Costa Coffee - Waterstones in Exeter

We popped here to have a browse and a hot drink. Found a table in the window and almost gave up getting a drink until wen to another till and magically an assistant appeared when my friend had told them no-one was there. Coffee was good and the shop was light and airy and a pleasant place to enjoy a drink.

No cups only paper ones, have been in twice last year and today, always told dishwasher broken, plenty of clean cups on view.Dissappointing as I went with a friend to treat her.No reduction and small paper cups.

We stood queueing for 10 minutes and then we were told that there was no soup left! Why not put a sign up telling us that, so we don't waste time waiting. Even better why not do table service?

First time visit. Poorly laid out in my opinion, not at all comfortable. Decent coffee though. Don’t think I would venture here again

This has to be the cafe with the slowest service in the West. The coffee is fair and the food is good but you should expect to have a dodgy hip or knee by the time you have to pay. What’s probably worse is that, once you have your food/snacks/drinks, all of the tables are occupied by students whom are taking 90 minutes over every coffee in the pretence of being patrons whilst doing their essays, revision etc. I’ve seen the unbelievably good conditions that students have within their halls these days and yet they all seem to want to open their laptops and look like they actually do some studying whilst in all of the coffee shops in town. When did this craze begin? What’s the point in having hot running water and purpose-built facilities for study if the first option is to abandon them and inconvenience the rest of the city?

Books are a mainstay of this popular restaurant, which is situated centrally on the High Street, close to all the major attractions Exeter has to offer. It is easy accessible by all major transport links; with bus, rail and car parks all available close by.The restaurant itself comprises of two floors; the ground floor consisting mainly of books and the first floor housing the cafe, and a further selection of books - there appears to be no lift. The toilets are on the first floor. The cafe is run much on standard Costa lines and issues a Waterstones loyalty card. There are a selection of snacks, and you can order hot and cold drinks of most types. It has a wide clientelle age range, and is a particular favourite with uni students; many of whom can be seen preparing their homework. As a welcome put - your - foot - up, it gives you an ideal spot in which to unwind when exploring the city; or as a resident of Exeter it is great for browsing the extensive range of reading material available, or just enjoying a chat and relaxation - a wonderful amenity; well worth a visit

Coffee and cake are good, but a lot of tables are taken over by students with their laptops. Today we observed three groups of two tables pushed together, one group occupied by one person and the others with two people. This was over the lunch period. Coats on the remaining chairs so these couldn’t be used. My disabled husband ended up in a very tight corner. Not impressed and this is not the first time. Staff seem oblivious to this problem.

The best place in Exeter for coffee, is always the Cafe in Waterstones opposite John Lewis. Also, the best place for toasted tea cakes. They are so tasty, with their cranberries & lemon peel. We will be back!

Very good coffee and cake. Well located just opposite where Red Park and Ride bus drops off. Nicely laid out coffee shop. Very pleasant atmosphere.

Lovely shop for all things books. I wasn't impressed with the fact that you can now have dogs in the coffee shop. Why do café owners have this dog friendly ethos nowadays. Lovely tasty coffee and a selection of pastries and cakes. Come on Waterstones, why have dogs. What about food handling and hygiene, really.

This coffee shop is longer Costa - it is far superior & cheaper. All hot drinks are the same price at £2.50, and they are always served really well and hot, by very friendly staff, whoever is on duty. The teacakes are to die for, they contain cranberries & lemon peel, and are very light, not heavy like other coffee shops. We always go here, whenever we are in Exeter.

Not sure it is still a Costa Coffee, but a lovely clean and bright coffee shop, at the front of Waterstones, with quick friendly service.

My first and - probably - last visit to Torquay...it didn't blow me away (sorry). I was after a particular book, though, so went in here to try and find it. I didn't, but decided I'd have a cuppa and a sandwich. I've been in enough Costas to know what I was going to get by way of food and drink, so wasn't surprised or disappointed on that score, but what really impressed me were the first rate staff. They were really great: cheerful, welcoming and so very happy to look after the punters. If they ever opened their own cafe, they'd clean up!

