Alianti in Richmond upon Thames

The worst in Richmond.! Avoid even when hungry. Very unpleasant and rude lady at the counter who couldn't be bothered. Left before being able to order. A shame for an otherwise lovely city. In contrast the next café we went to was warmly welcoming and excellently served us. We were much happier spending our £s there than this sham.

Wow!!! Delicious. I walked around Richmond twice looking at all the pastries on offer and even popped in here but decided to continue with my search. I shouldn’t have. I returned after not finding anything in the other coffee shops that I wanted. Well what can I say, what an absolute gem of a place. Delicious pastries… highly recommend the nougat twist and lovely coffee. Don’t walk past. Pop in and enjoy!

Lovely cafe and cake shop: good service, lovely sandwiches, scrummy cakes. Good atmosphere, though tiny and no loo. Highly recommended.

Personnel pas aimable! Accueil désagréable! Salle non-climatisée, trop chaud. Pas de toilette. Café trop plein, et brûlant!

As someone who has been coming here since 2014 with family members that have been going here even longer (over 20 years!) I am shocked by the amount of unfair and untrue reviews. I feel sorry for anyone who has had so little going on that they have wasted their time making up lies about an independent café ran by some of the most hardworking and friendly staff. One review from August 2021 said that this place did not have hand sanitizer. This is not true. Throughout the pandemic, Alianti has always provided customers with two big bottles of hand sanitizer- one bottle on the counter and another on the end table nearest to the cutlery. They do give you cutlery with whatever food you order but there is also a cutlery area by the counter if you require extra. It is true that there are no toilets but there are public toilets at Richmond train station (5 minutes away). Now for my actual review of Alianti: Alianti is a hidden gem tucked among the quiet alleyway that leads to Richmond green. Home to the best cappuccinos and the most delicious freshly baked goods, this café offers a quiet and cosy atmosphere for your coffee fix. Some of my favourite Alianti baked goods include: the nought stick, the brownies, the chocolate and strawberry cake, the cinnamon rolls, and my all-time favourite-the tiramisu cake! Although their cake slices can be pricey it is worth the money as the cakes are fresh and the slices are massive! You can easily share one cake slice between two people! The staff are welcoming and if you are struggling to decide what pastry to try the staff are always happy to recommend their personal favourites- from their recommendations I have discovered new favourites like pecan pie! They don’t play loud music so it can be ideal if you are having a coffee catch up with a friend, I personally find it a lot easier to follow a conversation without loud music playing. In all my years coming here, I have never seen this place be anything but spotless. It is also nicely located near Richmond green and Richmond riverside- if it’s a nice day I recommend using their outdoor seating or getting a takeaway and enjoying it on the green.

Bitter coffee. No 'customer toilets'. Disinterested staff How hard is it..? Needs a kick up the bum! Not at all recommended.

I was next in line when "7026DTdavids" was beating up the staff 'cos there was no loo. Hey, this is a suburban caff, not the Wolseley. What a troll. We've been going on a weekly basis for years, sometimes the barrista doesn't clean the coffee scrupulously 'cos she's busy and staff are scarce these days, but so what. You take the rough with the smooth and its nearly all smooth. Handmade cakes to die for. Hope the troll stays away, more space for us.

Had a few days in Richmond and found this cafe as we sauntered around the town. Had lovely pastries, great coffee and really cosy atmosphere. Went back next day for our lunch and had panini, and had more pastries to take away. Delicious!

This is small delightful establishment we just happened on (walked from Ham House along the Thames) , and where 3 of us had a super snack lunch, baguettes and sandwiches,. Almost tempted by some of the hot food options but a warm summer's day helped us resist. Great range of appetising choices, excellent value for money; (much better than some nearby alternatives). Helpful cheerful staff, speedy service. Desserts were extremely difficult to resist. It was a pleasure to sit outside but shaded from the sun. Hope to return! Afternoon Tea with desserts, perhaps?

Breakfast was a joke.. no toilets, nowhere to wash hands or even sanitiser….. staff miserable and rough…. Food out of a packet and the vegetarian breakfast was a plate of tomatoes with poor scrambled eggs…. Shocking!

The coffee is great (and that’s saying a lot since Rosie and Java is right around the corner). The food is equally good and the staff is friendly and accommodating. The inside is a bit dated (BUT absolutely charming) and this is where and how I want to start a lazy weekend morning when the veil of COVID lifts.

Stopped by for take away coffee. Very slow service even though not busy. Charged me for a different customers order and seemed to imply my fault for not realising before payment taken. Concerning that one customer was maskless, no social distancing and at one point stood behind counter close to food and beverage preparation. Coffees were nice but will not return.

went on a sunday not very busy but a bit disorganized was slow service. sandwich was good cake was excellent did not sit in had a take a way. would go again

It's a tiny cafe with a decent range of sandwiches and cakes. The staff, however, are too busy chatting to serve. It's quite disorganised there. It made me want to leave. The coffees are nice. The seating area needs to be cleaner.

