The Pharmacy Cafe

Reviews about The Pharmacy Cafe

• 2 / 5

  By Will Astill
  The atmosphere was very nice and worth a couple of stars but on our visit the service was awful and the selection of cakes was pretty poor.
  The main server was very young and not very good with managing a 'not very busy' cafe to such an extent that we waited for fifteen minutes and then had to leave without even being served (Wednesday at 10.30 a.m). There was a man who seemed to be in charge but didn't do anything to help her except periodically come out and stand behind the counter ignoring everyone.
  Looks like it would be a great place in the right hands and the interior is really lovely. Just needs some work on the service and staffing.
  March 19, 2017
• 1 / 5

  By Little Piggy
  Visited for lunch to take a break from job searching, and was very disappointed. (Wish I hadn't stayed, but it was very cold out and I was quite hungry.)
  Beautiful building inside and out, but poorly maintained and decorated with gaudy, tacky teapots all over the antique shelving units. There was a horrible smell of cooking fat, that kind of stale food/cooking smell, lingering throughout, and the cafe was almost as cold as outside. Tables were cheap speckled grey plastic with very hard wooden chairs, which takes away from the original 1800s mosaic floor and mahogany fixtures. Menus were a little tatty too, with very basic food choices. The whole place looked a little dusty and the lighting was dim, and at a closer look some tables hadn't been wiped (and remained un-wiped for the duration of my stay!) It could've done with a good clean and polish.
  The person serving didn't greet anyone who walked in, and when approached by customers was quiet and vague to the point of rudeness. Very poor 'people skills'. I don't think I saw him smile once, or show any emotion for that matter. After taking one table's order, he disappeared out the back for ages, and when he finally came back didn't offer any explanation or apology to any other tables. He didn't seem to want to be there at all. When I walked past the kitchen door to the toilets upstairs, he was stood doing something on his phone, and from the looks of it, very little else.
  Coffee was okay, pretty average, with the usual options of latte, cappuccino, espresso, etc. as well as tea and soft drinks. But food was quite greasy, and had a very cheap and basic side salad. A little too expensive for what it was really. Cakes mostly looked nice and home-made, but when I ordered one, it was a little too far on the stale side. I only ate a little before telling the server, who gave me some vague remarks about how it was home made this week and checked and definitely fresh, but I wasn't too convinced.
  Toilets were disgusting. They smelt like.. well, toilets, but very strongly, and the lino floor was almost brown it hadn't been cleaned in so long. The toilet and sink were cracked and had a yellowish tint from age, and the taps had thick black grime around them. I've never felt dirtier AFTER washing my hands before. The carpet upstairs was as badly worn as the rest of the place, with rubbed in crumbs and stains, etc. Actually overheard one lady who went up after me say to the people with her that they weren't very nice toilets as well.
  
  Overall a bad experience. Very dirty and poorly looked after, which is a shame because it could be a lovely building with a lot of atmosphere. Especially if they got a space heater or something. Food was okay, but not worth the costa-level prices they charged, and probably not a great place to eat for vegetarians due to the limited options. Server was rude and depressing to the point it would've been funny if I hadn't been the one being served by him! Would not recommend.
  February 22, 2017