When we visit Exeter, we always pop into the Waterstones Café, opposite John Lewis, (no longer is it a Costa) At the moment they are offering Mulled Apple, which is an extremely good drink, served with a sprinkle of cinnamon. We normally have a coffee & teacakes aswell, which are prepared when ordered. The staff always seem to be rushed off their feet but they are always attentive & friendly.

Really nice coffee can be a bit noisey/busy but staff are really cheerful and helpfull. greay place for tea, coffee and snacks.

This is a very handy and nice place for a coffee and a rest. The coffee is reasonably priced and quite good. It can get busy and some people hog the seats with their laptops for a little too long. It is nice to be able to browse over a book or two to see whether it is worth buying. We found the staff to be very competent.

Love the atmosphere, the girls working there are truly helpful, cakes wonderful, seating soft. Just a good place to go.Enjoy

When Costa left Waterstones and they started their own coffee shop it was great, hot coffee with no froth and a great -place to meet up with friends for coffee & a cake. This has now changed coffee just warm full of froth and now even their snack choices have changed. You could get a tea cake which was a good size & now the tea cakes are just like a currant bun, they no longer do the cheese scones which were lovely so I decided to have a fruit scone instead, never again this scone had just two sultanas in it. Why Oh Why has everything changed. A group of friends & myself meet here twice a week but we have now decided to go elsewhere due to things not being what they once were, such a shame.

Not sure if we will call here again as the service is very poor. Plates and dishes left on tables and young staff taking too much time chatting to friends. The drinks and snacks are usual Costa, no great variety and drinks not too hot. Pity really as its a good location, but plenty others in the area.

What can I say ,it sells coffee ..Cold drinks too, tea and overpriced cakes and baguettes.. Wife and kids seem to like it , however if it was up to me I wouldn't bother ..

This Costa coffee is situated at the top of the bookshop so a bit of a climb ...purchase your books after coffee! It can get incredibly busy and is not ideal for children/ buggies as space is limited. However the coffee is of excellent standard and you'll be spoilt for choice of cake.Staff are friendly and helpful [ if very overworked at times ]

Fabulous staff and food and drinks great the passenger lift also very useful. It is very popular during lunch where often you will see students taking drinks and undertaking studies

Lovely, quiet coffee shop with delicious offerings. The soup looked very tasty, although we stuck to coffee and cakes which were delicious. Will definitely be back. The only issue was a wobbly table.

this little coffee shop is a gem! I love books anyway so to be able to sit and enjoy a cup of perfect Chai Latte surrounded by books is my kind of dream! The staff are wonderful and the food is really lovely. I don't think it's a Costa now though!

Good but some of the tables are wobbly and my drink spilled but other than that it’s a lovely place lovely staff will go again.

I usually frequent the Coffee Bar after perusing the books. Very nice surroundings in a pleasant atmosphere. Good homemade cakes etc.

I went to Waterstones as the famous author, Martina Cole, was going to be turning up. When I arrived, I found there was already a long queue. A woman was taking everyone's name and if they wanted a special dedication written in her latest book. I'm not a fan of hers, so I stood and watched as she signed the copies. At one point, she pointed to a man, on her left hand side, and said he's her son. Because of the long queue, it felt very crowded and not much space to walk round. I went upstairs and found part of it had been blocked off and there was no toilet in the cafe. I went back down and talked to a male member of staff. He told me, they're doing a big refurbishment on the building and are hoping to put a lift in instead of everyone having to walk up the two flights of stairs. He believed it might become a mini version of Waterstones in Piccadilly in London. I've been to the Piccadilly one a few times. It is big and is set over five floors and has a few lifts and stairs.

The Costa franchise has left Waterstones to be replaced with what looks like an independent outfit.

I tend to only use his Costa when I can't be bothered to go to Debenhams. It is always busy when I visit and there's usually only one person serving and one barista on duty. This makes for incredibly slow frustrating service.

I wasn't gonna comment about this, but the baristas were so happy while I waited for my chai and my latte (with cream on top, because the girl was nice) that they made my day. Sometimes you just need a little bit of joy to make everyone else happy.

