Cognito at the Cross in Aberdeen City

So disappointing as it looks such a lovely place located in a church. It was very busy and staff appeared unhappy in their work and unable to cope. I encountered rudeness and a bizarre seating policy - feverently enforced with spectacular inconsistency! This may explain the extreme variations in reviews!

I come here about once a week living local to the area. I also visit the other one nearby. I went in today asking for Table 18 as I wanted to be tucked away for a meeting. Place had less than 10 customers. Girl at counter was obliging but lady with purple hair a supervisor of some sort when asked said to her to put me at the communal tables. " Table 18 is for 3 people she can sit somewhere else". After I paid, the girl at counter said she could not sit me there. *Shrug. I've paid, so I had to stay for my coffee otherwise would have walked out. I asked nicely. Place wasn't heaving. If I looked different ( I'm Asian) i do wonder if the response would be different to a middle aged white person... but looking at reviews, nah I think not! The whole time I was there no one sat at Table 18 anyway. No skin off your nose to keep a customer happy surely? I won't come here again.

A wonderful cafe. Staff are lovely, food is fantastic. A great place to meet friends or colleagues for a catch up. It is busy so make sure you leave plenty of time to grab a table.

Disappointing Customer Service Experience As a manager with 18 years of experience working under Richard Branson, I expect a friendly welcome and high-quality service, especially when a place has been highly recommended. After 18 holes of golf, I visited Cognito, looking forward to trying the food. I was greeted by Jackie at the till, but unfortunately, the interaction left much to be desired. When I ordered a coffee with my sandwich, Jackie asked me a question that I didn’t quite catch. I politely asked her to repeat herself, to which she responded curtly, “You no wanting the soup and sandwich deal?” When I inquired about the soup of the day, I was met with an even more dismissive response. Jackie simply pointed to a small board in front of me and said, “It’s right there in front of your eyes,” with no eye contact and a tone that felt unwelcoming. Her attitude made the experience uncomfortable, and I almost walked out. I believe some basic customer service training along with a focus on warmth, eye contact, and clear communication would greatly improve the atmosphere at this place. Unfortunately, I won’t be returning when I’m next in Aberdeen.

Went there a while ago, horrible service , the owner is very rude and tells you where to sit and the food is overpriced and my mum had a scone it was so dry and when she complained to the owner called Nicky she said they are were just made yesterday and they sat us at this very narrow window seats , won’t be returning the service is terrible, the food is nothing special and it’s overpriced.

A busy cafe, due to location rather than service! The lady with the red pony tail was nothing short of extremely rude to me upon arrival. Scone and croissant - okay - not today’s ref freshness but just okay. Lovely (long dark hair) server tried to make up for her colleague’s rudeness though. It seems as if this is a regular occurrence so perhaps the owner should be addressing this?! However, not sure we’ll be back.

We used to be regular customers, but we’ve reduced our visits due to the increasingly intrusive behaviour of the staff. Cups are whisked away the moment they’re empty—regardless of whether others at the table are still drinking. On a recent visit, I sat awkwardly with nothing in front of me while my friend tried to enjoy her coffee, only to feel rushed. It’s clear Cognito is prioritising turnover above customer experience—treating people like numbers, not guests. Frankly, it’s off-putting. We won’t be returning.

I have been there several times and every time faced the same issue which is disrespectful towards me as a customer. After finishing your coffee stuff try to make you leave by taking your cups away. It happens every single time and to everyone who finished their drinks and food. Stuff walking around the coffee shop all the time looking into your cups creating pressure. Need to be considered people come to coffee shop not only to drink and eat we come to have a nice conversation while having a coffee. We are coming to have a good atmosphere. I have never seen something similar in the countries I have been. In my opinion, people who run the coffee shop should reconsider their attitude to the people who visit this place and spend their money. I am not going back.

