Cognito at the Cross in Aberdeen City

Wonderful breakfast very fast service and excellent food. Beautifully clean and very nice staff. Lovely place for a catch up and a coffee or a hot chocolate.

We had coffee and a scone. The scone was at least a day old and very dry. When I asked she clarified it was made the day before They don’t ask if they can clear your table they just snatch the plates/cups from your table without asking if you are finished. My mum went in before me to get a table and was told she couldn’t sit until we had ordered and paid. She’s 85 Not a place I will revisit

Deary Deary me! Got to have been the very worst 'Leek & Potato' soup ever today . Even though it's a Sunday no excuse at all ! Even took my own soup spoon from home as they're wooden spoons take for 'EVER' to eat the soup when sitting outside !!!!! Coffee is the only deal breaker here as at least it is still good quality . Fed up of just okay food in a lot of establishments in Aberdeen and not just my comments but friends concur !! PS .Even the bread was 'DRY' !!

This place can be a hit or a miss. I normally go here through the week for lunch sometimes as I work nearby. I have only ever had either a panini or a toastie so really I can't judge too much. However, I will say they are both well filled and taste really good (tuna, ham and cheese - what can I say I know what I like for lunches!) The salad on the side though is not always great. It's either nice crunchy salad, horrible salad, pasta or cous cous with crisps. It depends. I really don't think it's worth the extra money to justify their 'sit in' charge. But if you're sitting in, it seems that that is tough luck. Their tray bakes are average, I wouldn't say anything to write home about. I feel like you could get millionaires shortbreads just as good in supermarkets. I notice they do pancakes which I haven't yet tried but I think I will get round to it. The seating can get busy and if you're short, like me, you'll just have to deal with sitting on a high table/seat sometimes if you want to sit in. I do like that you order your food and then they show you to a seat. So there is no stressing about getting a table. Normally if they're out of tables, they'll put a sign up. Though you'll still get the odd folk sitting before ordering and I guess some people are so set in their ways the staff don't bother correcting them. So when the staff think they have tables and they don't that can be frustrating for all. Generally, I return due to convenience because of work, but I think if I were to go out of my way to go somewhere for lunch when I was not working, it wouldn't be here. The staff are great to be fair, never had any issues with them while I've been there. It is expensive but also remember the location and that is the going rate. However, I don't think the food justifies the cost.

Busy cafe, great value with fresh food and drinks. Busy all day. Used by locals for business meetings. Tables close together so can be noisey at lunch time. Great place to stop for a bite.

Unfortunately I was really disappointed by this visit. It was a glorious sunny day so we were happy to take a table outdoors. The table was dirty so we cleaned it ourselves, not really a problem as we could see the cafe and the staff were very busy. We went to buy our lunch individually to retain our tables. One of the party is vegan. The sandwich cabinet was full of a variety of sandwiches, none vegan. When she asked if there were any vegan options was told no, there is no call for that here. Asked again if anything at all, was advised she could have a flapjack. She questioned whether any of the soups were vegan, after reluctantly looking into this the server said yes, one of them. OK, thank you, will go for the soup then. It came quickly in a brown bag and when checked there was no bread in the bag. When asked if she could have the bread to accompany as advertised the server literally rolled her eyes and tutted! The soup was average and the bread (which came with butter) stale. Not the best experience for a lovely day out with friends.

The cafe looks pleasant and the coffee is good. I've also had good soup here. The problem is that staff members are rude and inconsiderate around closing time. This has happened to me at least 3 times in 2023. They insist on paper cups after a certain time and tell you to go outside in summer. In winter, outside doors are opened well before closing time to freeze you out. On one occasion very bad weather meant the cafe changed its hours and was closing early. I had paid to park outside because I didn't know. When I mentioned this in a disappointed (but non confrontational) way I was told aggressively "Well you should have seen the sign on the door. You can stay for half an hour, have a paper cup and can only sit at that table". Closing early was understandable but the member of staff's attitude was impolite. The way customers are spoken to, and treated, is unusual and poor by comparison with other places.

