Benugo Cafe at John Lewis in Chelmsford

Uncleared tables are just the norm in this cafe and very annoying. Most times you have to clear a table to sit down in the nice area with casual sits. It was so at 3pm on Friday. The coffee is good but the ambiance is dire.

Have been going to Benugo in J Lewis, Chelmsford quite regularly. The food choice has deteriorated as have the staff. The manager is miserable and rude! It’s tatty and not the cleanest of cafes. Improvements need to be made.

When I visit Chelmsford I always choose to go here for a coffee and a treat , the selection is always excellent and the coffee is lovely, friendly staff and just a nice chilled place to go and enjoy a drink Much better than all the large coffee shops which are always dirty and packed with people , give it a try and you won’t be disappointed! Be sure to sign up to their loyalty scheme to

Visited John Lewis & stopped at Benugos for coffee. Lovely selection of cakes & sandwiches. Iced latte was 🫶🏼! Will return when we are next in Chelmsford

Fabulous place to pick up a coffee. Everyone is really friendly and efficient. Was served by Dan this morning, who always has a smile.

Really lovely service from the team, delicious coffee and sandwiches. Nice environment, comfy seats and a great location for a break from shopping.

The best coffee!!! Carmel latte with an almond croissant the most delicious breakfast! I will definitely be returning!

Lovely cafe, staff very friendly and kind. Make great coffee and the ham and cheese croissants are delicious as is the chocolate cake - sampled by my son! Thank you Benugo team, we will be back.

I come here regularly with my girlfriend and we are pleased every time by the very friendly team. Recently found out they make the sandwiches, wraps and paninis fresh every morning in store! A nice quiet place to get out of the Chelmsford hustle

Staff looking at phones instead of serving. Handed in full loyalty card Was not offered a new one. No serviettes- when asked staff member said oh we haven’t got any. No scones at11.30 in morning. Disappointing.

I happen to like the coffee and scones here, but the staff are so miserable. (apart from the young girl with the dark hair who was making the coffees this morning) There were 2 people in the queue and 3 serving and so many tables needed clearing. I asked a male member of staff if i could pass him a couple of trays so we could sit down. He grunted and reluctantly took them. I don't have a clue who is the manager of this coffee shop, because I have never witnessed anyone who looked like management in here. The staff here need to learn how to smile and make it a more pleasurable place to be, If the coffee wasn't so good, people wouldn't come here. It is clear that the majority of staff don't enjoy their jobs, in which case get rid of them and employ more personable people who can smile. Or, get a new manager who can train these staff properly. It could be miles better.

We don't often shop in Chelmsford but we did today and made several purchases in John Lewis where, as usual with John Lewis the staff were, without exception, helpful, friendly and informative. We had visited Benugo a couple of years ago for a light lunch and it was very pleasant and decided to go there again. What a mistake! We both wanted a glass of wine which was clearly stated to be on offer only to be told there was no wine and the opened bottle that was on display was not for sale. The staff seemed non - plussed that we were asking for it (1.30 Sunday lunchtime) and shrugged their shoulders when we asked if the restaurant upstairs had it, not knowing at that point that Benugo was a concession. that and the fact that the staff were more interested in talking to each other rather than taking our order, led us to leave. By the way the restaurant upstairs was absolutely fine!

Wanted quiche without salad? Not allowed I was told, I had to have the salad, which I put in the bin? Quiche not good left half as unpalatable. Coffee Ok, expensive and unpleasant experience. Lesson learned never go back.

When Benugo began I liked it but now it has become a really irritating chain, the quality is right down and the prices are high. If you want to eat the same as everywhere else and not have the tables cleared, this is the place for you, I am sorry to say. Try John Lewis's own cafe, The Place to Eat.

A group of us visited recently after going to the cinema. We wanted something to drink before going home, so we queued up for drinks and found a table, very small for a group of us to sit round. Chairs are hard and uncomfortable apart from a couple of tables which have comfy leather chairs. It is not a very welcoming area and the staff appear to be a bit indifferent to customers. I will not be going there again.

Useful for a quick coffee whilst shopping in John Lewis but every time we go there the tables haven’t been cleared and you end up moving stuff to sit down at a nice table. This is not a one off occurrence - it’s everytime you go there be it mid morning, lunchtime or late afternoon. Very little eye contact from staff who quite often are more interested in talking to each other than serving customers. So Benugo is not run by John Lewis? Maybe not but they need to sort it out!

