Podium Cafe in West Berkshire

Was metting friend for coffee. Read somewhere plenty of parking. I didn't find this to be the case. There are lots of signs saying Do Not Park Here Monday to Friday. Had to wait for a car to leave and luckily got their space, before another customer nearly tried to grab it. It's an average cafe doing Paninis, Baguettes, Croissants - all with some sort of filling inside. They also sell factory bought cakes and the usual teas, coffee and smoothie. Did not see anything for Vegans. Service is not friendly or welcoming, but it is professional. We had a Panini each, a Smoothie and a Coffee for £ 20.10 Don't know if you can pay cash as they automatically guide you towards the contacless device. Would not visit again as it's just not my cup of tea. Maximum stay is 2 hours. We were done and dusted out within 45 minutes.

Totally random stop for coffee, recommended by the local auction house on the trading estate.WoW. Utterly unexpected. Awesome cars, stylish cafe environment, super clean and tidy. Good selection of rolls,sandwiches,cakes,coffee,tea. Obviously a very switched on car enthusiast business, loads of events being marketed. A real eye opener

What an amazing place. Went for coffee and the staff were amazing! the coffee roast is awesome. Met John the owner who was great and helpful, and the back office team at the Pod were just brilliant! Big thanks to Mel - Staff Paddock Manager, Nikki - Office Manager & Suzie the Chef. Please go and try the food, and the car simulators are amazing and a fantastic place to work out of if you don't have a home office.

4.10 for a cappucino - ouch! Sorry chaps, coffee was ok but not .4.10 ok. Extra words because apparently I have to use 100 characters. There, done.

Comfy sofas and friendly staff. BUT I was very disappointed to see that some of the “homemade cakes” they boast about on their website are actually bought in from another company and contain emulsifiers and other nasties. I won’t be returning for that reason. Instead I’ll go to one of the coffee shops in Newbury that really do bake their own cakes and only use wholesome ingredients.

I'd wanted to come here for a while, but never had the time to do so. Think of it more of a coffee shop that also has nice cars. Mocha was probably the best I've ever had. Will be coming back again.

I visited The Podium twice on Friday one for a coffee and the second for lunch with my wife. There is a good selection of coffee options all freshly prepared and if drinking in served at your table. For lunch we had Panini (s) Coronation Chicken, and Mozzarella option. Both, along with the tea were served quickly and nice and hot. This is a very popular cafe and offers inside and outside tables to enjoy your coffee or meal. Whilst enjoying your coffee you might be tempted to buy one of there new cars, I resisted this time... Great place, good atmosphere, very friendly and helpful staff.

Friend was keen to try this out of the way cafe as they double up as a car showroom and place for enthusiasts. Yes the cars were impressive… some for sale some a private collector?! Coffee says specialty but too dark for me. Lacked flavour. One friend enjoyed their cake but having one vegan friend, there was really not much choice. Panini’s were all white bread. Seemed a bit of a ‘caf’ rather than high end cafe. Staff were more interested in what cars were coming in rather than service, not much care and attention to good service of their product, a few just standing there. No smiles. Not good value for money for what it is.

A unique & impressive cafe, serving their own freshly-roasted coffee & a range of sweet/savoury snacks. The interior is bright, spacious & clean, & there is an impressive selection of supercars on display. Worth the trip out of central Newbury & a must-visit for both car & coffee enthusiasts!

We usually are beyond thrilled to visit podium, the setting is great and fab atmosphere for car enthusiasts or people wanting to enjoy coffee in a unique setting. It’s a shame that today’s visit was not great. Arrived to a fairly full cafe, no one wearing masks(I understand that it’s up to personal preference, but surely some sort of protection as COVID is STILL around!) surely staff should be wearing masks for their own protection? Waited to be served, two servers were sitting by the toasters- not sure if it takes two people to make sure something doesn’t burn or if they hadn’t yet been trained on the till? Another server walked by, no eye contact tact, no greeting no nothing. One server who seemed to be trying to run everything said “someone will be with you..” and then about 5 mins later realised that no one was going to come to serve the till. So ended up serving me. No problem there. Although a “hi, how can I help”/ pleasant greeting would have been nice. There was a backlog or orders and staff standing around. So really unsure and quite disappointed to have had this experience at one of our fave places. Come on management, step up and fix it please, far too much standing around when they could be serving or being a bit more pleasant.

Coffee flavour was strong, honestly unique and addictive. Staff very helpful & patient with my friend, with learning disabilities & autism. Who took their time and paid by cash. Nothing was too much trouble in this great attractive venue. Where cafe seats are replica car seats so wide and cushioned, very comfy. Cannot wait to return and taste their American coffee again.