Caffe Nero

Needed a place to hang around at for about 3 hours from 12 — 3 pm, so I decided to stop by Caffe Nero.
Atmosphere:
As others have said, this particular branch is located right opposite the Cardiff Castle and is in a convenient location in the city centre. Inside is nothing to write home about. Basic wooden tables and décor. It’s noticeable that very little effort was put into creating any sort of relaxing «coffee shop» atmosphere (see Coffee#1 for tips!).
Customer Service:
I was served by a young short-​haired girl who was very sweet and efficient with her work. Downside to the customer service is the fact that half an hour later, I heard who I assume to be the manager giving her a very, might I say, LOUD, lecture. I have no idea what she did, but it doesn’t really make for a comforting atmosphere for your customers to here «How long have you been working here?!! Hmm?! And you still don’t know blah blah blah…»
Can I just say… awkward?
Drinks:
I’m not much of a coffee person, so I just opted for a hot chocolate with skim milk and no cream to drink in. Came in a lovely large mug and was very delicious and well made. Not too sweet either, which I was worried about.
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Like fellow Unilocaler Tanya P. said, there definitely is something lacking in this Caffe Nero branch. It’s very dull and boring, with awkward management. 1 stars for the lovely girl who served me. Another star for my tasty drink. The last star is for the free wi-​fi.

Standard Caffe Nero in a good position opposite Cardiff Castle and a nice airy room. Good washrooms!

There’s always space in the Caffe Nero and, living literally just around the corner, everytime I’ve passed it I’ve never seen it more than three-​quarters full.
It’s always been a good spot in front of the Castle to enjoy a coffee and slice if cake and do a spot of people watching. It is suffering at the moment though because there are roadworks right in front of it. They’ve been there about a month now and will be there for at least the next couple of weeks. So maybe give it a while if you’ve never been there before.
As far as the staff go, I’ve always thought they were friendly enough and usually bring your order over. I’m guessing that’s just because it’s quite a quiet branch though.

I like this Caffe Nero, it might not have café atmosphere but at least your pretty much guaranteed to get a table and some space to meet up with friends and have a chat. I like to sit on the sofa’s in the window and watch the world go by as I read my paper or hide away in a back corner.
I’ve always been really lucky with the staff as well, they usually offer bring over your food and drinks and have been quite cheerful and helpful.

This Caffe Nero is situated opposite Cardiff Castle on Castle Street in the city centre. It’s my least favourite of the three Caffe Neros all situated close together, and think that it simply because of a lack of character. When you go into the other branches, there is something warm and inviting, cosy even, about the atmosphere that meets you there. But this café, despite (although perhaps because of) being the largest, is lacking in an essential ingredient.
The staff here appear to be more slack than at the other stores. They leave you waiting a little too long and aren’t quite as friendly as I’ve now grown to expect. Despite this the coffees are certainly up to scratch and the food is just as good as ever (that’s what you get when you walk into a chain, after all).
In short, good, but not quite as good.