loitered inside the entrance for a couple of minutes and after receiving no acknowledgement...we wandered through to the garden and found ourself a table. A member of staff asked whether we were looking to order food and we replied that we were just here for coffee. Having gone back inside, the member of staff returned after a few minutes with the food for the next table. He apologised to them for the delay, citing that although reservations were being taken, people were just wandering in and expecting to be served That was as much as a hint as we needed to leave. On the way to the exit the gentleman stopped us and explained that next time it would be best to book in advance. Next time? I am confident there will not be a next time. I totally understand that since the easing of lockdown there is a lot of adjustments to be made in the way businesses operate and there are bound to be teething problems. However, there had been ample opportunity to come over and explain to us that there was a booking policy in place, rather than finding out about the dissatisfaction as we were within earshot of a table who had experienced a delay. Poor customer service. I like to find a positive most situations where possible, and on this occasion the positive is that we found ourselves trying The Edge, just across the road, where the service was excellent and we will be revisiting just as soon as we can.

We were served at our table, just a coffee. The coffee was ok not the best I've had or not the worst! Track and trace is up and running during these COVID times. It's obviously a popular place as most of the tables were...occupied. It has a garden at the back but it had been raining so we couldn't use it.

We had an hour or two before we could check in to our hotel at nearby Torton Court. Having parked in the free car park in Wotton-under-Edge, it was lovely weather for a stroll around the small town. Being on the edge of the Cotswolds,...the town's main streets were quite steep and we were soon looking for refreshments somewhere not too crowded (social distancing). As we peered in the window of Wotton Coffee Shop, we could see through to their garden at the back, which suited us perfectly. We ordered at the counter before going through, a black coffee for my wife and an Earl Grey for me. There was a range of what looked like home made cakes and the friendly service tempted me to some rhubarb sponge. A couple of the well spaced tables on the lawn were occupied so we chose a table for two on the surrounding pathway. Our order was quickly brought and my cake was fresh and light. We were offered a menu in case we wanted anything more substantial. Perhaps I should have checked to see how well they could have coped with my wife's food intolerances, but we were totally happy with what we had. The garden was like a courtyard at the back of what looked like it might have been an ecclesiastical building at some time, but I couldn't find anything to show the coffee shop's earlier history. The view across the garden to the hills around was wonderful. The bill when it came was actually much less than I expected. We enjoyed our visit so much that we returned the following morning.

Popped in for a take away sandwich. My choice wasn't on the menu but was accommodated anyway. Even though I was a take away customer I was still asked for all the proper track and trace information, The sandwich was huge and tasty, thank you.