Ordered tea & coffee and waited and waited and waited! After 15 minutes waiting next to the till, watching the incompetent staff serve other customers, I was asked "can I help you?". I was then handed a stainless steel teapot and had to ask for a tea cup, then ask for milk! Hopeless. The staff hadn't a clue. No evidence of any training. We sat and drank our tea & coffee amongst tables full up with used crockery. John Lewis and their staff are first rate but the Benugo concession disappoints.

First time for the 3 of us as we usually go to The Place to Eat but couldn't handle the scrum down in there so tried Cafe Benugo. The cafe was clean and tidy and the staff were working hard but not particularly customer friendly. There is not much menu choice due to the size of the cafe. The paninis we have were fine, the coffee was excellent. We then had 2 slices of the slightly rustic looking lemon drizzle cake. The cake was tasteless and I can only liken it to cardboard. Most of the cake was left on the plates. In future will give this a miss and join the over crowded queues in The Place to Eat.

Café at JL Chelmsford, food and coffee okay, however, as a JL partner the staff should know that partners receive a 20% discount when we show our card as I did. First time in asking when I was on my own the young lady serving gave me a clear "no we don't do JL discount". I thought okay maybe I had got it wrong, anyway, joined by the rest of my family shortly after I had finished my drink and cake, I double checked on the partner choice website that states clearly, Benugo offers great, simple food with friendly efficient service! Partners and their Additional Card Holder now receive 20% discount in John Lewis Benugo sites, which is redeemable on all drinks and food. Second time in asking as the family felt thirsty I was served by someone more senior, again sorry no discount, I had my card in front of me, then I questioned her and showed her the JL site on my phone. Miraculously she replies "oh yes you have to show your card bla bla bla" hello I know how to claim discount with my card, so why you and any of your staff say no in the first place, its not as if its going to cost you anything only JL, wake up!!!

As you would expect from John Lewis the restaurant was full of lovely items for breakfast, we settled for a sausage sandwich with coffee, it was very ggod

Cakes are generally quite good when they're available although my carrot cake this week was burnt underneath. It must have been evident when constructing the cake but was served anyway. Despite it being 3pm there were few cakes left to choose from. Staff are a bit miserable if I'm honest and a bit slug like not wanting to move much. It would be nice to have a better and more stocked cake selection, the tables across the back spread out more and more enthusiastic staff. This doesn't scream John Lewis to me but BHS

Came here for coffee, as I had a voucher and was served by a trainee (I assume) but waited over 10 minutes for the coffee to be made. The guy making coffee had to get cups (only one to two at a time) from the dishwasher, he also made a trip out of the cafe area (why?) and helped the trainee on the till. Said trainee also went out of sight and I could see him talking on his phone. Meanwhile the queue was getting longer and longer. The coffee was fine.

Visited here with a friend and we enjoyed our coffees. We didn't indulge in any food but there was a selection of croissants, scones and cakes on offer. Comfortable seating with views over Bond Street atrium. There is also a toilet hidden away in the corner of Cafe. If in John Lewis and on the first floor it is worth a visit.

Had high expectations of visiting this cafe on a recent shopping trip with my wife.What a joke!£4.50 for a measly jacket spud with hardly any filling & £8.50 for a curry & rice in a tiny pot that wouldn't feed a sparrow.

The level of cleanliness within the Cafe Bar was awful. Dirty floors, dirty glasses, dirty tables and filthy chrome foot rails. I was shocked as this is not in keeping with the brand I know and love. Staff also stating "oh it was lovely and quiet a minute ago and now it's just crazy" when there were only 3 customers in the queue is just laughable. Very dissatisfied and will not be visiting again. In fact management need to review the cleanliness of the whole store as it is really not in keeping with the brand. I will not be visiting any time soon and would rather take my custom to Oxford Street or Bluewater stores despite the extra travel time. Really disappointed

In between my shopping at the John Lewis store Bond Street I needed a sit down with a cuppa. I ordered a pot of tea and there was a fruit scone offer on at the checkout which I took advantage of! Tea was lovely and the fruit scone was yum!

Size of jacket potatoes small and salard portions small and filling also small not what you expect from John Lewis store.I would not eat again in any John Lewis store,over priced and very poor quality food served .Why not have a Quality Control and Value Manager checking the food?

When visiting John Lewis, and having some vouchers for freebies, we decided to pop in on a Sunday before Christmas to the Cafe. My husband had fish and chips, I had a jacket potato, both were barely warm and had obviously been sitting around for a while on hot plates. We both had lattes which were really nice, I had a banoffee cheesecake and my husband had some sort of chocolate cake. Both were really good, tasty, fresh and delicious. My tip would be that this cafe is great for a coffee and a cake, but not so for hot food. Not great value really either.

