Cafe Cognito in Aberdeen City

Cheery service, nice selection of sweet food

Came for lunch today, sadly not one single gluten free savoury option. Two different GF cakes.

Just a scone and cup of coffee but bothe were lovely. Lady serving was a little grumpy for some reason. Suppose we all have bad days though.

Great place, great food, and surprisingly reasonable prices.

Very friendly, clean cafe offering a range of food, cakes, hot & cold drinks. Outdoor (under cover) and indoor seating both offer a welcoming atmosphere.

The food is awesome as always, as it is a smaller cafe inside there is ample outside seating with heaters. Dog friendly, treats provided. The staff were very accommodating. Sandwiches were amazing, however other Cognito’s offer salad and chips with the sandwiches. Can get really busy, so would recommend going to the one at the cross.

They have no vegan cakes. When asked, I was told they used to take in vegan cakes but they didn’t sell. So now they don’t bother at all. Disappointing. Won’t be back.

lovely small cafe which is impeccably clean and caters for lovely home bakes as well as lunches. Coffee is very good. Staff generally are so helpful and welcoming.

Absolutely superb coffee shop with exceptional service , brilliant coffee and terrific food . It only has around 18 indoor seats and 10 outside and the management and staff are brilliant at turning tables efficiently . It’s not the kind of place to linger for hours on end iPads - Wetherspoons it isn’t .

This small cafe is very cosy and serves good coffee along with delicious muffins.e staff are always helpful and welcoming. Thanks !

An older lady asked us if we were buying anything else after we had been there for 2 and a half hours and spending over 20 quid for soup sandwiches and coffee. When we said no thank you she told us the time we arrived and that she needs the tables because they are a small business. We tried to make the point that we payed quite a bit of money and she asked how long you plan to stay and I replied until the end which was 2 hours more. She said its OK if you plan on buying more things but we get busier later and need the tables. We were indirectly asked to leave which I thought was unessacary as if we had bought coffee in the morning and the lunch later we probably would have been alright.

08/03/24 On route to a funeral, cold day, popped in for an Americano to take away asked if I want milk said no. Got handed my drink, back in the car drove off, got to the Crematorium took a sip of my americano and it’s a latte. 6 unanswered calls later to sort it out I’m £3 down with a coffee I can’t drink. I know it’s only £3 and if they only answered the phone we could’ve sorted it out….

Thoroughly enjoyed a little latte with oat milk and shortbread. The atmosphere is great for a chinwag would highly recommend.

Not brilliant, but not terrible either. A little overpriced. Coffee itself was pretty poor, not much flavour, but serving it with a block of tablet was a nice touch. I had the bagel and soup. Soup (red pepper) was a bit watery but had decent flavour. The bagel was served warm and the pastrami pickle mustard combo held up well - but it all seemed like supermarket ingredients that I wasn't too impressed paying £7.50 for. The staff were nice enough though and it was a good relaxing place for a bite and a sit down.

This cafe is really excellent- the staff are so helpful and friendly and the pastries never fail to please my family. Thanks.

Fantastic cafe. Great coffee, lovely staff. I regularly go here as I am always satisfied with the service. Highly recommend

Excellent place to have a coffee and cake. The staff here are all just brilliant they give a Excellent service and always happy to see you. Every time I vist Aberdeen this is where I have my coffee

Wonderful quaint little Cafe with a warm neighborhood feel. The coffee and pastry are phenomenal. Amazing friendly staff. A definite great choice

Was in for lunch today and food and drinks were lovely , however the older lady that works there was very rude and abrupt to us and made comments about us to another member of staff - not very professional at all - this has also happened before so not just a one off - go quite regularly but won’t be going back

Food and drinks were lovely as always and we visit here regularly but will not be returning. Lady who works there is always very offhand and not at all welcoming, today we felt uncomfortable as she was making comments about us to other staff members.

Food is the best cafe food you will have from a lunch menu to nice bakes for a coffee or a tea. The coffee is excellent if you like a nice proper coffee try here it's wonderful.

Very nice calm classy local cafe

Whether for a takeaway or sitting in , Cognito on St Swithin Street is a stalwart of the North East Coffee scene . Massively popular with huge repeat clientele due to incredible service and high standard of coffee , sandwiches, salads and scones and cakes . Very cosmopolitan cafe and exceptional service from Shona and her young , enthusiastic team .