Atmosphere ZERO stars. This review is for Nicky's attention who very likely gets a much warmer reception when she arrives into the cafe than we do. I am only writing this as I no longer have a local cafe which is somewhat inconvenient. I was there with my wife and kid. The usual sit here, don't sit there nonsense we have to put up with everytime we visit. We usually go once a week for a year or more now. We were met by the usual lady who never smiles, always stressed. Told to sit over at the side area. There were two other people in the cafe, otherwise it was empty. All four tables at the main window were free. I asked to sit by the main window and was not one bit surprised by her response "there are only 3 of you" suggesting the window tables are for more than 3 people. She looked away and continued running our sandwiches through the till indicating the conversation on moving tables was now over. I asked if that was a 'no' (we can't move seats), and she confirmed that was the case. She then once again continued on the till. To me, her decision on the seats was for the sake of confrontation only, nothing to do with me or needing tables. We popped in for a family coffee and were met with the usual stress environment. It was her way or the highway... and we chose the highway. We left the cafe for good this time. This has been an issue before and I am not going to deal with this stress while paying top dollar. This is meant to be a relaxed environment, and it just isn't. Bye bye now.

I saw a lot of reviews complaining about ‘rushed service’ or ‘unfriendly staff’. This is completely untrue. This is the busiest cafe I’ve been in for a long time, and for good reason. The food and drinks are incredible. The place was almost full and yet the till lady was still super kind and all staff were smiling. It’s a busy atmosphere of course, but they deal with it very well! As someone who’s worked in hospitality for years I was actually so impressed with how well and how organised they dealt with things. Thanks guys:)

Poor quality food all pre packed. Pancakes were stale as pre made and sitting on the counter Coffee was weak like dish water Far better fair at Prax just down the road

Not a lot of soup in the cup not a bowl roll tasted not fresh overall it was ok

2025 opening times need updating on google maps. Have attempted to upload photo.

Great local cafe Lovely vibe Friendly staff

Obviously very popular with locals, but still had no problem getting a seat on a Saturday morning. Fast service, good selection of food. Tables are a wee bit close together (I dont care for hearing other peoples conversations) but that's not a complaint, as that would be a plus for a lot of folk!

Lovely coffee, friendly staff, and a really nice buzz about the place.

Dropped in for coffee, mid-afternoon . It was not too busy with plenty of free tables. Table service. Nice hot coffee.

Service a bit slow but a great place for a meeting, coffee or chat

One of my fav places to have coffee, I just love the place

This was my first visit, a bit complicated when ordering it could be better organised. People standing around waiting for there orders! I thought it was a bit pricey!

Really bizarre place. Some of the severs are absolutely lovely, but mostly the service is incredibly rude and unprofessional. Unfortunately it’s my closest cafe and I’m at the point of my life where I need a proper latte to function (small infant children), so I’ll begrudgingly be back.

Worst cheese scone I have ever had- dry and tasteless - I ate half and no taste of cheese whatsoever - coffee is nice but v small cup - never again

Expensive and over rated. Staff rude.

Delighted that the cafe was open ahead of schedule. Croissant with jam and a flat white served with tablet. Friendly welcome and quick service. Seems to be dog friendly and there are a number of outside tables in the good weather. Excellent partnership with the church whose building the cafe is in.

A great day for sitting outside having our coffee and scones.

Enjoyed our flat white ,with a buttery ( Aberdeen "rowie " ) proper name for it ! Only comment very noisy, not very good for trying to have a conversation with your partner/friends. Not sure we would return

We now meet earlier on a Friday morning 0930 because by 11 it is busy.

Noisy, but very cozy place, pleasant staff, fast service.

❌❌❌ Incredibly rude service. Rushed around. Nearly kicked out. Almost as you were NOT WELCOME there. This was my first time in there and the last. Especially because there came 3 other ladies in, and they got the same treatment…. Not cool, Cognito!!! ⬇️

Always a busy place, friendly helpful staff and great coffee. A good choice of table shapes and sizes and seating

Consistently fab coffee, scones and sandwiches whenever I am in town

Very good service, food great, noisy but that's because it so popular Parking not easy as on the street parking.

Cosy environment and deliciius food. Croissants and hot chocolate of that standard can be rarely found elsewhere.

Very busy cafe, friendly, helpful staff, great food.

Normally excelent but last visit there were Not enough staff so not all the tables were available according to the server.

❌️ The place closes very early for a Sunday [15:00, almost "kicked-out"]. ❌️ The bread of my coronation sandwich was old and dry. ✅️ The decoration and overall ambience were good! Could be more cosy with some more plants (maybe hanging pots with flowers) and some cushions or armchairs. 🛋🪴🌺 ✅️ The coffee was great! We were not dissatisfied with our cappuccino and ice toffee caramel latte! 😋

Not sure about their approach being given a table number to sit at before ordering.

