Costa - Reading

The ceiling was filled with numerous flies, and they were all over the food and stuck in the sealed cakes, which is very unhygienic. One employee was trying to hide while eating a sandwich, and then went to make drinks without washing her hands. Can this place truly deserve a 5-star hygiene rating?

The ceiling was covered in flies, with most of them dead, but there were also live flies flying around the restaurant and on the displayed food. The lady who waited on my friend and me was very rude and muttered negative comments about us after serving us.

I visited Costa in Caversham with the expectation that they closed at 6pm, but was disappointed when I arrived at 4.50pm and was told they were not taking any more orders as they were closing early. I was left waiting for over 5 minutes before this information was relayed to me, meaning I missed out on my reward cake once again. I was not happy with this experience.

This is my regular Costa, going before I start work. The morning staff are really lovely people. Teddy and Franco are always cheerful and are quite a good double act. When people get on well, it makes for a great welcoming atmosphere. Tamara and Leah are also great. The coffee is lovely, as you would expect from a Costa. During the pandemic, the enormous outside (covered) seating area was a real lifesaver. It sounds silly, but it helped make lockdown more bearable as it was a tiny bit of normality. I occasionally have a croissant, heated up and with jam, which is a good accompaniment to the coffee. I also choose this place when catching up with friends as it’s so welcoming. I thoroughly recommend this Costa to you. They do get busy at some times during the day, but they handle it well. Thanks, Jonathan

Its nice to see a place busy with people people on a Sunday morning but the queue to be served was long and people were walking out before they were served, and this isn't the first time. We waited, but the coffee when it arrived was very weak, particularly the latte. The staff were very busy maybe they need more staff at peak times.