Loved my panini for lunch today followed by ice cream with little bag of yummy toppings. It was so nice and warm today I decided to sit outside on the patio. Very comfy chairs and outside bin to put all of my rubbish in to keep my table clear. Enjoyed my visit very much and next time I think I might have one of their yummy looking cakes!!🙂🙂

Super little coffee bistro with the most generous portion of millionaire shortbread in Aberdeen

The staff is nice, but the place lacks cleanliness, the waitress brought the fudge to us with her hands without gloves or tissue paper, and put it on the table directly!! How do I eat it when I saw how she brought it? I was disgusted Anyways, the affogato was delicious, and the carrot cake too! But Unfortunately, I will not repeat the experience

The strawberry tart base is hard, at least couple of days old so best to avoid it or ask when it was made. The hot chocolate is good. Coffee is okay.

Lekkere koffie en heerlijk zelfgemaakt gebak

After the confusion of where to order, we just had.a coffee which was lovey. The waitress, who was not from Aberdeen, took all the time to obtain the directions we asked for. We will certainly go back to this friendly place.

I absolutley loved this little cafe. It is so close to our office in Aberdeen and when I visit Aberdeen next I will be sure to go here for lunch! The smoothy was amazing and just what I needed on a really hot day. The Panini was super tasty with a good amount of filling and not over priced, and lastly the Malteser bar was too die for ... Staff were so friendly and helpful when I went in to order. I was however lucky to get a seat because it was so busy. It might just be a good idea to avoid prime time ... I highly recommend!

Really enjoy the coffee and food selection. I have been a regular since it opened a few years ago. I would only recommend to install an AC system as it can get very uncomfortable inside in warm weather

Great little place. Iced coffee is amazing!

The lady who works there shes too mean and not welcoming “ attitude “ although I come regularly and i make sure i order and imnot sitting without anything. Imnot coming back again. I now prefer cognito the cross.

Had a lovely decaf soya latte with a melting moment. Love the fudge on the side !! Very friendly staff. Thanks

Lovely place with a heated seating area outside. Had many lunches, coffees and cakes. But on my last visit the coffee wasn't nicely made, too much milk and not enough crema (flat white) and I was given my brownie in a paper napkin. I asked to for a plate and a knife but was told that don't provide cutlery or plates any more. Just to be clear, I wasn't ordering a take away.

Lovely to sit outside. Fab scones. Lovely coffee.

My go to place for lunch: great sandwiches, prices, and quality compared to other west end cafes. A nice place to sit in for half an hour.

Disappointed at the customer service. Food is definitely overpriced!

Amazing tiffin, hot choc nice but wasn’t stirred by barista properly so takeaway cup had powder all in one clump inside the cup. Quite pricy

Delightful little Bistro, lovely staff clean and comfortable. Enjoyed very much.

We were excited to get there after a long drive out of recommendation from our friends. When we arrived it was busy. They had us placing our orders before figuring out the sitting arrangement. As we are a family of three with a small baby, we needed extra room. They made us sit inside the nail bar (there’s a nail salon inside the coffee shop). We literally sat inside the nail bar right on a table were nails get done, surrounded by nail polish and a strong smell of acetone which could be harmful to our baby. We couldn’t stay there, so ended up getting a take away instead because we had already paid for our coffees. They literally poured our cappuccinos from a mug into a paper cup, instead of offering to make us new ones. Consequently, the coffee was disgusting because all the froth had mixed up. The stuff was rude, the old woman who served us started shouting “I did tell you there was only a place inside the nail bar!” Causing a scene when she never actually told us. She might have said it to another member of the staff but certainly not to us. It was really awkward to be confronted like that in public when we had done nothing wrong. It totally killed our experience and expectations. We left the place and ended up driving back home feeling totally demoralised. Will never ever ever ever go to this coffee place ever again! Rude! Rude! Rude!

I can't wait to go back. Everything looked amazing. We popped in for coffee and a fancy and we're not disappointed. The hardest part was choosing between all the beautiful cakes. The staff were very welcoming

My daughter an I popped in for a cuppa and a fancy and I can honestly say I loved it. The coffee was great, the chocolate banana loaf... Oh my goodness, so tasty and the wee bit of tablet mmmm. I will be back. The staff were welcoming and smiley. Couldn't fault anything.