Nice place to go for a coffee and scone. Scones are lovely but please get rid of the jam sachets as they are impossible to open.

We were only offered a seat in front of an open door so it was extremely draughty. When my daughter asked for a bottle of water, the person serving simply pointed to the fridge saying: "Water is over there." There were some more highlights (lowlights?) of our experience but my coffee is getting cold in the draught.

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.

A melting pot for the grey pound. Great ambience, fabulous service and with Nikki the proptietress walking the floor all is good. If you don't recognise anyone here you are seriously "no mates" !!

Came here for lunch today with the family and was made to feel so unwelcome. The table we sat at was full of crumbs and sticky so we had to go get table cleaner ourselves and clean the table. I then had to eat my meal standing up as we were sitting round a tall table with an extra seat and told we were blocking other tables and made to feel like we were a big nuisance. The tables next to us and behind us were empty the whole time yet we were still made to feel like we were causing a big fuss by having an extra seat, even though another table nearby had done exactly the same thing. It was a very upsetting experience and we will not be going back there, the staff were so rude , it was really disappointing!

First time visit poor choice of scones only had plain scones . Coffee was good service very good pleasant staff.

Whatever you do don’t let your colleague go and sit at a table while you order and pay for your food and drink. You are likely to be told off like a child that tables are allocated when you order. If that is the policy, I wasn’t aware of it. Who knows, there may have been signs, but if I missed them so did the people in front of me who committed the same crime but without the reprimand. You might know if you were a regular but would you want to be a regular if treated like that? Having said that the waitresses who delivered the order were vey pleasant.

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. Given all the signs literally plastered all over the cafe regarding COVID, you’d think that clearing away used cups etc would be a priority. 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!

Met friends for coffee. Staff are arrogant and rude. Barking orders, no eye contact, no manners etc. Clearly they feel customers should be immensely grateful they take the time to serve them coffee etc. Also appear to have taken it on themselves to add to Gov Covid19 guidelines by making customers wait in the naughty corner after placing their orders.

Went to Cognito an the Cross with a friend. My friend had a skinny latte and I had a rooibos tea. We didn't have anything to eat but the cakes looked nice. The waitress was pleasant and friendly. We sat outside and fortunately the weather was warm and sunny so it was lovely. The cafe and tables looked clean inside and out and staff were wearing masks and hand sanitizer was available. At 3.30pm a waitress came to tell us they would be closing at 4pm and asked if we wanted any more drinks. Pleasant place to come for a coffee. I can't comment on food because we didn't have any. I can't comment on value because my friend paid.

A friend and I went for a coffee on Monday , 19th July . We received a warm welcome in the cafe which was warm, inviting , cosy . The staff were amazing , nothing was too much trouble , very flexible . The food was delicious and we had a great visit , I would certainly return . The only minus was that it was noisy , of course low ceiling and lots of glass so that’s out with control. A good experience overall .

Dreadful service! Ordered 2 soups and had to get up and ask TWICE where they were. Front of house staff are totally ineffectual and arrogant! A waiter with a serious attitude problem spoke back to me as if it was my fault the soup had not be delivered to my table. I asked to speak to the manager, but he never came and instead chose to hide in the kitchen. How pathetic! Absolutely clueless about customer care and service. Avoid avoid avoid!

Went here for morning coffee, and whilst the staff were fairly friendly the place felt packed, despite signs saying only open at 30% capacity. Would not be back, felt too crowded and better coffee and cake elsewhere.

This is a very overpriced cafe that has ideas above its station and is best avoided. Prices are extortionate, virtually double that of nearby and better cafes. Soup, coffee and food are served in/on take-away cardboard containers, by a unsmiling and grudging staff, whose welcome greeting was ‘you can only stay an hour.’ The table we sat at was awash with discarded paper cups plus spilled coffee, possibly because the nearby bin was overflowing. This appears to be purely a money making machine for the franchise holders and church. There are far better, friendlier and cheaper cafes within 5 minutes walk. Be warned!!