Superb! I use it for business meetings and it's just excellent. Lovely environment!

Visited this cafe for a coffee and an apple juice after my physical therapy a few weeks ago. I was served by a young, blonde female. I made my order with the necessary manners and as I waited, I admired the shop and felt the need to pass on this compliment to my server by telling her 'This is a nice shop you have here'. I didn't expect the 'I know that. You don't have to tell me that' All with the attitude of a teenager being made to do PE. The snootiness this young woman conveyed to a customer, for no good reason, was disgusting. I can only assume that as I was limping, with my tracksuit on and being a bit sweaty after my physical therapy, she assumed my standing in society was too low to address her. I considered challenging her behaviour there and then but as I had been up all night in pain and by this point, it being around 1030 am, I decided I'd go back and complain at a later date when my strength returned. But alas, my work has taken me out the area. So I will have to warn, via Google, you fine people instead. I'd avoid the place if I were you. And I will most definitely avoid the next time I'm back.

Terrible service. We were served by this older woman, grey/blonde hair - she was extremely rude and would not go back.

Lovely place, clean tidy and great service..market monthly on first Sunday of month.

Good pastries but the lunch options aren’t great. It’s very hard to find healthy food options with vegetables that aren’t covered in mayo. The falafel is dry and unseasoned and very hard to find other vegetarian options.

I've wanted to try this place since it opened but only just got around to it. I know the other two Cognito eateries Nicky owns (though one has since been sold) and frequented the original one from when it opened until Covid 19. Well, this week I finally made it to The Cross. And, I'm going to be charitable and say maybe I got it on a bad day, but I was disappointed. I'd expected it to be cool and chilled. It wasn't. I found it noisy and crowded. I was hoping for a little table to have some lunch and a read of the paper. I was given "table 4" by a not particularly friendly member of staff. It's in inverted commas, as table 4 is a plank of wood about 12 inches wide bolted to the window frame. This is even though thee were at least two other small tables free. I had a tuna mayo baked potato which was just about okay, though the spud had been cooked for about four hours. And, like I said, eating at a foot wide table while perched on a stool wasn't the chilled experience I was hoping for. So, I'll be open minded and maybe try it again, but I'm afraid that won't be for a while.

I only had a panini however it was a disaster, tasted lovely hence the 2 stars but the panini wasn’t crispy. Just warm bread. Where the panini was sliced, there was residue of red, looks like jam but could be something else from another sandwich, unsure. (I do have photos if you’d like) Also was stated on the label “tuna Mayo panini” it was actually tuna and cheese. I don’t think this place takes that much notice of potential allergies and/or cross contamination. So not good for a first visit.

Nice place, friendly staff. There’s 3 stars for that however, a few things let it down. Firstly £7 for a bagel is ridiculous but, if people are willing to pay that price, good for them. Secondly, they took the bagel from me while I paid and got drinks. I wondered what they were doing but figured they were putting it on a plate as they did ask if I wanted crisps and salad. I sat and waited and, when it came out it was toasted, which I wasn’t asked if I wanted and if I was asked, I wouldn’t have wanted. I didn’t point it out as I’d only popped in for a quick bite. For £7 the experience and quality should be better.

Busy but service and food was excellent

The staff are fab especially Shelley, always has a smile and makes any visit personal & welcoming. I regularly visit & never disappointed.

Great place for a coffee and lunch

Delicious. Really glad I found this place

My wife's new favourite spot. The hot chocolate is very good

Nice place, good food, but this one table we sat at had a terrible view. I believe it’s “table 2”. And the hot chocolate was too sweet but that’s neither good nor bad.

Staff very welcoming. Food, good value.

Wonderful place, nice good, great service.

Visited on a busy Monday morning but there is plenty of seats inside. It's a decent coffee shop right next to the city centre.

A handy and quality coffee shop.

First time visiting and whilst the place is nice and modern, there’s not really any atmosphere or a hint of background noise so every conversation had is heard by all around. Unfortunately the staff are pretty rude and I echo the sentiments of a previous review on here that they seemed to believe they were doing the customers a favour by serving them! The seats are uncomfortable, table was sticky and during the 30 mins I was there I saw three tables which were left dirty with crockery. Huge difference between takeaway and sit in, I asked for a hot chocolate with oat milk and as I mentioned I was sitting outside the girl at the counter put my drink in a takeaway cup and charged me £4 for it! First and last time for me I’m afraid!

