Costa Coffee in Southend-on-Sea

I had an absolutely terrible experience at Costa Southend today. I ordered a coffee for collection and ended up waiting for an hour for it to be prepared. Usually, I send someone from home to pick up my order, and today my mother went. She waited for a long time, showed the staff our order confirmation, and yet they demanded payment for an already paid order! This is completely unacceptable. I had to come to the café myself to sort out the issue, and after all this hassle, they finally found my order. Waiting an hour for a simple coffee is outrageous. If you cannot manage your work, you shouldn't come to work at all. The staff’s attitude towards customers was shockingly bad, and I will never order from Costa Southend again. Absolutely disgraceful service!

I would like to formal complaint about this art and coffee shop at the cost of coffee she was very real and nasty Rude wasn't she

What hear today on a Saturday the service was a joke NO AC I walk out in the I never known something so slow in my life could work much quicker then them staff I end up at Coffee Nero whated few minutes and much quicker service

Saturday morning, visited Costa Coffee, and while the ambiance and aroma were delightful, my experience came with a humorous twist. The barista served my Americano in a mug that had seen better days—let's just say it looked like it had survived a barista boot camp! The handle was precariously hanging on, and there was a charming little crack that allowed for an impromptu game of "guess where the coffee will leak from next." On the bright side, it added an element of surprise to my morning routine, and I must admit, it made me appreciate the sturdiness of my home mugs more. However, I believe Costa can elevate the coffee experience by ensuring all mugs are fully intact. After all, coffee is meant to perk us up, not test our reflexes! In all seriousness, the coffee was excellent as always, but let's leave the "character mugs" to the antique shops. Looking forward to my next visit—with a more solid mug in hand!

Staff was so slow. And there was 5 guys in front of me in a group but they asked how long for there coffee. Staff said 15 to 20 minutes!! They wanted a refunded and ended up leaving without. I waited 15 to 20 minutes. Staff was so unorganised. Management didn’t seem to care. I honestly will not be coming back and I wouldn’t recommend.

I enjoyed my coffee before going to volunteer for the afternoon. The baristas were pleasant and it good service. Coffee was good

Date of Visit: Friday at 9 am I recently visited Costa Coffee on a Friday morning at 9 am and had a somewhat mixed experience. While the hot chocolate and pain au raisin I ordered were delightful, the overall visit was dampened by a few shortcomings. The highlights of my visit were undoubtedly the delicious hot chocolate and the scrumptious pain au raisin. Both items were prepared to perfection, and they provided a delightful start to my day. However, I must admit that the ambiance of the place left much to be desired. The majority of the tables were dirty, which was a bit off-putting. I did inform the staff, but given the limited number of employees present, it was understandable that they couldn't address the issue immediately. Speaking of staff, there were only two employees working during my visit, which seemed inadequate for the number of customers present. As a result, the service was a bit slow, and the workload on the staff was evident. Despite their efforts, they were unable to keep up with all the tasks efficiently. It would be beneficial for Costa Coffee to consider increasing the staff during peak hours to maintain a cleaner environment and provide faster service. Despite these downsides, I found the staff to be friendly and accommodating. They handled the situation as best they could under the circumstances, and their positive attitude was appreciated. In conclusion, my visit to Costa Coffee on this particular Friday morning was a mixed bag. The hot chocolate and pain au raisin were undeniably delicious, but the cleanliness of the tables and the limited staffing impacted the overall experience. I hope that the management takes customer feedback seriously and works to address these issues to provide a more enjoyable experience for all patrons. Note: Keep in mind that experiences at cafes can vary, so I encourage others to give Costa Coffee a try and form their own opinions.

The baristas are polite and lovely, it does get busy and with only one frappe machine you may have to wait a few mins. My coffee is always perfect.

Always a pleasure to have a cappuccino ☕ and sandwich 🥪 just to spend some time unwinding

Really nice coffee shop to relax in, staff are friendly and helpful. Cakes are some of the best along with the different drinks to choose from and it's in a good location in the heart of town for food and shopping.

I come to Costa at least twice a week, the staff work so hard in awful conditions, under staffed in a very busy store, tables very unstable, sandwich fridge broken for 5 months, front door been smashed for 2 months, very shabby toilets and ,restaurant, with all the money you make the staff and customers should be treated with respect they deserve especially the staff, I will be going somewhere else,

Staff were clumsy and rude. Ordered a frappe to go, got it served in a cup, it looked great with all the sauce and cream. I told her it was to go, and she said something in a different language with a very aggressive facial expression and tone and proceeded to just pour my lovely looking drink into a takeout cup and completely destroying it and making it look horrid. This could have all been avoided if the girl taking the order didn't have an earpiece in. The girl she gave the order to just made it, rather than shouting across girl 1 to girl 3 who didn't seem to speak English.

