Esquires Coffee in Tunbridge Wells

Love this place. Recommend the paratha bacon roll!

Love this place. Recommend the paratha bacon roll!

Go here instead of the chains up the hill! Food is yummy, good service and it's nice and spacious for a pram as well. The bacon paratha is really yummy too

Go here instead of the chains up the hill! Food is yummy, good service and it's nice and spacious for a pram as well. The bacon paratha is really yummy too

What has happened to this place??? It used to literally be my go-to coffee shop to meet up with friends, panini lunches and lazy mornings reading a book, etc. After being closed for a while (with no notice at the door whatsoever), it is now open. Except you wouldn't know it. The lights are kept off inside, there's barely anything on the counter and the fridges, it all looks a bit sad and dowdy, including the person behind the counter, who I presume is the current owner. I am sorry to say that he seems aggravated to have customers. When I walked in I almost felt I was bothering him, no greeting, no smiles... So sad!!!

This used to be my favourite coffee shop, but things have been on a downhill trajectory for a while. But today was the tipping point. I was having coffee with a friend and I heard the sound of nail clippers from behind the counter. Surely not, I think - but yes, a person (who I assume is the manager - only because anybody else would surely be fired) is clipping his fingernails, behind the counter, in full view (with sound!) of all customers and the other members of staff. If that the public standard of hygiene, then heaven knows what goes on behind closed doors. It turned my stomach and I won't be returning. The person involved should be ashamed of themselves.

Meeting up with family in Tunbridge Wells, we decided to go for coffee & a chat. We liked the look of "Esquires" coffee house & decided to take a table outside after placing our order, as it was a bright sunny Sunday morning. Nearly 30 minutes after placing our order, a staff member appeared with our drinks. Although the coffee was of a good quality, if they had told us they had to catch a flight to Columbia to collect the beans, we would have gone elsewhere....

Friendly staff, good decor, lots of charging points, good coffee. Not sure why all the negative reviews, never had any problem with slow service or cleanliness. Sad to see it close

Great coffee, Friendly staff, Welcoming atmosphere, Great prices The cake was very good also Will most certainly return!!!!

Overheard staffs, not one, not two, but THREE talking about not being paid for 2 months. These guys (they look under 18) don’t deserve this! Lovely service, nice coffee but management is absolutely ridiculous to hear. What do you mean they’re working here for free? Will not be coming again because I do not support child labour.

Poor management of staff, who are not paid on time. How would the manager feel if he wasn’t paid, hope he enjoyed his holiday whilst the staff still wait for their wages. Emailed Esquires and cooks and not one of them has had the decency to reply. Avoid.

Beautiful place. Very nice design. Good and friendly service. Disgusting food. Really bad. Poor quality coffee. Very basic.

Coffee shop serving sandwiches/pastries etc. Quite a good spot for remote working. Sometimes a fairly long wait for coffee (10ish minutes) even during quieter periods.

The said they could make a smoothie then couldn’t?

Good atmosphere belies the standard in delivery of service/food/drink. So wanted this place to be good, but next time I’ll go to pret. Sorry.

Food very poor, run out of ciabatta, so had a ham and cheese toastie. Thin sliced white bread with cheap ham and cheese and a few leaves of limp lettuce. Staff nice enough. Sorry to leave a poor review really but this is the worst £20 I’ve spent since I drunkenly bet my mates I could outrun a cow across Southwold marsh

Terrible toasted sandwich, it came on cheap sliced white bread, and didn’t look like it had seen the toaster, the side was a handful of bagged lettuce with no dressing. The staff were friendly but there wasn’t an atmosphere. Bypass here for somewhere where ingredients and food matter

Great little coffee shop, and I would recommend it.

Esquires charge extra for non dairy milk in your coffee. The vegan tax.

I waited 40 minutes for my sandwich which never came. I was charged 50p extra for milk in my coffee. Surfaces were unclean and sticky. Not surprising that it's not busy :(

Always nice here. Fresh food. Great for vegans. Love the coffee.

Beautiful decor, friendly fella behind the counter helped with my order, girls seemed abit cold and distant, but did make an acceptable cup of tea. Tea price was fair. Cakes and slices prices were outrageous unfortunately as delicious as they looked i had to go without as i can not pay £3.50 for a single bite sized piece. What I was mostly impressed with were the option to have full fat milk which can be hard to find in cafes these days, and most importantly the option to pay using cash. This cafe is not pushing for digital enslavement like alot of cafes ive had the displeasure of encountering in recent years. Thanks guys Love you xx

Great cafe. Great atmosphere. Kids enjoyed their meal, as did we. Thank you

A lovely cafe and workspace. Smoothies were great and the coffee was top notch. Nice atmosphere and reasonably priced.

