Artigiano Espresso & Wine Bar in Exeter

I used to be a regular here, but have stopped going completely due to the extremely rude/poor customer service (which is bordering on discrimination tbh) and mediocre food and coffee that costs far more than it is worth. I'm pretty sure the pastries are just bought and reheated from a wholesale retailer anyways. At one point, the staff covered up the outlets so that students and workers couldn't even work there. What a way to treat your valued customers (end sarcasm). Coming from a small business background myself from California, I gotta say that this probably isn't the best way to go about running a thriving cafe. Customer service is key, and word gets around fast. Side note - I don't really get why a business in this day and age would choose to be so overtly rude and discriminatory when cash is king, but hey ho.

As we were leaving my partner and I both went to the bathroom, the door was broken so I waited outside whilst she went first . As we left a short bearded bar member accused us of taking drugs. This got into a 10 minute altercation where I was adamant we were going to wait for the police another bar person, tall, bald head even said he saw us “pass a bag !“ under the table . Neither one of us has ever taking drugs in our lives and we only left before insisting on dealing with the police because we had a table booked at turtle bay. Disgusting establishment. Both staff were smirking at me when i defended myself and insisted they could search me on the spot. Totally Disgusted

The food is built for instagram however not as described. There were extra ingredients not mentioned in the menu (coconut) and when it said topped with granola it actually means it’s subtly mixed in (a tiny amount). When we mentioned it was nice but it just didn’t seem to have the granola topping the server rather than doing the seemingly easy task of bringing the topping argued with us that it was made correctly. After reviewing the menu again and talking about it with our table the server came over and was very argumentative saying he could bring the chef out. About 10 minutes later another bowl came out which was thick as plaster repair with blended granola (still not as a topping and still with added coconut). The other meal salmon eggs Benedict was cold but tasty and the drinks were nice.

Unfortunately not a great experience today. No vanilla in the iced vanilla latte, and coffee very poor (on a previous visit it was good). Ordered toasted teacakes which were tasty and warm but not toasted. Lady at the countered was disinterested at best. Sadly will not return.

Waited 40 minutes for eggs on toast then they brung out the wrong food. Not worth waiting for.

Lively, fast service, noisy and a little expensive

Tom the bartender was absolutely amazing. He went above and beyond his duties & made us great cocktails!

Went in the other night for casual drinks and Jules was amazing, gave us the perfect recommendations. Will be back!

Tom is a fabulous bartender, lovely place

Great experience at Artiganos, our waiter Tom was brilliant and really attentive. We will definitely be back!

There’s a lot of words to describe Tom …. Optimistic… generous… kind and giving To sum it up, Tom’s the best bar man out there and there’s no one that quite compares

We came for brunch here this past weekend - we usually like coming here for coffee and the vibe is lovely so we were hopeful for the breakfast but my goodness is the breakfast overpriced for what it is. I ordered poached eggs on toast (and paid £7! extra for avocado, chorizo and halloumi) I was absolutely SHOCKED when the plate came out to see that the chorizo was just slices that you can buy at the supermarket (not cooked or at least prepared like you'd expect) and two tiny pieces of halloumi that looked like they barely touched the pan. I had to ask the guy for more as I genuinely thought it was a joke for the price we paid. The chorizo is £3! extra! Not to mention it took long enough to get to us, once it did they had forgotten to add my eggs and ended up waiting even longer because they had forgotten to cook them! We paid £35 in total for a brunch that was extremely sub par compared to some other places offering breakfast nearby. Definitely go elsewhere and avoid the brunch / breakfast food by a mile, not worth the high price.

Was served by a lovely woman called Jules, the vibe in the restaurant was nice for Exeter. Jules made sure we were well looked after and honestly made the experience, she made my friend laugh which is rare! Would return.