Cosy cafe tucked away on the corner of a parade of charming boutiques just of the Richmond high street. The ladies that run the lace all seem like friends. Busy little cafe with charm and nice menu for breakfast and lunch.

The staff rushed us to order for no reason. Staff lacks patience and was rude. I would not go here again , there are other, better cafes in Richmond

When we visit Richmond, our preferred choice for tea and coffee and cakes is the Alianti. Always very friendly and helpful service delicious homemade cakes and extremely good Americanos as well as choice of tea. Often we meet friends there who share the same opinion as us towards this lovely independant cafe.

Very good location. Fresh sandwiches and lovely coffee. They have very good deal after 2p.m coffee and cake £3.50

I've eaten here on and off for 2 years (for the sole reason that not many places do jacket potatoes near my office) but I've finally had enough, the staff are impatient, indifferent and often downright rude. Take your business somewhere it will be appreciated there are plenty of better places to eat in Richmond.

Great coffee and pastries - keep coming back. Very English - tourists won’t like it, but try it once - you’ll love it.

Used to visit Aliante regularly. First visit for years which was pleasant. Food tasty. Not badly priced. A toilet would be a nice addition

I’ve become a regular here, coffee is good and their almond croissant is the best I’ve ever had and large! Service could be better, but the ladies behind the counter are nice and friendly. They have coffee/tea/cake specials for £3.50 during the week and Sundays.

Apparently you cannot ask questions about your order here. I politely asked twice if it was panini being used for my toasted sandwich. Instead of a simple response, the girl made rude comments about me in front of everyone in the shop and still never answered my question. This girls needs to stop making assumptions that everything is a complaint and instead listen, as I was just asking a question (and I promise it was not asked in a rude way whatsoever). I'm not one to be difficult at cafes and this was the first time I've had an experience like this. I left feeling really horrible and embarrassed.This girl should not be working in customer service. Going off the other reviews it clearly wasn't a one off.

The coffee was good as were the pastries when we visited. We sat by the window for a bit of people watching, and unlike a number of other reviews for this place we had no problems with the service...perhaps we were lucky!

coming here for years always great to make your choices quick and easy find, ready made sarnies... always greeted in a friendly way and early opening helps

I visited Alianti with my elderly mother. She takes a little time to make her mind up but the staff rushed us for no reason, it wasn’t even busy, and we ended up having to order coffee and cakes separately. I would not go here again , there are other, better cafes in Richmond.

Not visited for a while as moved out of London. And I must say I was disappointed with not only the rude and uninterested staff but the food was definitely not the same quality. So many better cafe's in Richmond 😞.

From breakfast to afternoon tea, Alianti surpasses most all other coffee shops in Richmond. Service is fast and efficient. The choice of sandwiches, salads, baked potatoes various fillings is extensive. The size of portions is amazing for the price. The serving crew are nearly always happy and pleasant with a 'hello' greeting - unless it's lunch time and they are busy. Excellent choice for a Brunch.

This privately owned café is the must go to place in Richmond for good value. Great coffee, cakes, sandwiches, salads, baked potatoes and great breakfasts. Forget small portions too - always a large portion of what-ever you order. The prices are very reasonable. You can sit in or out in the lovely alleyway leading up to the Richmond Green. I can't imagine why anyone would want to go to one of the multiples.

Coffee and sandwich was fine, didn't really like behavior of one employee Edita. She was extremely rude to her fellow workers and that made my experience rather unpleasant.

Queríamos un café y snack, así pasó por allí con nuestros gemelos en buggy. La camarera nos ignoró ostensiblemente y tuve que caminar dentro de un pedido. La última fue tan grosero dentro. Sólo una actitud muy mal, como todo era una molestia. Como una mujer asiática, es la sensación que obtienes cuando alguien no le gusta su 'Tipo' pero leer más ampliamente que parece que son groseros. La comida era aceptable sólo demasiado caro. También se olvidaron de qué habíamos pedido y olvidar un gracias o por favor. Nunca conocido algo semejante. Este tipo de pena, pero existen lugares es sin duda la ubicación que mantiene que se fueran. Por favor NO DAR DE SUS NEGOCIOS.

Pity their sandwich was almost empty. You pay your money and you get a half full sandwich. Don't bother coming. Coffee same as everywhere else.

Mi madre y yo vinimos para café y tarta (y para salir de la fría! ), uno de mis colegas recomendado aquí. Por desgracia llegamos hacia 5. 30 En el momento en que iban a limpiar pero tenía clientes en la cafetería. Teníamos un chocolate brownie y un tipo de tarta de almendra franzipan plana con té y café descafeinado con leche. un Eran deliciosos, sin embargo, no podía quedarse como estaban en 6, pero creo que volveremos cuando no cerca de la hora del cierre. !

Entrar en este café inmediatamente sentir que no es un lugar de relajación. De hecho, creo que este lugar es ideal sólo para las personas activas, la sensación de estar apretado no quieren que alojarse y comer dentro de demasiado tiempo.