Decent range of vegan items, but they should aim to be 100% plant-based/vegan. It is a pleasant and comfortable coffee shop. Not enough liquid in the coffees and far too much foam.

Disappointing. I went here for late brunch and ordered a ice latte which took 20 mins to come (which I chased up) and scrambled egg on toast, 45 mins ( which I chased) to come. One small slice of bread and minimal egg. Service from the staff was abrupt and no apologies for such a delay especially as they were not too busy. It seems the business have minimal staff who are serving drinks and preparing food at the counter (kitchen was closed- there used to be a kitchen downstairs) (2 on a Saturday) and don't seem to care about the customers. This was once one of my favourite places to go in town.... I will not be returning.

doesn’t pay his workers for months, horrible service by the manager, food is AWFUL, manger thinks he can do whatever he wants, doesn’t let workers call in sick

Second visit to this dog friendly cafe. This time we had some food, eggs Benedict for me and avo smash on toast for my wife. Both impressed and thoroughly enjoyed it. I also had the pineapple smoothy which was lovely. Definitely will be back.

I found this coffee shop a bit noisy when I visited, but the coffee was good and the brownie improved my mood! It's popular with workers: there were a lot of laptops and people in suits talking seriously.

Nice atmosphere and seating areas and good service. Coffee is nice but getting fed up with vegan only sausage rolls/bakes and having no actual sausage rolls. Not everyone is vegan and some people would like the non Vegan option. It's a deal breaker for me when it comes to lunch. So we only bought coffee and no food.

EDA: I said I'll return, service improved, hats off to the manager. Sat. 13 Oct 1 star for table service, 1 Order: 2 double espresso, 2 lattes plus food, drinks arrived, but no food ,waited 40 minutes for meals. Second order: 2 lattes and cake. Cake arrives 20 minutes later, but no latte. I will come back though, for the great quality espressos and food. The manager gave me discount.

Friendly, first time in & service was great

Great Coffee, great food and great people!!!

Tried this place twice. It’s not where you come with small hungry mouths that need feeding quickly, First time took over 40 minutes for some scrambled egg and beans on toast. I had to chase multiple times. Second time I waited over 10 minutes for a takeaway coffee. It wasn’t even busy. Staff just have zero sense of urgency. I was also offered a small or regular coffee. Found that regular is the size (and price) or a large. I don’t think I’d return.

Welcoming place, hot drinks are very nice and loads of variety of cakes and pastries.

Very good cakes and pastries. Service on the slow side, but the hot drinks and ambience are deserving of 5/5.

I love anything coconut. The raspberry coconut slice has elevated this place this to being my “local”….. I live in London… make of that what you will. My partner prides herself on being a cinnamon aficionado, she states theirs are better than her previous place (I won’t name).

Quite rude staff.Very eager to go home.Even though we were 20 before 5, and explained that we wouldn't be long.Wouldnt rush back.

Not a great experience! We went at lunchtime today and ordered 1 panini and 2 pastries from the warming cabinet and 2 coffees. They eventually cleared our table but did not clean it. The salt cellar was covered in rust. They brought our drinks after 10-15 minutes - not on tray- but by holding the handle and so that then felt sticky. Another 20 minutes no sign of the food. Approached the staff and told theres 'a long wait' but no indication for how much longer or an apology. After a further 10 minutes we approached again and told they were 'doing it now'. Infact they were not but served another two tables with food. So approached for a third time said we wanted a refund. Noticed that the person who was preparing the food was not wearing any food preparation clothing and seemed to be also the waiter so no hygiene measures in place here. Glad to get out of there and wont be going back. No apology or even any attempt to bring the pastries while we were waiting. Did get a refund. Woefully inadequate and an indifference by the staff.

Lovely cafe. Friendly and helpful staff. Hit chocolate delicious.

Used to be one of my favourite coffee shops in Tunbridge Wells. The drinks are still of a very high quality but the waiting time has become longer and longer every time we go in there to the point where we wait over 10 minutes for a simple peppermint tea when the cafe isnt even busy! The drinks are not cheap (especially charging 50p for non-dairy milks) especially given how long you have to wait (way longer than most coffee shops average). The staff are polite however during the last visit we made, one of the staff members was dressed ready to go clubbing serving food and drinks in inappropriate clothing for work. It's starting putting us off going there.

Great staff but needs deep cleaning and a lick of paint!