Artigiano struck us as an unexpected gem. Unexpected because being in a row of 'normal' shops rather than some quirky individual building, we might have expected a fairly 'standard' feel. But something felt very unique about the atmosphere and the decor. And the service was super, not least because we had to rush our lunch to make it to a timed visit to the underground passages (worth checking out too, we suggest - maybe before or after your visit to Artigiano!) Thanks x

Really good service you must come her for jules she’s the sickest girl ever

Amazing food and drinks and great service from Esteban

We had been out for the evening and stopped off at this place for a last drink, I will make sure I come here first going forth! Best cocktail in Exeter in my opinion! , the young lad Tom made the best cocktail I’ve had in a while in Exeter, genuinely took time out to make an old fashioned as it should be and the tastiest mia tai I’ve had, but manners too! Tom is a credit to the establishment ❤️

Esteban was super helpful and made great drinks 🌟

Always a lovely place to have a few cocktails and Esteban made our night by being so wonderful

Perfect atmosphere. Our go to place on a Saturday morning for lattes and pain au raisin.

A gem in the heart of Exeter. I was served by Esteban, our lovely bartender served us stunning cocktails and delicious pizzas! If you come ask for him ;)

Missing Ula's coffee! Fastest barista around

Great coffee shop / bar in Exeter

Food very good but poor service 25mins for a bacon and egg sandwich the place wasn't very busy as well

Jack is the best . we all I've hin

Great place for drinks with friends!

Best cafe/bar in town! Thank you Geoffrey for recommending Victoria Malaga to us!

Esteban Is the greatest person ever !! He made this experience incredible. HE EVEN GOT ME BREAD WHEN THE KITCHEN WAS CLOSED. The hospitality here is brilliant. Will definitely come again. Geoffrey is lovely as well. Give them both a pay raise

Really nice place with a good atmosphere , friendly staff and good music events.Really glad we found this place 😊

Artist’s Full breakfast - all very cool and cold plates, hard fried eggs, hard old tasting hash browns, old baked beans, tough over cooked bacon and hard sausages, toast not toasted and stale and liquid butter. Too many herbs on the tomatoes and mushrooms. Very disappointing.

Great coffee, friendly service and delicious breakfast. Will definitely be back.

Budweiser that isn’t budweiser! Good atmosphere and friendly service. Bring a jumper if you want to outside in the summer s as it is in the shade after 5.

Some friends and me wanted to go out for some drinks. We choose to go to the Artigiano, because of the live band, which was playing there. First we wanted to order via the QR-Code but then we realised that you have to pay with car. Our Problem: We’re from Austria so we didn’t had a card with us. I just stood up and walked to the bar, it was no problem to order in person and to pay cash. It was just a great visit, we will enjoy another visit on Thursday ;)

Nice place but I will never step foot in here again. I made a decision to only post 5 star reviews and make nice comments but have made an exception after the passive aggressive mouthful I got from one of the bar staff tonight.

I had to wait for my ice tea delicious though after the winter waiting nearly half an hour to be taken to me I did

I would give less with pleasure.

Nice place, good food and excellent service

Nice drinks place rather small but nice for smaller groups !

Great place to visit with friends

Always love it here. Buzzy. Food is great. Super friendly service

Great place to visit on a night out

Regularly visit here for great coffee and atmosphere.

Lovely cakes and their coffee was delicious 😋

I had the best experience with this place today. Ula was great, the coffee she made was so good and it had awesome latte art. Great experience, and will definitely recommend Artigiano to others!

Amazing service from Eve and brilliant live music on Thursdays

Great staff especially Eve!! Beautiful Evenue <3

Amazing drinks, impeccable service - big thanks to Eve for the great drinks and all the live musicians for creating such an atmosphere!

Amazing service, brilliant drinks and fantastic music! Eve was very lovely as well!!

Really fun atmosphere and good service by Eve

Such a nice place with a lovely atmosphere and really friendly staff, especially Eve :)

This review is really about the staff in this place. I've been in many times in the evenings over the last few years and the bar staff are normally great, never any problems, always feel taken care of. During the day however every time we've gone in for coffee, the staff and service could not be more opposite. The people who have served me are just so blunt and disinterested, like they're just done with the whole thing already. They make you feel like they couldnt care less if you ever came back or not, and as it's been like that every time we just walk past it more and more. I'd rather spend the same money somewhere where people are capable of talking to you with a bit more warmth even if it's just a quick simple order. The coffee has never been the best here, but it's nice to sit in town centre, but the combination of average drinks and unfriendly service is not worth it.