Stopped here when shopping. Just wanted a coffee. It was okay for a quick coffee, but did not feel that I wanted to stay long.

yes been here twice drinks from machine both not hot enough .air conditioning on over the seating area on full (think it was for the staff ) not us customers .As my husband and i had to wear scraves round our necks to keep warm .enjoyed our cakes but looking at a grey wall and not feeling very relaxing (no nice pictures on wall ) which would make it better and something to look at .and maybe some comfortable seats would help .only had our drink and food and had to leave quick as now very cold .

Called in for coffee, which was vey good. The staff are really nice and very friendly. I guess they have been well trained and it certainly makes a difference. John Lewis is new to Chelmsford and if the pre- publicity can be believed, eagerly anticipated by the public.

Sunday lunch time fancied a quick bite to eat and drink, a very loud alarm going off for at least 15mins,asked the waitress what the problem was ! she didn't know ! along came my daughter with lunch ,Ha Ha Ha ! two rock hard rolls mine filled with stale

We just came in for coffee which was better than a few of the chains in coffee. It is relatively strong and tasty, just how we like it. Soya milk available and the latte was delicious. No complaint

The scones were stale and solid. The tea was not hot and almost undrinkable. The checkout was absolute chaos. Staff had no idea what their duties were. Tables were left with dirty crockery on them. I would not go there again if it were free. John Lewis need to do something about this shambles. It is a blot on what is a great store.

Overstaffed with four female employees and one man on a fairly quiet Thursday morning. Only the male had any idea of what he was doing. The women were gossiping and getting in each other's way behind the counter whilst unserved customers looked on. Table clearance was non existent - it didn't seem to occur to them that dirty cups and plates were piling up on the tables. Strict management needed here.

The system of collecting hot food and drinks means that either the food is cold by the time you have queued to pay or the drinks are. There is no natural flow- through of the process to prevent this. The drinks machines are slow to dispense and there is a risk of bumping into other customers: It was quite chaotic.

Been a huge fan of benugo since working in Shoreditch/ Clarkenwell So was excited to find out it was coming to Chelmsford. What a disappointment, poor quality coffee and terrible service. Terrible service. Again, terrible service. Slow, surly, lack of product knowledge. Very frustrating because the setting was great.

What a complete disaster !! John Lewis scones are one of the best things about John Lewis. This coffee bar is an absolute poor representation and I would cancel their residency immediately !! Yuk

There were five staff and they all seemed to be working hard. However after ten minutes waiting in the queue (there weren't more than five customers in front of me when I joined it) we gave up and went elsewhere. There must be something wrong with the process if so much energy and enthusiasm produces no product.

I am completely at a loss as to why John Lewis have introduced Benugo cafes to their stores. John Lewis had a good range of their own restaurants and cafes. Rossopomadoro is a useful adjunct but Benugo offers no more than the Place to Eat and is more expensive.

Located on the first floor, the cafe offers minimal seating in relation to the size of the store, resulting in queues for tables. Service was polite but slow. There were no plates at the cake stand and a willing helper rushed to assist muttering that the dishwasher was full. So, once the newly opened store has settled down, all should be well. Queues were also spilling out of the second floor restaurant, so there seems to be a theme here. Benugo is independent, so will not accept John Lewis vouchers.

With the introduction of John Lewis to Chelmsford is excellent news and we have been waiting for a long time. Therefore we were looking forward to enjoying an early brunch on a Saturday morning, the scones and buns are all out in the centre as you walk into the cafe, once you have selected your food you then queue at these coffee machines, yes there is a selection but if you want black coffee with hot mike on the side, then sorry these machines cannot provide.

shopping in John Lewis we decided to stop of at Benugo,,café, rather disappointed as a first time visit.,The service area was very busy to which the staff did apologise. We ordered salmon wraps only to be given the wrong order,Still waiting a staff member realized how long I had been there, then offered to bring it over to us when ready, thank you. The coffee had more froth than required, the cakes where very nice, whilst expensive nearly twenty pounds, we will give it a second chance and hope our experience was due to a newish venture.

We were present at the Preview of John Lewis two days before the official opening to the general public. It was crazily busy, but despite this everything in the whole store was very well organised. Huge numbers of Staff all welcoming their guests in through the front door and at the bottom and top of each escalator handing out layouts of each floor etc., which was most welcome. We stopped at the Benugo Cafe for Coffee and cake which was most welcome.