My partner and I went to Alianti for a full English breakfast and it was awful. The full cost came to over £15 for all items and when the breakfast arrived it was luke warm and was clearly cooked on a small grill behind the counter. I clearly said no beans so after waiting 10 minutes for it took cook mine arrived with beans so the staff went to cook another. Upon seeing the small griddle it was going to be cooked on I said I need to go to work so would prefer a refund which was issued. My partner took about 4 mouthfuls and left the rest as it was disgusting. The staff didn't interact well and were very unprofessional and everything just took a long time. Complete waste of money and bad experience all round.

Found the staff Unfriendly . Food nice. Nice location very central. I suggest they are send on a charm course.

The manageress/owner is so brusque and borderline aggressive it's impossible to feel welcomed here. She seems so unhappy all the time and practically shouts at everyone.The staff seem to take their lead from her and although they are generally satisfactory, there is no warmth or welcome at all in this place.It happily relies on the fact that it is in a prime location and has outside tables. The food is quite adequate but you won't look forward to coming back...

Unhappy lady behind the bar a bit old , not welcome not helpful, food is okay but because of the waitress absolutely not going back ., : (

Popped into the cafe as one of the few places open early on Sunday morning. Its very cramped and you almost get pushed along by others entering the cafe. Staff struggled with understanding English when we ordered and almost appeared to want customers out of there as quick as possible. Poor limp Danish pastry and very milky coffee ......... with the outcome being our first and last visit to this cafe.

Bog standard run of the mill Latte, took ages to make. Tables crammed in odd places, and no toilets. Apart from the fact they sell coffee (sort of) and cakes, not really sure how this qualifies as a cafe.

Enjoyed my hot chocolate and walnut slice. Staff were friendly. Good location in Richmond. Would return .

Located close to Richmond green is Alianti. Its a good place to stop for breakfast or just a coffee. We had both, the croissants were good as was the coffee. My friend had a 'full English" which was not bad. Good place to stop if you are in need of a snack.

Took some visiting foreign friends for a coffee here today. Big mistake. The staff were confused and scared, and the female manager so so rude to customers. We were sitting outside waiting for our drinks when a waitress came out with two coffees (latte and cappuccino) asking if these were ours. We said no, another table said it was probably theirs but not completely what they ordered. The waitress goes back in, the manager comes out and tries to sort the confusion out. At the same time our drinks (latte and double espresso) are brought out by another waitress. When we say yes those are ours, the manager starts shouting at me for "not admitting I had ordered latte in the first place"! Meanwhile the customers that had ordered a latte and cappuccino take-aways come outside wondering what happened to their order, but the manager is by now so angry with me she can't deal with the situation. During the whole time both me and all customers were calm and definitely not rude. Such a low-class establishment in a prime location.

Great little cafe in the centre of Richmond!Good coffee and the Chicken Pesto Baguette is a must! What more do you need?

Need to grab lunch in a jiffy? Alianti is the place to go. Panini, soups, sandwiches for £3.25 to £3.75 each. Can be made custom / made to order, or simply grab a pre-made panini instead. My fave - a good prosciutto ham + cheese panini that is just hard to say no to.

Decided to contribute to local community rather than buy coffee from a chain and found this place. On first visit a nice lady served and simply made the coffees (take away) I requested and provided me with sweeteners and a spoon. I made up the saving compared to chains with tips and it made her smile :)A week later I visited and ordered the same coffees.. Then the lady asked "Sugar??". "Sorry, do you have sweeteners?"."Yes" she said. And a huuuuuge pause where she glared at me? "How many? Oh.. two in each please - no sorry, three in one and two in the -" And she cut me off asking for £3.60. So I paid and about 5 minutes later she gave us coffee and knowing she missed my correction I asked for one more and even apologised. Her response "Well next time let me know when you change your mind." My boyfriend and I were speechless.I've worked in retail and hospitality myself so I know what is an acceptable level of service (and always understand those who also do). Just to add, the latte was much weaker and colder than last time which is no problem but just made the experience worse. Grumpy service, cold personality and atmosphere.

This is the third and last time I go into this place. They completely rushed you out to make a decision not having the time to even look at the things they have because of the narrow entrance. The waitress got my order wrong twice and her way of almost blaming me for the mistake she made was out of place. Not my cup of tea.

We were served very quickly in this quiet little cafe. Very efficient staff. Good sized portions for the price. Wide variety of delicious food available, ranging from breakfast-type scrambled eggs etc, to salads & jacket potatoes for lunch, and cakes for tea. Cafe is situated very close to Richmond shops, and a few minutes from the river. Small area of indoor seating, & outside too in good weather. Gets especially busy at lunchtime on Wednesdays, prior to theatre matinees.

Lovely little cafe that serves excellent food, jacket potatoes, quiche etc. also tea, coffee and cakes. Small inside seating area and tables outside. It does get busy! Good staff and reasonable prices. Special deal on a drink and cake after 2 pm.