Small but very nice coffee shop, nice coffee and cakes. Was served quickly, plenty of free tables. The only downside to it is you have to climb stairs so not very good for people who struggle with them. There is a toilet there, which is hidden at the back of the waterstones shop. The staff were lovely and friendly.

The coffee is lovely as usual in a quiet location on the first floor. My only critisism would be that I had to use a service lift with a member of staff present if I wanted to visit the coffee shop with my special needs pushchair.

This is also a favourite spot to hang. The cafe is on the first floor of waterstones and it may be a little difficult for those who are have walking challenge. It is not high and the stairs can be managed by an 89 year old lady - just about. And if you happen to be lucky to able to sit by the windows and you want to see the traffic and people below, you will not be disappointed. This is also a good stop just before you go shopping around Exeter Princesshay or John Lewis across the road. This is also a nice gathering place for our church members and friends to hang after church. The baristas are well trained and very efficient! .

This outlet is traditionally very slow with their service and today was no exception. Polite enough, but when you wait 8 minutes for one latte (with only 1 customer in front in the queue) you know that they'd never cope in a rush. I have to say, this outlet always seems like this as well. In the main outlets, I've never had to wait as long.

Waited I. Queue 10 minutes one person taking orders another making coffee, girl making the coffee was extremely slow hence the queuing! Asked for two flat coffees he served me black coffee, when I pointed out the mistake he argued that I had ordered black coffee instead of just accepting that a different accent could be mistaken for flat! I won't be going back!

Costa is a regular coffee house of choice for me because of their nice coffee and usual good customer service. Atmosphere was pleasant and staff were friendly and helpful. A great place to take a break whilst out and about in Exeter city.

Good place to stop but must remember to order regular as the med is far too large.Staff are good and the service is quick.

I had some other family members with me and we had shopping to do so I ordered a take-away. But still, my experience was good. I was served by the talkative man someone else was talking about, but he still took my gift card as payment and put my points on my Coffee Club card.

Always a friendly and professional welcome Top coffee and good value Had a goats cheese panini which was delicious

This was a typical costa. Serving what other costa's serve. But it was easily found & happily we had a window seat, so the view outside was overlooking some nice buildings ...

I visit this branch every monday after work, and sometimes during the week too. The staff are fantastic as a regukar customer you get to know them a bit better they are very friendly, drinks are always made with great care and always get served with a smile..

I have been visiting this Costa's for ages, but it has gone downhill recently. The tables are not cleared frequently enough, and the staff - especially a very talkative and dozy Welsh man with short fair hair - are not fit for purpose. The paninis and toasties are incinerated rather than warmed up.

Whilst browsing the store it's good to sit down sometimes. Coffee excellent as always, snacks available too, seating not a problem.

Fancy a coffee whist on the high street then this the place for you. Great ambience in this book store. Staff are friendly and on my visits I have found them to be professional and a credit to this franchise. Go on spoil yourself.

Se você está na Inglaterra, é necessário comer alguma coisa ou tomar um café no Costa Coffee. É uma rede tipo Starbucks muito famosa na Inglaterra. É um ótimo lugar para pegar sua bebida e depois sair caminhando pela cidade, ou ainda pedir alguma coisa e ficar com amigos conversando dentro da loja.

one of the small-ish branches on the first floor at Waterstones. The usual good quality coffee/tea and bakery goodies.

You know what to expect when you go into Costa. However we found the staff were friendly and asked if we were on holiday. Made us feel welcome and asked about our stay in Exeter. Lovely fresh carrot cake, always a treat.

Staff very welcoming, professional and friendly. Coffee and cake as great as ever. Nice seating area which we found relaxing after a hard days shopping.

Are costa coffee awear that the waterstones staff are preventing custom for costa coffee? I was til I would have to wait 10 minutes for a waterstones member of staff to escort me up stairs in the lift with my baby in a pram. I had to leave and take my business else where as I can't wait 10 minutes with a hungry baby. What a shame they can't figure out a way to be baby friendly.

Coffee almost always excellent though sometimes they are low on food stocks. Staff are very helpful.