One lady member of staff was very rude and unhelpful, spoilt the visit for me - in other Costas the same query is answered cheerfully and with a smile. That said the lady manager was later very helpful to my husband on a different issue but I wont be rushing back.

Nice enough. Kinda crowded and not many power sockets. If you are after power bbs in the mall is okay.

Very nice coffee shop, quick service

Good variety but such a slow service for Costa. After payment the wait was too long for the standard cappuccino. It needs a more staff for faster service.

Had a very nice coffee nice place to go staff good nice atmosphere Peter

Just had coffee and sandwiches soya milk available

Relatively clean, freindly staff, nice coffee that's always consistent.

Waiting time very long - staff not very friendly - tables not clear or clean.

Don't bother even going here, they were too busy, waited in line for 25 minutes only to be greeted by moody girl who told me that I would have to wait another 10 to 15 mins. Gave up and decided to wait till I got home to make a coffee myself in only 3 mins. Will not be returning.

Nothing to say, buy your coffee and forget on all of your problems and worries

Disgusting coffee, nasty chain. Best to go around the corner to Utopia and support a lovely independent store.

Not far from the sea front. Very handy when your caffeine.

Nice and clean place. Friendly staff. I'll come back for sure.

We have visited this shop a few times. Staff are very busy, helpful and the service is quick. The tables could do with getting cleared and cleaned a bit quicker. This seems to be because there is a lack of staff.

Stopped in here for a bite to eat and a cold drink after doing some shopping. We wanted to try the new Tropical Mango Bubble Frappe which looked refreshing. We were sorely disappointed when it was brought over in two small glasses with melted whipped cream and a straw that was too narrow to actually bring the ‘bubbles’ up the straw. I asked for the proper straw as in the picture and they said they didn’t have any. We then discovered the whipped cream was actually a ‘Light Dairy Swirl’ (some kind of weird alternative) and it didn’t mix into the drink properly and instead looked like scrambled egg which was a bit off-putting. Other than that, the drink itself was nice, but I wouldn’t order it again in a hurry. The food was lovely as always.

Great clean meeting place for a coffee and cake

Friendly staff, always great coffee

Lovely staff, great service as always even though its always busy.

A bit of a queue and fairly slow service.

Staff where abit rude , coffee wasn't brilliant

Very good staff but had a bit of a wait I think they forgot our order but easy to do

Always good. Staff helpful and polite and always enough yables to be seated.

Friendly professional staff. Clean and tidy shop

Great service by a lady garenza from Lithuanian Lasy

Had to wait for coffee, the place was too busy and took a long time to get served. The server was friendly and sorted our order out super fast.

We visited this costa today with my Nan and friend, 2 of the ladies in charge were extremely rude to us and we are most upset also I was told that the toilet was out of order as there are two toilets one was absolutely disgusting and hadn’t been cleaned at all so asked them to unlock the other one as they had it closed off to be told that it was out of order ? Then another staff member told us no problem I will unlock it for you? And the toilet was not out of order at all so then questioned the ladies that said it was out of order and asked her why she lied ? she was so rude to us then we tried to see what her name was and she held her hand over her badge and was very rude and hurtful we will never go into this store again cannot believe how rude the staff member was to us we only went in for a simple hot drink and my nan needed the toilet. Terrible customer service.

Very good service in Southend well done tony mbe

Lovely coffee as always and a hot toasted sandwich on a cold & windy day. Was delicious.

Typical costa. Not amazing, but clean

Nice to sit and have a tea with family and friends, can get quite busy

it's OK but does tend to get crowded, to many tables crammed close

Extremely slow service and not very friendly. Very expensive and basically not worth the splash. I will stick to the Remedy Tea Room.

Good store, with giant coffee mugs. Very well placed for the sea front and not too busy if you want to meet with people for a chat.

A bit slow but will always visit staff excellent

Whilst queuing to order our drinks, we noticed under one of the cake containers, there was 2 flies trapped and walking all over the cakes. We informed the staff, and they kept them on display, then sold to them to a customer who came in just after us making the complaint. Still they refused to remove them from the display. After telling the ladies who just purchased them, they instantly took them back and asked to exchange for something that was packaged, to which they were then told they had to pay 25p more and had no apology for selling something that was contaminated. And still they kept them up for sale. General hygiene was also terrible with no washing of hands after handling bins, food and cleaning tables and serving drinks.

I was served efficiently today. The order was correct. A nice, tasty sausage in a roll and my coffee. It was noisy but happy I got my lunch

what can i say! can't beat a good costa on a cold day (unless your a starbucks fan ) then im sorry we cant be friends 🙂

Good service all protection in place

Expensive and bored looking staff, coffee was ok.

Costa Coffee is Costa Coffee. The same experience wherever you go with the same surly service.

Good coffee, good cake, clean and tidy. Would go back.

Nice coffee to drink in not so nice to take away

Staff abit rude and abrupt. No problem with the coffee etc just the staff in this particular costa.

