Pret A Manger

When I read Pret A Manger (sorry, my keyboard lacks the accent capabilities), I think of a Victorian paperboy calling out: «Eat up! Eat up! All our food is ready to eat!». I’m not sure why…
Out of all the sandwich lunch-​y style shops, this is a first choice for me. Although it is expensive (sorry Miss Bank Account!), it is well worth it. The quality of food is always so good and fresh and their recipes are tasty! There’s a good pace of updating the menu (loving the hot food choices in this cold weather) and there’s a good range of warm beverages to help bring some feeling back to those frozen fingers.
I can’t say there is much seating room at this particular branch and the staff are not very good. They just stood around, chatting and blocking up the food and would not excuse themselves but instead kept bumping into me whilst talking very animatedly to a friend. I am very sad that I had to leave with an empty stomach.

I have no idea if the coffee is so good in all of their outlets, but by far the best Cappuccino I’ve tasted is from here. It’s not cheap at £1.99 (or £1.94) after the VAT reduction, but it’s well worth every penny. First off, they use really good coffee. I often feel robbed when buying coffee from café’s in town because it tends towards milky water. Not this coffee, it’s rich, full of flavour and does the trick to wake me up before work. The way they foam the milk is also top notch, making it thick and creamy. I usually take sugar in my coffee but it seems a shame to spoil this coffee with sugar.
The food is also superb. I recommend the Bacon and Cheese Croissant. It’s absolutely divine, although again, at £1.89, it’s not cheap!
The service in this particular store is excellent. I tend to be in there around 8am before work, and although they have queues at this time, it takes less than five minutes to get my coffee. The staff are always very polite and friendly, they stock daily newspapers and they even have tables outside if you want to have a smoke with your coffee.
All in all, five star coffee shop. And this applies to both of them in Newcastle, as I shop in both depending on which Metro I get.