Really delicious food, particularly like the nibbles and the cocktails are very good - would recommend the chorizo

Nice vibe, cool atmosphere and well mixed cocktails. Always able to get a seat too!

Had such a fab time. The staff are so fab, and the cocktails are the real McCoy, best in Exeter

Beautiful location for drinks and food! Always enjoy an evening here, the service is fabulous!

Great venue with an awesome vibe. Can’t recommend enough the staff are very friendly and the food is lovely.

As an author and business consultant I use cafes for meetings and places to free writers block. Artigiano is perfect for both, and the food is original and very tasty so I get to meet clients and colleagues whilst enjoying great coffee and food. Perfect

Had quick coffee and didn't stay long. Coffee was good though.

I went for brunch here and had a great experience! I ordered a fresh juice and a full English breakfast. The juice was great and the food was excellent 👌

Great coffee, great atmosphere, great staff!

Best Coffee in town consistently. Food was top as was the service, pleasant atmosphere despite it quite busy. Over all great place.

As an early Saturday bird i was delighted to find this place open. The staff kindly allowed me to use the toilet before i placed my order. This wee detail should be commonplace but not always granted. The brunch menu was available (i was there about 8am) and i had hard time choosing as all the options seemed to be my favourite flavour. I opted for the Addict bowl and a coffee. The service was fast and friendly, the bowl of food was stunning. I loved the balance of soft and crunchy, hot and cold, sweetness of the paprika against the salt of halloumi, topped up with hint of lemon and chilli, if im right? Healthy, unrushed joy. And guys, i will be back for the acai, blueberry, strawberry, mango etc bowl

Just love not having to stand and wait for your coffee to be made....proper service!

Nice place to stop for a quick coffee and snack. Great atmosphere and quick delivery of order. Didn't have food but the orders being delivered to other tables looked amazing. I saw several plates of lovely looking poached eggs on muffins with hollandaise sauce which were enjoyed by other customers. Definitely a brilliant place for atmosphere!

Best chai latte I have ever had.

A nice cafe to catch up with family when visiting Exeter. The food was good but not outstanding (a little pricey). The venue clearly focuses upon drinks rather than food. It can get a little noisy in the afternoon but still a great place to relax after a long day of shopping

Usually half decent coffee in here but today was very disappointing. Coffee was weak and lacked any taste. Very slow service. Won't be returning.

Okay place , Very expensive drink , noisy atmosphere

Perfect flat white brought straight over

Always a really good atmosphere and the events are well thought out. Staff are friendly and helpful. In terms of wheelchair accessibility, the cafe is a bit cramped and narrow, but is level throughout the doorway and seating areas. There is a step up and down to access the disabled toilet, and the door opens the wrong way into the disabled toilet - so I recommend using the changing places facility in princesshay instead.

It OK thair OK so dear I only get cup tea

I thought I would try a new place. I chose Artigiano. The food and drink were nice but a bit pricy. The atmosphere was great. There were quite few people inside. I did like simple decor in it, which definitely contributed to the atmosphere.

Terrible cocktails. One was almost pure vodka the other was like water. Wouldn’t go again.

Came in for a cocktail on the way back to the bus, good choice, decent price and made quickly and well. Toilets are up several flights of stairs though!

This place almost makes me forget I don't live in London any more. I love it

Used to be my go to place. Now I don't think I'd want to return for the time being. Ordered an old fashioned and it was poorly made and so bitter it was impossible to drink. Went to the bar to ask the bartender to add some mixer to it to make it less disgusting but was met with rudeness and dismissal. The other bartender added some soda water to it. But it did not help the poorly made cocktail. For your reference, if you see a late 20s to early 30s blonde bartender lady, be prepared to have the worst drink and service of your life.

Not safe place to go. Any random people can come in and steel personal belongings. This is how my phone was stolen . They do not have CCTV in the zone near the entrance which is the first place where it should be ! So no way to prove the fact of the crime or find the thief.

Great atmosphere and cocktails, love it!!

Perfect location in the centre of town and lovely staff

Lovely atmosphere and very attentive staff

Really lovely atmosphere and great cocktails!