Best Coffee in town, however more expensive than most. Staff rush to deal with long queue, this seems regular here not great customer service, maybe down to low staff....

I love Costa coffee. Best tasting coffee on High St and staff here are lovely.

Nice Costa, friendly staff, great cake! 😋

Very rude staff with an attitude problem, I taken the wrong drink by accident, it was my fault. But the lady had horrible attitude and talked to me like a child like I was slow or something off the bottom of her shoe. End of the day I was a customer, I made a mistake, if I did that to a customer in my line of work I would of got fired, it was really inappropriate behaviour. I am never going back to this company again, time to invest in my own coffee machine.

I always use Costa but never again will I use this one in Southend. Utter chaos is the only way to describe this one. Two elderly ladies in front of me were trying to place an order & the girl behind the counter wouldn't serve them until they gave her their names, addresses & phone numbers. They couldn't understand why & the server wasn't very clear as to why they had to do it. I explained to them it was for track & trace as they didn't have smart phones. They then understood & gave their details. That took nearly 10 minutes. By this time the queue was back to the door. Then I scanned the nhs poster. The server then asked for my details & I said I'd already scanned the nhs poster & was told to do it again as she hadn't witnessed it. Told her that she'd have to believe me or I would leave. From second in the queue it took me 15 minutes to get my order. Never been like this in either of my local Costas or any other Costa I have been to.

The mocha coffee was lovely as was the tuna panini but was bothered by several fly's would have been 5 stars but 3 is about it

Good offer combined with vodphone staff very helpful.

Bad service like other reviewers said, waited in queue for 20 minutes—had to give up as the waitresses were not even taking orders!

So many, many flies extra slow que. Would not be going back.

Bad service , dont ask if ur allergic to anything and not a to good of service

Disgusting. I needed to use the toilet but they were filthy. Urine all over the seat and floor. No paper or soap. I didn't bother using them. Also, the tea wasn't great and the staff weren't very friendly either.

Is better to get a coffe in mc donalds

Love Costa, friendly staff, thankyou for being there during pandemic

The staff were thoroughly Covid compliant. They were friendly. The cappuccinos were well made.

Great place always well stocked. Staff are friendly and the place is very clean and inviting

Very good their coffee is excellent me & my husband love it. Always a friendy smile, and very helpful.

Great! Southends best shop to stop off at.

Good standard coffee shop. Clean and spacious

Staff were friendly and helpful, they were clean empty tables and following government guidelines.

Good food, coffee and service. Sanitised tables regularly cleaned.

My ice coffee did not have any ice 🙃

Rubbish they would not serve me a costa light because it was off the menu. My costa in wellingborough serves me

Soooooo slow....OMG. 15 minutes for 2 coffees! Get your act together

Slowest service ever...even mixed up my milk, when i asked for coconut, still made it with normal

Friendly staff & good location. Summer time it`s really good to enjoy here an iced coffee. However, I find issues with the quality of the coffee which can be ue to the beans or the way they preparing it. Drinkable bt could be inproved a bit. Other than that, I can recommend this place.

Miss popping in Here! Costas Flat White is A Go to

Staff are friendly, place is clean 💗

There's not much to say. It's Costa Coffee.

Great little place to sit and enjoy coffee

Best coffee around. Chocolate Tiffen lovely too!

Perfect coffee, tea and hot chocolate.. What's not to like? Friendly staff, good hygiene, clean toilets and easy wheelchair access for the disabled. The prices are fairly steep, but the coffee is very good, and worth the money. They also serve snacks, cakes, croissants and fruit and cold drinks, so there's a wide selection on offer in comparison to most coffee shops. Comes highly recommended

Used to like, not any more, coffee not always good and most places need a bit of TLC.

One of the best Costa stores I have visited. The staff are what make it a pleasant experience by engaging with each customer and meeting the customer's needs.

Great coffee but Christmas Spice very sweet.

Great atmosphere before Christmas, very busy but tables cleaned straight after someone's left and ready for next customer. Special festive latte was excellent. Thank you!

Need more staff stressful experience to get a cup of coffee and snack......revisited few days later much much better

Always the best and lovin' the seasonal menu!

Great coffee and welcoming staff but waiting to order just so long unfortunately. Only one person making the coffee, maybe another helping while other staff on the till.

The shop has been done up, now a lot better now more chose , you see the staff a lot better and still friendly in there it's why the only one I really like always go there

I like the new look of this Costa but still get a caramel latta that doesn't taste of caramel and my toastie was cooked way before the drink was ready and was pritty much cold so not very happy.

Very popular. Seating also outside

Friendly service, plenty of seats and the bonfire spiced hot chocolate is a definite must.

Friendly staff and store looks much cleaner after the re-fit. Coffee fine too

Ok recent upgrade tables and vending area is an improvement

New decor very bright and airy. Unfortunately table wobbled and coffee not hot enough. Service good.