Staff nice, place cool and very clean. Food pretty good. Coffee shockingly bad. Flat white is made from a machine like at the premier in 😂

Great place to chill with fantastic coffee & a pastry

Wonderful service lovely coffee and cakes also a beautiful special gift card so many individual cards thank you see you soon 😊

Wonderful service lovely coffee looked after well the Ladies were only 2 happy to help thank you will be back soon have a good day

Nice place staff are nice and friendly

Great customer service, good sandwich and coffee. Cute seating area

Love visiting here.... the coffee is amazing and the staff are very polite.... i like the added touch of a piece of toffee too with your order.... my chum had vanilla hot chocolate and said it was lovely too

Fabulous coffee and friendly lovely staff x

Went for a breakfast so late you couldn't even describe it as "lunch". Was greeted by friendly staff with a delectable array of previously prepared goodies. Grand wee place to visit for light bite.

Pne of my fave places to grab a coffee on the go...piece of home made tablet served with your coffee. Delicious fresh home bakes if you are in the mood to indulge...heaven!

Passed by for a takeaway lunch. Friendly, helpful staff and delicious food & coffee!

My wife and I have been customers here (Queens Cross) for some time however no more...the quality or should I say lack of quality of the paninis has pointed us in a different direction in the future. We have noticed that we are basically paying a premium price for a piece of doughy heated mush. This together with the over inflated price and authoritative attitude from the young staff towards the virus sees us take our business elsewhere...

Not a good atmosphere when I went to this establishment.Went to one further up the street called Orka,had a nice coffee with pleasant staff and quick service 👍

Delicious coffee along with a HUGE caramel shortcake and raspberry white chocolate tart☺️

Delicious tray bakes, cakes and ice reams along with awesome service. Thoroughly recommend

I was absolutely gutted to be greeted by a rude server today. Older woman who had to be honest a pretty bad attitude. After clearly noticing me reading the main menu I went to order and was sternly told they did not have a full menu. (Understandable of course at the moment) the the manor of which this was said as someone who works in hospitality was rude. I then asked if the other cafe was the same and again recieved a sharp response. After paying £7.80 for 2 coffees can't say I as anything more than disappointed with my visit.

I only recently started visiting here during lockdown and I have returned a number of times since. Tasty coffee and yummy food, and on-the-door Covid safe service with a smile. Only slight gripe is that I wish they had more veggie sandwich options. Otherwise - great wee café worth supporting through lockdown ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great coffee , warm ambience and yummy complimentary fudge with coffee. The best !

Excellent coffee and the snacks are very tasty. Really great to have this in the neighbourhood

Nice coffee, staff could be friendlier

Lovely staff, lovely mint chocolate ice cream....good vibes and all. Definitely recommend this place

Situated in a fairly unique area of Aberdeen minutes walk from Union Street but at the same time quieter and residential, it was when visiting a relative I happened upon Cognito and stopped in for lunch. While in theory a ‘coffee shop’, I think that rather undersells the appeal of the place. While the hot drinks are there, it also offers a fine selection of bakes and cakes, ice cream (including a dog friendly one!) and hot snacks. I went with the standard ham and cheese panini, which was lovely. The place is definitely quirky, it has a nail salon inside it, with limited seating inside but a nice looking outside patio (how often that gets used in Aberdeen I don’t know) with racks of cards on sale. The girl who served was lovely, and not in a fakey customer service way, just genuinely nice, doubling up my side of crisps when I asked for no salad. All in Cognito is a lovely little cafe. I’m not in Aberdeen enough to know if it’s worth going out of your way for, but if nearby it’s def worth a visit!

Great for a coffee and a cake in relaxed surroundings.

Excellent food, nice little cafe very friendly staff. Would fully recommend!

Love the coffee from here and the piece of tablet you get with it!

Warm, friendly and great Gluten Free food

Milk jugs sitting on every table that smell get off and sour, sitting against the windows and outside I think it’s very unhygienic. Not fresh milk. Disgusting

I often meet up here for an early morning coffee catch up with either mates or business contacts. It is reasonably well located for everyone in Aberdeen centre to get to and nearly always has on strett parking close enough to make it practical. The staff are friendly and always serve up excellent coffee with different 'designs' in the milk froth head. There is normally a fantastic selection of snacks and sweet treats available too.

Favourite place for ice cream in Aberdeen. The soya lattes and gluten-free brownies are top notch too. Adorable interior decor and the outdoor seating area is a great addition.

Always great coffee and lovely tray bakes.