Nice place Staff friendly' we had Vegan Lotus Tiffin Cake at £3.40 a Slice.could not eat it' it was hard as Concrete.....🥴

Recently discovered this coffee shop which is very close to Tunbridge Wells station. There’s plenty of seats, charging points and more for those ‘working from home’ and the staff are really friendly. A good range of food too, my only gripe is stay open to 6pm at least 😆 everything shuts about 5pm so would be a differentiator. Would definitely go back though.

Food and beverages excellent. Service was great. Ambience fantastic, and very clean.

Good coffee and decor friendly staff

Lovely mocha and pastries and decor Staff is always prompt and extra nice Recommended

Overrated, extremely slow service and not clean

Good coffee. Good cake. Friendly staff.

A lovely coffee shop serving really nice breakfast, sandwiches, jacket potato and paninis. Decor is upcycled furnished design. Staff are very well presented and always attentive. An asset to Tunbridge Wells.

Coffee good but noisy and full of children

Dog friendly but rude staff, food wasn't particularly good either.

Nice place to have a quick bite to eat in a relaxing atmosphere...

Cosy friendly atmosphere. Great vegan cakes and the best vegan sausage rolls.

Really enjoyed the atmosphere, thankyou.

Food very nice but a little overpriced.. Similar dishes about 15% cheaper elsewhere in Tun Wells.

The cafe is a good size and comfortable, although the door is often left open which makes it chilly inside very fast. The service is a bit on the slow side, even when it's not busy. There is a massive vegan selection of cakes which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your personal dietary preferences. Food is alright, nothing special.

Have visited a couple of times for cake and coffee, and even hinted 'don't be shy with the portion size', but it makes no difference. What you get is a 15 minute wait for a coffee to be brought to your table while they deal with all the take aways behind you. Then you're charged £4.50 for a thin piece of cake which you've eaten from boredom before the coffee arrives.I've given this 4 or 5 visits now to see if this is just down to one individual but clearly it's not. Staff are polite admittedly but the overall experience is very disappointing.I shan't be going back. There are far better places in town that are grateful for the business.

Paid £14 for a full English and an oat latte. Coffee was nice but the breakfast was made behind the till in a microwave, arriving on the table was one shrivelled up rasher of bacon and a sausage so hard it could have been a fossil. To top it off the waiter was abrupt and rude with no check back. This place has gone down hill will not be returning!!!

The title says it all. It all seemed microwaved, they charged £3.85 for orange just for them to then hide on the fridge and give us Tropicana. The full English was one soggy sausage, hard bit of fatty bacon, 1 bit of bread, 2 soggy hash browns and horrible tasteless scrambled egg.I will not be returning.

Another great spot to stop , whilst out on a ride and watch the world go by.. :) Obviously, with the addition of another sneaky slice of cake :)

The cakes were amazing! They had a very deep flavour and definitely tasted as good as they looked. It is a very nice, peaceful atmosphere inside and is perfect for an afternoon treat!

The first thing I noticed was the complete lack of Covid awareness. No sanitiser at the door and staff not wearing masks. I joined the queue and whilst waiting to get to the counter I looked everywhere for a menu. Nothing on the walls, no menu at the tables, and so at point of service I asked for a menu and then had to keep everyone behind me waiting whilst I made a choice. Really uncomfortable. Staff abrupt and unhelpful. Food did arrive swiftly, and was reasonable. But I won’t visit here again.

States that their pezsas are best in Tunbridge Wells.Actual fact they are truly amazingly tasty. More than best, best in whole area. Staff so pleasant like being welcomed into their family than just the restaurant. Staff smiling faces warm and welcoming added flavour to the meal ,best I have ever tasted, let alone Tunbridge Wells.

Great service , very polite and friendly staff, great food and coffee, well worth a visit, so nice to find a great coffee shop with nice food and cheerful happy customers as well

Went in for lunch, I popped over to the counter to ask for 2 glasses of water. The waiter picked up the glasses with his fingers inside the rim. He turned his back to me, rubbed his whole hand over his sweaty face and nose, then proceeded to fill the glasses and hand them back to me with his dirty fingers around the rim of the glass. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the waitress came round refilling the cutlery buckets on the tables. She picked up the cutlery with her unwashed hands from the tops, not the handles. I just sat with my mouth open aghast. Not one to make a scene, I politely asked for straws for the water and cleaned the cutlery myself before using. I certainly shan’t be eating there again. …..ever!!!Lots of staff training is needed , they all seem to be very young and completely oblivious to any hygiene standards! Washing hands is a basic , the whole time I was there nobody washed their hands……….and this in Covid times. Sorry but just not good enough. This place should be closed down!But on the other hand if you like snotty sweaty water and germ laden cutlery….go for it!!!

Amazing hot drinks and nice ambience.

