Costa Coffee in Tunbridge Wells

Unfortunately due to the captive market, not much effort needs to be put in here and it shows in the unfriendly staff and lacklustre food and drink. With it being the only option on site, most like me will probably keep returning.

Shocking, terrible food and poor service.

Went to use my free drink from the order at the order point, which didn't work, was then rudely told to use the machine, when I told the attendant she just walked away and left me standing there. I asked for a frappe and was told sorry there's only 2 of us so we're not making frappe. I was the only customer ordering a drink. When I then ordered I said that I would not use my free bean on a hot drink and they used it any. If you are able to, use the Costa in the North Farm estate instead.

Appalling. Terrible service, staff milling about not knowing what they are doing, no working as a team. Manager wanders around ignoring the customers no one has a clue ! Coffee boiling way too hot !! Worst Costa ever. I feel so sorry for the hospital stayers. Tunbridge wells trust sort out your franchises and get this one out !

I am not a regular user of Costa and after today's experience I won't be hurrying back. I wanted a sandwich and a drink so chose my sandwich and queued. When I got to the till I was told I had to order and pay for everything from the self service machine. What is the point of having food on display for you to pick up only to be told to put it back for them to add to your order when waiting again to collect it. I ordered everything to eat in but it was still given to me in a take away bag.

Packing crates all around the client waiting area, terrible overpriced cheese and ham toasties - badly cooked, queuing was chaotic, food collection system unclear. One member of staff was lovely and helped me the rest were just rude - one said ' you don't order here you have to do self service over there' That is no way to treat customers. Tables were unclean and ceiling tile missing with open tray catching dirty water leek with roughly taped off area in an eating area of a hospital!! I sat wondering why I had bothered. Will not do so again. Horrible experience and completely overpriced!!

It’s the worst Costa Coffee I’ve ever been into, staff are very rude, not even a smile, talk to you like you’re stupid, it’s just an embarrassment to walk in there, the only one to save the day was Courtney who was really helpful and smiling.

Always really awful service. Gets drinks wrong. The queue is always 10 mins long because of staff poor time management and organisation. The new staff have no clue what they’re doing and have no common sense when asking a simple question. They have no regard for the fact they are working in a hospital and customers need to be places for appointments or seeing loved ones who are ill. Really awful customer service skills.

New ordering system has not been thought through not quicker difficult for old folks and food not available when reaching counter other alternatives offers but more wait

Good coffee, poor food choices. Been here 3 times in 2 weeks and they are always running out of food, especially the bacon / sausage baps before their 11am promotional period ends. There are also pretty much always long queues.

Costa coffee shop looking like a store Room Poor service 😢

Absolutely filthy. More likely that we picked something up from the Costa then the hospital. But the hospital should take some accountability here - nowhere to buy a decent meal option throughout the whole hospital - Sick people and the only choice is mass produced sandwiches and cakes.

It's baffling how such a large hospital has such a small coffee shop. There is always a queue. They're so understaffed that the place is always dirty as there is nobody to clean it; staff running around like headless chickens trying to address people waiting. Once your order is taken, you stand like sardines in the corner waiting. Would be great if a bigger space was found for them within the hospital, and they hired more staff.

Considering this costa is set within a hospital, their cleanliness has something to be desired. Display cases littered with empty sandwich packets, receipts and pieces of old cake. The coffee collection area seems to be used as a trolley storage facility and stock room, with excess boxes piled high. Although it's December many of the Xmas drinks were not available.. all in one of the untidiest stores I've been in, can and must do better considering their setting 👎🏼

This shop has a problem with flys Flying around and walking over the cups that haven’t been used yet! This place is in a hospital and not acceptable

We went for a spot of lunch on Saturday with my aunty , after her appointment. Very disappointed, we had 2 cups of tea a sandwich and a piece of cake , it came ti over £12.00 , and we had to have it all on disposable, even though we ate in. The staff were so rude , and almost blamed me as I asked for a plate, it would appear they are short staffed , and that's my fault , try eating a layer cake with frosting from a paper bag . I did say there should have been a sign saying this was the case at the front of the shop to make customers aware.

Had a ham and cheese toastie- Ham was near impossible to chew so had to take it out :/

Lovely food and drink and very friendly and helpful staff ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Queues going out the door and two really hard working girls behind the counter. They worked relentlessly hard to keep orders coming out!!! Very hard working staff

Quite expensive but maybe because in a hospital

Consistently bad experience. The staff are trying their best but the shop is hugely understaffed; therefore the drink quality suffers, there is always a huge queue, and the tables are always dirty. The hospital needs some other options to encourage competition & variety.

Very very busy. No other cafe within the hospital or eatery. Hence it has a monopoly and the queue to get service go with it. If you manage to get a table put the lottery on. Overall it is a costa with decent coffee etc. Poor variety of snacks unless you like sugar . Nonetheless you do get your caffeine hit for the day. It takes time to get served, sometime 20 mins in the queue. Difficult to get more staff behind the counter due to its size. Sheer volume of customers is the cause of the service delay. Better to have the cafe than not at all.

