Costa Coffee

Maybe I visited the café on Opposite Day because my experience was exactly that. I thought the coffee was delicious, but I tend to drink mine black so I always end up having a higher tolerance for bitter coffee. My study partner seemed to enjoy his latte quite a bit, though, and he is a pickier eater than a three year old.
After climbing up three flights of stairs to get to the Costa nestled within Waterstones, I bought some coffee and plonked down in the back corner. I had a few books of my own that day and was hoping to do studying as it was late afternoon and other coffee shops nearby were closing or filled with too many people to get any work done. Granted, the books were from another store and all I bought was a filter coffee, but the dirty looks I received from staff as I sat there for an hour or so reading and writing was off putting; I kept thinking I was breaking some unwritten rule somewhere. Well, I should be a bit more honest– the dirty looks I received from ONE staff member. The teenage cashier was really friendly and topped up some hot water I wanted for tea later on while asking what I was reading about. She kept trying to get me to buy pastries (tempting!) but I managed to be good.
Other than the glares I received from the one man wiping down tables, I enjoyed sitting in the back corner of Costa. Many of the chairs are plush and comfy, the tables don’t wobble, and book stores always provides that great feeling of «I’m learning!» while you’re reading within them and sipping coffee. Since my experiences here in the past were a bit more mellow, I’m hoping this was a one off deal. I look forward to more afternoons perched on one of Costa’s chairs reading and trying not to buy every pastry on display.

Costa Coffee on it’s own usually gets the thumbs down from me.
Costa Coffee with books however, is a bit more of a winner.
Located on the second floor of the original Waterstones, this branch has comfy chairs, friendly staff and on a sunny day, a blanket of bright light. Even better, you can usually take books in with you to browse whilst you’re sipping your flat white. The icing on the cake, is that unless it’s a weekend the café is usually quite quiet and peaceful too. Perhaps that’s why the staff always seem upbeat…
I’d give it 4 stars for ambience but I’m afraid the bitterness of the damn coffee takes it down to 3!

Not big fan of Costa’s coffee. It tastes slightly burnt to me and the choice of cakes and other sweet stuff is not good enough and seriously overpriced. Still it is better than Starbucks — I prefer Coffee Union on Bold Street though. Nicer coffee, more friendly staff and a more indy vibe.

looks deceptivley large from the outside, inside can be a bit cramped, especially if you are laden down with bags of shopping.
offers a basic range of teas and coffees, pretty much the same as you would find on the highstreet, for similar prices.
the service is quick, almost too quick, but then this is a busy store.
the tables take a while to get cleared of the previous occupants cups as all the staff — usually 2 or 3, seem to be behind the counter dealing with orders.
at busy times, you can be hard pressed to find somewhere to sit, and can find yourself sharing a table with complete strangers.
its an average city centre, coffee shop chain.

There are quite a few Costas around Liverpool and they are all quite good!
You can buy Teas and Coffees, Cakes and Biscuits that are a little overpriced! However the service is great, quick and friendly. However, there aren’t a great number of tables and sometimes I just have to eat out.