The food was ok, the coffee was delicious, the girl that served me was very polite but the young big guy with dark hair that gave us our food seemed very rude and abrupt. He seemed liked he didn't want to be there. I'd visit again for the yummy coffee but not the poor quality food.

It's OK ,but somewhat expensive, I had pancakes with fruit, but a pot of tea was eye-watering costly, £3.15 !

Not particularly outstanding and quite expensive for a fairly basic cafe. £7 for a jacket potato (no butter) baked beans and a sprinkling of grated cheese and £3.50 for one teabag in a teapot.

Lovely coffee and friendly staff.

Perfect for a quick bite and meeting with mates.

Has the misfortune of paying £5.75 for the 'Mediterranean Chicken Panini'. Underwhelming and overpriced. A Panini spread with a thin layer of pesto, one! whole sun-dried tomato and three very small pieces of chicken. Not good enough hence the review.

Walked quite a distance to get here as this cafe was dog friendly and is was definitely worth the trip. My pooch felt at home.

Great coffee, great service and delicious food!

Great sandwiches and smoothies!!

Nice coffee shop, helpful staff

Was working near by. So I popped into the town centre to get a coffee. I can say they have a Lovely coffee and plenty of vegan friendly options. Will visit again if I’m near by.

Brilliant gluten free options and vegan branch.

It used to be my favourite café. Last visit was the worst experience ever. The owner put only two-very young and probably inexperienced staff on a busy Saturday morning. My breakfast took 55 minutes to make and it was the worst ever in my life. One sausage and one beacon, and some funny tomatoe in a £12 full English? The hash brown came 10 min later when I was done with eating. It was all made in rush and had no taste or presentation whatsoever. This place used to be lovely but now I don't think I'll come here to eat anything. Coffee is still very good though but it needs more staff, like before ! I don't blame the stuff, young and inexperienced, of course they wouldn't manage it on a busy Saturday morning. The owner should have thought about how to run this business better!

Nice selection of gluten free brownies!

Went there last Friday and I had the so called full english. Toast was sourdough and was like cutting a brick (when will these places learn that sourdough bread does NOT make toast!!) Bacon you could snap in half (and actually did). The consistency of the scrambled eggs was that it all crumbled into tiny pieces. At £10 a time a complete waste of money. My partner had "Eggs Royale". All posh and no taste. Small bottle of coke £2.75 in a warm glass and breakfast tea at £3.15. Total cost? £25.40. Rating? ZERO Overpriced, microwaved, poncy items on a plate (you cant call it food as most is inedible) and they need a new cook.

Nice coffee but took forever to get it. No queue, just a group sat outside but their items were made and delivered to them one at at time which took ages. Then once that was finished our coffee button was pressed. No multitasking here 😬

Good choice, prices ok. Bit of a wait for food.

Delicious chicken and mushroom slice, staff very friendly and helpful

Good coffee and snacks, staff pleasant

Brilliant place. Incredible vegan and vegetarian food. Best coffee I've had in a while.

Amazing cake and delicious coffee

Very welcoming and friendly service. Reasonable choice given they reduced it due to covid19. A little on the expensive side, so a treat rather than regular venue for me.

Nice variety of cakes and pastries. They also do a lovely coffee.

Popped in for something to eat. Rude service and my £4.75 "cheese and ham" panini contained one slice of cheap ham and so little cheese I actually thought they forgotten to include it

Nice cake and a lovely cuppa. Nice place. Prices are good.

driving past and felt like trying this shop out. I can honestly say the cup of coffee and sausage roll was really nice. Will be visiting again!

This place is the worsted place i have ever ordered breakfast from and i travel up and down the uk. As i can't shear a photo on here as what tuned up. But it was shocking! I don't mind paying money for decent food, but this is the worst food i have taested can't believe this cafe is still in business. Shocking

We ordered a coffee and cake earlier this week. Coffee was decent but the Oreo drip cake was awful. It was bland and stale, and four days later, I still gag at the thought of it.

My husband ordered a sausage roll, the sausage was white. Gross! Weak coffee, overly sweet cakes. Better places to go in Tunbridge Wells.

Generally really friendly, great coffee and the best sausage rolls in town. Unfortunately their hours have changed constantly through lockdown and they never bother to update them so we've wasted many trips and been turned away too many times.

Lovely shop with a warm atmosphere. Freindly staff and great coffee!

To start the sausage baguette is 10/10. Add your own brown sauce and cannot fault it. the milkshakes on the other hand... it's more like they leave milk out next to the flavour you ordered, the hint of a hint of a flavour and impossibly thin. In no way worth the £4+ you pay for it. food is good though.

Great coffee and brunch. Gluten free ..FAB