Very good cafe we opted for cake and tea which was fresh n flavoursome! Also menu offers toasted sandwiches/ Crisps museli pots etc.

Shame you cannot eat outside anymore but although crowded the food and drink are served quickly by very helpful staff

First class service, by friendly, accommodating staff. Delicious food, great selection of sweet and savoury snacks (with a little bit of tablet to complete your experience) to enjoy yourself in bright and airy surroundings.

Welcoming staff great no comlaints

Never been here before but everything was buzzing. Was taken to a seat immediately and an order placed within minutes. Everything arrived and was fresh and high quality. Staff were exceptionally helpful. No complaints whatsoever.

Great service, lovely soup, toasties, scones.etc.

Nice little coffee shop I liked the sandwich and coffee there

Lovely cafe with lovely wholesome food. Carrot cake so special too!

Passed by many time, but decided to stop in this day. Good coffee and scone. Friendly service. Well set out seating area. Clean and relaxed atmosphere. Will be back.

I love this cafe, but I'm biased as my wife makes the sandwiches, paninis & salads here! It has a lovely ambiance & well worth the visit!

Staff are incredibly helpful . The place is nice, food really good!

We've always loved this place. Good food, coffee and atmosphere. Marred by a particular member of staff who is abrupt and often rude and offhand. Gave them the benefit of the doubt on first occasion but has happened too often. We understand life is tough at the moment but we are giving you our custom so a bit of respect wouldn't go amiss.

Very fast and efficient service, a rarity in Aberdeen!

Lovely place, staff friendly, cakes delicious, highly recommended

A little confusing on entry. No signage to let you know you need to select, order and pay for food and coffee before then being shown to a table. Homemade tomato and basil soup was very tasty.

Great place for tea and coffee. Unfortunately nothing vegan to eat otherwise it would have been 5 stars.

Brilliant place for a lunch or a coffee

Great food, friendly staff. At present due to Covid unable to sit in

Great coffee, amazing bakes. One of my favourites in Aberdeen

Lovely atmosphere and superb settings. Will definitely be back.

Cognito, have pleasant food, good coffee and helpful service, perhaps most importantly the Covid measures appear to be effective and followed by all

Good coffee, friendly staff. Plenty of space for social distancing.

Well organised, lovely staff and you get Scottish tablet with your coffee, wonderful!

Clean and bright coffee shop with very friendly staff and a delicious selection of cakes, scones and savouries. Highly recommend this place

Recommend lovely place for breakfast

Friendly, bustling & generously portioned treats. What's not to love?

Great atmosphere, good range of coffees and alternative milks. Friendly staff. Not tried the food yet but if I can get a salad there like i could in Pret then I'd rate it 5 star!

Fantastic atmosphere, friendly staff, delicious food and top notch coffee. What more could you want

Extremely busy on Sun but great staff and food

Great food good service and very nice setting

Love this bright, nostalgic and quirky cafe.

A bit over priced but it was nice enough

Lovely snack lunch today sevice was good.

A great little café. Have taken a few different groups and they have always enjoyed!

Моё любимое кафе! Уютная и стильная обстановка и самый лучший кофе! Здесь я написала мою первую книгу!

Fabulous food, soup devine although a little on the expensive side especially if you sit in. I mostly nip in for soup, staff very helpful and friendly, always very busy though and often run out of food half way through the lunchtime

Nice atmosphere, friendly staff and great coffee!

I really enjoyed a visit to the original Cognito but was very disappointed today. It’s certainly busy enough so obviously popular but I am not sure why considering the burnt offering that arrived on my plate, at least there wasn’t much of it I suppose .... the rather grumpy uninterrestested member of staff maybe didn’t feel like putting much on the plate.

Very busy place but nice Staff, with good fresh food and coffee. Actually struggled for a seat between 11.00 and 13.00!!

Had a lunch during our 1st visit. Nice surroundings and friendly staff....reasonable food options.....However it's all overpriced....

Great cafe, good range of cakes and coffee/tea etc

Very good food, unfortunately teamed with very uncomfortable seats (cushions would make a huge difference!).

Love the coffee. Sandwich selection could be better. Some items pricey.

Really nice Falafel salad. Liked that they put it on a plate rather than just serving in the box.