This has to be the friendliest Costa The staff are chatty and once they know your face know your order when you walk to the till. Run by an excellent manager and the staff are all happy and you can see that makes a huge difference

Pleasant enough cafe chain to grab a bite to eat along with a hot beverage, can get busy at times (especially during the lunch hours) but that is to be expected in such a busy environment... Ordered a turkey & cranberry toastie with a packet of festive crisps along with a cappuccino and it was nice and filled the hole, service was fast and efficient...

Very busy I felt sorry for the staff but otherwise great

The staff needs more customer service training or a competitor to bring better service. Open hours are misleading as sign says 6:30 and it was 3:55pm when I walked in the opened door. I was next in line to order a hot drink takeaway but then to be told by one staff member that they are closed and walked me out of the door. Yet, the the person in front is ordering hot food for their family to eat in. Very pushy and rude!

Opening hours are misleading, although it says they close at 6:30pm they'd block the doors with a chair at 5:30pm and just wait for the remaining customers to leave, not allowing anyone else in. That's just mean

Good service, good selection of pastries and savouries but take out a small loan before buying anything..Costa bomb!

Easter hot chocolate was amazing there

On of my family was a long term patient here so we had to be on site alot and this created minimum options for food & drink, after day one I realised very much that on a regular basis you could here all the personal goings on that the staff were discussing (not very professional) The food was not always nice, it wa very obvious that alot of things came out of chillers and were not fresh on the day. Not nice. Would rather drive for an alternative coffee and food.

Staff do a great job but do tend to be stretched and as such tables are sometimes not cleared but the coffees good 😊

Service was good. But everything was served in paper cups.

I've bene here a few times, and the staff have been friendly and really well mannered every time. Tried the Champion Roast last time, will be getting that again real soon.

I think Costa in this hospital need to train the manager how to talk to the customers; she doesn’t have the right to shout on my face. She needs really to be trained about something called “customer service”

Excellent service & a friendly staff.

Fast efficient great food and drinks! Colleague had no issue making a custom drink for me that wasn’t on menu! Thank you Costa Pembury Hospital!

Sorry but on this occasion, staff cound not be bothered. Drinks were watery and not full to the top of the cup, we paid for large, thank you very much! Cups only 2/3rds full. Very mean on how much cream on top of my hot chocolate! My partners Latte was mostly full of hot air, not hot milk! COSTS MORE TO EAT OUT, THAN EAT IN? Apparently its the governments decision ? not Costa ripping off the customer, who has no choice but to eat out!? Or are they trying to recoup their losses?

Came in to buy a coffee and was met by 2 staff who were unfriendly and unhelpful. I can understand if they were heaving with customers but they weren't.

Two days running, no hot chocolate available. Seems there is no chocolate power available anywhere and staff are not to concerned.

Consistently poor service and run (mostly) by staff who act as if you're an inconvenience and it's a hardship to actually make you a coffee...

Understaffed. The staff they do have seem not to care very much. Waited for 12 minutes to pay for my coke.

Its a nice place to get a coffee and maybe a snack to eat, but the service is always so slow, never enough people to help and you usually end up in a queue, personally i love the Costa hot chocolate, but to me its a little expensive, and the tables are not wiped very well.

Only place to be able to get a coffee in the hospital so can be busy at peak times, is near the main entrance. Prices and service is pretty standard for a Costa coffee but you do know what you are going to get.

Always using this place as always at the hospital very good coffee

It is always busy here but they serve good tea and delicious snack food - cakes in particular. There is the usual massive selection of coffees. Quite a small branch but seating sensibly arranged.

Situated near the main entrance of the hospital it is a logical choice for a quick break. You queue to make your order, the prices for food are at airport levels. Then you join the group of people standing around to receive their order. The coffee was good, the seating is OK, although there were rather a lot of abandoned trays still lying around. OK if you are desperate, possibly better at very quiet times,otherwise look elsewhere.

Had to wait for coffee toasted sandwich was lukewarm tables not cleaned need more staff

Painful service, clearly appalling system and numerous staff doing nothing relating to serving customers very very unhappy, gave up and got refund. Costa Coffee UK take note!

Always had good experiences here. There staff have always been friendly and efficient. Don't recognise the "rude" staff described by the other reviewers. Maybe we have just been lucky.

Nice setting and layout and gives a break from hospital areas. Long queues though and slow service. Products were fine and space available.

Tend to go here about once a month with an elderly relative when they have an appointment at the hospital. Went last week and the person making the coffee was extremely rude. I asked if I could have the coffees made with full fat milk but was told they weren't allowed to sell it - only semi or skimmed milk was available because of health issues. This was said in a very nasty manner. I also think it was extremely hypocritical when they sell cakes/biscuits, etc. They have sugar in them so how come they can sell those? Will not be going to Costa in the hospital again. Instead we will go to North Farm and get a Costa there where the staff are always extremely pleasant and helpful.

Rude manager who gives shocking direction to staff and obviously doesn't care for or about her customers. Surprising as a hospital environment calls for an element of compassion she clearly lacks!

Rude service (2 staff) clearly hate their Job or Customers