Cute vibes at night time and good cocktails xx

Came in for a drink on Saturday night with my partner. We ordered one drink each and paid the 10% service charge only to wait 35 minutes for our drinks! I asked the lady who brought us our drinks “Excuse me, what is the service charge for?”. She got very defensive. After being argumentative she said we could have the 10% refunded. But I wasn’t so bothered about the money so I said didn’t take it. So she asked me “Well what would you like me to do about it then?” And I said I just wanted to make them aware that it wasn’t a good enough service as they weren’t busy at all. She continued to go against me and so I said to her “There is no argument here, it just wasn’t good enough.” She replied “There is an argument, but okay.” And walked off. About 5 minutes later one of her colleagues came over with complimentary shots and apologised. Which we were grateful for. But that is all that needed to happen in the beginning. The other employee should not have back chatted us. Did not get her name. Long blonde hair tied back and wearing glasses. Please have some respect for customers :)

I'm a bit torn and I don't like leaving a 3 star review. But over £6 a pint is taking the piss a little. This is Devon not London. Arti's has in my opinion, the BEST coffee in Exeter. Really really good. Had not been in the evening before and came with staff from work for a drink. We'd been in another bar first and paid between £4 and £5 a drink. I was pretty shocked when 2 pints came to over £12. If they'd priced at just under £6 I might not have really noticed but it really stood out and has put me off going back for anything other than the coffee to be honest.

Probably the worst "Cheese Toastie" that I have had for as long as I can remember... Went in today at 11am hoping for a simple Cheese and Tomato croissant. 2 of us but only 1 croissant left. Server quipped "yes we usually sell out very quickly on the croissants" (Qu. no-one thought to order bigger quantity?) I opted instead for the 'Cheese and Tomato Toastie'. First time round there was barely a shred of evidence that even a grating of cheese had touched the Toastie, tomato was similarly lacking. I politely asked if I might try another (thinking the fault lay only with the one random sandwich I had selected). Turned out the second was as bad as the first. It was quite literally not even worth eating. Staff were completely disinterested. I left, having paid too much for a very poor offering...

I have been coming here since I was a student and completed a lot of my degree in this cafe…. Service is always fast however staff can sometimes be a little blunt and rude. I notice the baristas do change regularly which is to be expected in a student city, however I have also worked as a barista myself and I often find I’m ordering cappuccinos and ending up with big lattes or vice Versa… it would be good for baristas to be trained more effectively. Cocktails and food are always great, slightly on the pricey side but you ultimately get what u pay for

Love food, love cakes and definitely love cocktails 🍸

Good coffee and a nice venue overall. Unique selling point seems to be customer service reminiscent of a cold-war era border checkpoint. Staff seem inconvenienced by the mere presence of customers, crafting coffees with the same reluctance one might associate with shovelling coal in a Siberian work camp.

After trying out so many different places looking for the perfect frappé mocha, I’ve finally found the perfect one! Artigiano serves the best frappé mocha - it’s delicious with the perfect blend of coffee, chocolate and milk, with the hint of vanilla! I would highly recommend the place! And the staff are really friendly too! Thank you Artigiano for serving my mocha addiction!

Nice spot for a quiet sit with coffee, business meetings, or just seeing friends. Live performance in evenings is a great selling point as well.

Quite busy when we went - app ordering not working and pastries mostly sold out :(. Good coffee though and staff friendly.

Favourite coffee place in Exeter.

The coffee and pastries are delicious

good location great service good quality

Breakfast was great! And friendly staff too !!

The place is right in the middle of city centre with optional outdoor sitting arrangements. The food was not very impressive but alright. Too much suger and cinnamon in the tea. As usual and like every other place, the suger should be provided separately rather than already put in. Over all it is a alright place.

A great place to visit and, Geoffrey was a class apart and took special care of us, including Surbhi ,Mohit and stephan too..

Nice place for brunch. Very noisy however when we visited. Service was slightly slow

The counter staff was humerous, the bagel very tasty making it a pleasurable place to stay

Very abrupt batista!! I asked for a white coffee, apparently this automatically gives you a latte, he was not happy. I'll learn coffee terminology before I visit here again