Department of Coffee and Social Affairs in Kingston upon Thames

Very poor coffee … please use hero or Beanberry for a decent coffee this place is very poor and now called coffee 222. Way too much water Coffee weak even after asking for strongest coffee, total disappointment

Cold coffee! Overpriced for what I got.. strength of coffee very questionable for a large. Only redeemed by Anzac biscuit and lamington

Wasn't impressed with the coffee here at all. Ordered large for all, costing £3.55 each and the cups were tiny, barely a regular in other places. The coffee was luke warm although my brother said it's served by default like that you have to ask for it to be hotter if you prefer to have a hot drink. They also only have one toilet for all customers which I found to be a bit strange as it's a large enough place and while I was there ended up having to queue even though I wouldn't have said it was too busy, just normal Saturday morning traffic. Personally I wouldn't recommend. Check out my other reviews for a lovely cafe in this area which has great prices and better coffee, in my opinion! :)

Visited here on a wet Sunday following a walk. We ordered 2 hot chocolates and 2 coffees and were asked if we were ok with dark chocolate. I asked if there was a milk chocolate option as my niece isn't keen on dark chocolate and was told it was "sort of milk". So I said ok - what are the hot chocolate options?And was told they only have one. So I asked why we were given a choice and the girl just looked blank. It's served in a sort of jar with no handle but that was ok as it wasn't that warm. Coffee was smooth but cups are tiny which makes prices quite high. I like to support smaller coffee shops but we wouldn't come back here.

Staying in the area with a group of other Australians, we were overjoyed to find this place serving decent coffee. Word quickly spread through our group and we all went every day. It’s the only decent coffee I had in England.

I was amazed at the size of my hot chocolate that cost £3.10. It tasted okay but was tiny. Absolute rip off. The girl serving us seemed like she’d had enough but others seemed more smiley. I won’t be back.

I love DOCASA, it is by far the best coffee shop I have been to. The range of coffee is astounding and they of such good quality. The staff are really friendly and helpful and the cakes are delightful. If I could make two changes, they would be to add a range of coffee sizes and to open later than 5. Strongest posible recommendation!!!

We had a coffee and cake on a rainy day during the week.The staff were friendly and lovely. The coffee shop shut at 5 pm but gave us enough time to enjoy our warm lovely coffees though. Variety is ok but not great.just a few things to choose and eat.

Love the hot chocolate here, love that I don’t work far away and I love that I can go upstairs for a work meeting and not be disturbed

Amazing coffee and cake! Great friendly service and yes it is slightly more expensive than the "chain" coffee shops but you get what you pay for. Love this place!

I am always happy to try somewhere that isn't Starbucks, Costa, Nero etc,. We stop in a lot of different places London wide and its usually hit or miss. I absolutely loved today's stop here. Choice of coffee beans, mild or strong. Rugged decor and seating, lounge area up stairs. Flat white and cappuccino where good. Correct size and temperature. Staff not overly friendly and let you be. Will definitely go back if we are in the area again

Zucchini salad was bitter. Asked waiter to check it and he said it was okay. I left the whole bowl there and didn’t bother to counter or defend. I vote with my feet. Some people have no taste buds. Coffee nothing special. Staff could be more friendly and polite. Expensive.

I visited with family as we were looking for a coffee and wanted to avoid the big chains. The coffee was very good, there is a choice of beans and by default they serve it at a lower temperature so that it is ready to drink straight away. Relatively expensive but a good experience.

Popped in here whilst shopping in Kingston as prefer supporting local businesses than chains. Sadly our £3 “regular” lattes were half the size of what you get in a chain coffee house and at best lukewarm. Whilst they tasted ok the tables could do with more regular cleaning. You’d be better off at Costa or Starbucks

I visited with a friend as our normal go to was very busy, I enjoyed the warm interior and the coffee is very good. However the only thing I have to complain about is the choice of very loud clubby music, not really a coffee shop vibe, and was boarder line not being able to hear my friends speaking. I will be returning but I hope their choice in music improves.

Ordered two cappuccinos at £3 each, and a small chocolate chip cookie at £2.90. Rip off. The first two coffees we returned as they were merely lukewarm. The replacements were no better. One WAS a coffee, but weak. The other was just grey looking milk. As others have said, little effort on the part of counter staff to engage or even look welcoming. When I complained I was told it was probably weak because they use full fat milk. Utter tosh. Don't waste your time and money. Plenty of other cafes to choose in Kingston.

I've heard great things about the central London branches of DCSA, so was excited to see there was one in Kingston. My visit was 'OK' but don't think I'd return unless other options not open. Good points: I was served by a very friendly chap who engaged in conversation. The coffee tasted nice. The shop itself was spacious and seemed well looked after. Bad points: they weren't serving any food beyond what was on the counter due to lack of staff. There was no milk art on my coffee; some people wouldn't care about this, but I expect it to look nice too when I'm paying £3 for a Flat White. Which takes me on to the last bad point: I think that's too expensive for Kingston. I've paid £3 for a Flat White in central London and even thought that was too much when I had a nicer one 5 mins away for £2.75. I've been to another coffee shop in Kingston that I much preferred.