Very nice place with lovely staff. Very reasonable prices and is dog friendly as well which is great.

Great cafe with a fine selection of drinks and food. Seating could be improved but other that everything is about as perfect as you could get.

Good food, good service, decent prices, but the cafe is quite small and the small tables aren't suitable for families.

You get good sandwiches but the seated area outside is very small

This is a really nice little cafe just of the city centre of Aberdeen. We go up all the time as we have family there and have seen it change and get fairly expensive over the years but as cafes go this was very relaxed, as we sat out in the street in the covered table, what a lovely touch.

I went in one quiet Thuraday evening for a takeaway ice cream with my children. There were 2 staff on, one at the till and one serving ice cream. We stood at the ice cream counter and only when she came to serve us were we told we had to order at the till - by which point two other people had already come in and gone to the till to order coffees. We placed our order, although were quite abruptly told by the girl doing the ice cream that we didn't need to say what ice cream flavours. We ordered & paid for 3 waffle cones with flakes. We then moved back to the ice cream counter and went through the same order (it was written down at the till but not passed to the girl doing the ice cream?!). I'm then informed that kids ice creams don't get flakes, they get 2 chocolate buttons & a malteser which wouldn't have been a problem if I'd not specifically asked for flakes at the till and hadn't asked specifically for kids ice cream... Given that we stay as close to Corollas & Humbug as we do Cafe Cognito, we will not bother coming back to here again for ice cream.

went there Wednesday had two lattes and four rolls £11 what a rip off £2.50.x2 £5.oo 4 rolls £6 pounds no price list you can get ten rolls from the baker for a lot less than £6 pounds rip offfffff

Good ice cream and good service too

Lovly staff and amazing ice-cream and coffee 5/5

Excellent food - but very noisy and with extremely uncomfortable seats (my friend and I both thought this). We found our food delicious, but unless they add cushions to the seats to cover the metal bar at the front edge of the seats, we won't be coming back. Disappointing.

Scrumptious and the best decaf coffee ever!!!

Lovely coffee; friendly, helpful staff

Delicious bowl of hearty soup and lovely fresh brown bread to accompany in a cosy little contemporary cafe with great service and pleasant staff. Definitely Recommend.

Disfrutamos de un delicioso almuerzo en café cognito. Rebanadas gruesas de pan integral orgánico y una buena cantidad de relleno. La placa incluía una mezcla de lados y patatas fritas. Ambiente encantador, personal amable y mucha variedad. Tiene una pequeña área de descanso, así que asegúrate de llegar temprano para el almuerzo.

It's great a very friendly and helpful cafe love it .

Have been here several times and the service is always great and food is lovely! Would recommend the Thai Chicken soup if it’s on as it’s very nice and a little different. Not the cheapest cafe but it is worth a little bit more

Good selection of breakfast and lunch items. Coffee is really good! Friendly staff.

Very tasty food and excellent coffee. The cakes looked great though I didn't have any, and the whole atmosphere was very cool and modern. I thought that the nail salon at the back of the seating area was a bit strange, but that was the only detractor to a very nice experience overall.

Just popped in for a coffee with a friend. The staff were lovely as is the venue. A bit confused by the nail salon in there but the coffee and brownie were fantastic! Love this place and would definitely recommend!

A bit claustrophobic inside, not for me; I didn't feel relaxed in there.

He caminado por este lugar un montón de veces desde y hacia el trabajo, ahora que el horario de apertura ha cambiado, por fin puedo usarlo de camino a casa. Gran cafetería de degustación con algunos pasteles y galletas fabulosas. Fantástica gama de frescos sándwiches caseros y ensaladas. Aún no he llegado al helado. Gran espacio para sentarse fuera. El personal es encantador y siempre agradable. Seguirá siendo mi parada habitual en el camino a casa.

Great food -sandwiches and bakes but lacking in indoor space. And why the nail bar?

Cakes and coffee were good. Staff friendly, only dropping one star because they are very limited on indoor seating space. Some salon or something is taking up all the space at the back. Prefer their new outlet at queens cross church.

This is a cute little coffee shop....with a nail salon in the back! Ideal 😊

Best cake in town without doubt. A bit out of your way but so worth it!

Average food, expensive prices.

Great soup and open sour dough open toasted sandwich. A great combo. Seems to offer booze etc for the evening trade. I was pleasantly surprised. Will go back.