Was lured into this coffee shop by its name, hoping that my daily cappuccino fix was going towards some deserving social enterprise. Nice (bit wanky) cafe, super expensive (coffee and) snacks. We got a muesli type slice, which i found sickly sweet, and frankly, had i ordered it on my own, it wouldve been left on my plate uneaten save for the first mouthful. (My bf howver demolished it). The cappuccino was a reasonable flavour, with a strong enough bitterness, but it’s got nothing on the superior Beanberrys.

I have visited DCSA in the past and whilst they do good coffee I have a number of issues with the service

A convenient little coffee place in Kingston Upon Thames. A choice of coffee beans. Pleasant setting.

Sign says we steam our coffee at 65 degree but you can ask if you require it hotter. Problem being when you ask for an extra hot Cappuccino you get one that is tepid. My wife ordered Tea but they do not have white sugar. If you provide Tea for customers you should provide the most common sweetener which is white sugar. I think that the pastries we had were yesterdays.

I've been in this place so many times already. I started coming with a friend for a quick chat and now for meetings with my colleagues or to study. I love the coffee, the small treats if I feel hungry or the nice choices for breakfast. The staff is friendly and the natural light on the second floor coming from the big windows is lovely.

excellent coffee (best oatmilk latte ever), friendly staff, fresh and very tasty cakes, great music.. i love to come here with my little one!

We ate lunch at this coffee shop, the coffee is great, the food range was limited to a few sandwiches and pastries. We ordered a toasted hummus and avocado sandwich which was large and tasty although it was relatively expensive.

As any other place which belong to this coffee house, one can count on great quality coffee beens. Tumbs up for flat white!

No idea why I hadn’t been in here before - fantastic coffee and choice of great beans. Avocado toast was delicious - can not wait to come back and sample some cake and other beans.

Awesome coffee, great place to relax alone or with others. Lovely staff, and a great interior design.

Great coffee, made by excellent baristas that are ever so friendly. Organised and spotless coffee shop that’s just a short walk from the busy market. Will definitely be returning.

Helpful staff and an excellent range of coffees made our visit very pleasant. There is also a number of cakes available which are very tempting.

Lovely welcoming staff lovely pastries and quiches coffee a bit too fruity tasting for me.But nice coffee shop.

The Department of Coffee and Social Affairs was a chaotic place when I visited but given the time of year that is to be expected. What I wasn’t prepared was a lack of attention to detail that made the visit a less than relaxing experience. Hot coffee served in a glass which was too hot to pick up, lack of spoons and a teapot which was not particularly clean outside (I didn’t want to look inside for fear of what I’d see). Coffees and a pot of tea were served together but the tea leaves added at the table with a 3 to 5 minute wait advised for it to be brewed which seemed very bizarre.The cakes were also very expensive for the location and looked, and tasted, like they had been sitting out for a while. Having visited a number of the central London locations, the Kingston branch felt very amateur and far from the slick operation I expect. I’ll be off to Beanberry Coffee in Kingston next time where tea will be brewed and brought ready to drink at the same time as the coffee!!

I love this place, the coffee was delicious and so was my cake - something a bit different from all the usual coffee shops are here

Customer service was excellent however they could improve the choice of coffee beans. Asked for a double shot tasted weak and bland. Pity could have been a better experience.

Disappointed...in a word. Used to go to Holborn branch when I worked round there. I expected better (hotter!) coffee and wider choice of food (& seriously; how can you charge £6 for a mini quiche!). My cake -banana loaf - cost well over £3 and was v. average. What a shame. So wanted it to be better.

Very good coffee - one of the better ones around kingston - just get annoyed that the coffee is always luke warm at best. Always ask for it extra hot but it's still hit or miss. If they get this sorted it would be closer to 5 stars.

Came here back in May and I wished I knew about this place sooner! The decor is beautiful, the staff are friendly and knowledgable and the coffee is amazing. It's also where i found out the coffee I like to drink is called a 'Tall espresso'. I hope this place stays, as I'm away for the year.

After making your choice of coffee, you then decide what blend you want ie full bodied or fruity. The coffee is really good, smooth, not bitter & totally enjoyable. Staff are friendly & helpful. Decor is very contemporary. Overall, an excellent cafe to relax & enjoy a cup of very good coffee.

This is one of my favourites in Kingston. It has a really nice minimalist-indoor plant decor feel to it, especially upstairs. The coffee is great too, also where i found out you could get a 'tall espresso' - which is exactly how I like my coffee ☕️

A great place to stop and have a rest before enjoying the rest of this brilliant location The cappuccinos were good and love the name of this coffee establishment Well worth another visit.

We stopped for coffee for the first time at this new coffee shop in Kingston, the coffee was good and there was plenty of seating.