Symposium in Aberdeenshire

Right next to where we stayed this little cafe was calling out for us to get coffee and cake. The cake offering was very good with lots of choice and the same with the drinks. Both were delicious - however, the service was so slow due to there being one member of staff trying to manage everything with a queue forming outside and orders coming in on an app. There needs to be more people helping.

Waited 20 mins on a flat white and a bit of tiffin to take away… poor girl on her own doing several oaty syrupy takeaway drinks then hot drinks that have been ordered on the app…. Message to the owner …. Put your hand in your pocket and get the lassie some help in the morning. another staff member was needed. Worth the wait though coffee good and tiffin just what I needed for a drive down to Edinburgh. Well done the the girl who was working her butt off on Friday, blonde ponytail….. all good though.

My wife and I visited the fraserburgh branch today to be greeted by a rather rude young lady behind the counter who looked like she would rather be anywhere else but at work. We said "Hi" and recieved a frosty grunt in return, as this was the first time we had visited your coffee shop we where not sure on what to do so asked if we could sit down, to be abrutly told "No you order here first, then try and find a seat, if there is one" My wife wanted a "spiced chai latte with marshmallows and I the same without marshmallows, but not having had one before asked what it was, the response was " it's just a powder I chuck it in a cup and add milk, I asked if we could have marhmellows In my wife's one, she told us "no! we ran out ages ago and don't bother with them any more, if you want I can squirt cream ontop instead" I said yes, but it arrived without cream. She then asked if we wanted coffee in it, I asked if that was included in the price but was told not it's Xtra to add coffee, we opted to have coffee in it. We decided that we would try your banoffee pancakes and asked the girl if we could have them and she replied "sorry we don't do that anymore, it's a waste of bannanas as no one ever orders it, so we don't bother buying the bannanas, I asked why it was still on the menu then, her response was, "it just is" I can put a pancake on a plate and squirt cream on it, then squirt toffee syrup on it if you want, I passed. When our dinks arrived there was no cream on them, nor any coffee in them, they just tasted like sweet milk with tons of ground cinnamon, The girl had a face like thunder slammed them on the table and before we could say thankyou turned round and stormed off. It was very unimpressed by the drink and so was my wife, the lack of caffine in it and the cream we ordered was a real off putter when we finally got to the bottom we found a black lumpy sickly sweet sludge that we could only imagine was the “powder” the girl had referred to earlier (see pics) Then I visited the toilets, which as can be seen in the pictures where disgusting, most of the damage and mold was directly above a baby change and the sewage was leaking down the walls.

Firstly, the female staff when I asked my green tea to double the bag, it is if I am asking her to wipe my shoes with the attitude she gave me and no friendly face at all, then Continue ordering food this morning 10am 16/09/2022. My husband wouldn’t made it for breakfast with me and I am very low that morning and I asked to make my other order to take away they thought I didn’t see their reaction as I turned around and so they are making faces in the mirror. What the heck is this kind of service? I felt horrible because they even coaxed a customer to make faces with them as if I asked them an unforgivable requests. This had made me be upset and uneasy and even when the female staff brought my order and I said thank you with a smile she just looked at me. I used to go in this cafe when my husband used to worked a lot in Fraserburgh and I never had this attitude with the staff the ones I had before were so friendly and accommodating. Teach your young staff manners!

Avoid. No staff wearing any face coverings at all no details taken for track and trace not even anywhere to scan to say you was there. No regards to covid policy at all felt uncomfortable. Made my tea it sat on the counter for 5 to 10 mins while make a coffee for table as well. Watched guy behind counter make a sandwich scratching his ear right inside then pick up sandwiche no gloves or hand washing glad never ordered food. Tried to get attention of staff to ask for toilet no one paid attention and it was quite. Found toilet myself just to find out was out of order. Worst service never go there again

Stood for ages at counter completely ignored by 3 members of staff. Had to eventually ask whether to order at counter or go to a table. Told i could order at counter! So many folk walking in without masks and noone questioning. Staff wore no masks! Behind perspex counter fine but walking round the restaurant? Why? They'd run out of so many food options I wish we hadn’t bothered stopping there as had to make do with what was left. Toilet broken but could use next doors at Wetherspoons. Just to add to the rubbish visit, the coffee wasn’t very hot. Peterhead, Longside and Ellon coffee shops are so much better run. If it was my first visit to this place, I wouldn’t go back to others. I’ll just avoid the Fraserburgh one.

Went into Symposium last Friday for a light lunch, as we walked in the door one of the three staff behind the counter explained that they could only offer us decaffeinated coffee, this was a disappointment but we reluctantly agreed to have decaf. We then spent time struggling to read the menu placed high above the counter but managed to choose our lunch. My husband ordered a hunters chicken wrap and was promptly told that they were completely out of bacon, I ordered a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel and to my disbelief was told there was no smoked salmon. At this point we decided to leave and find lunch elsewhere.

Stopped in for quick coffee. Excellent cappuccino and good service ... the pancakes looked fabulous - being sold as quick as they were made !

We often do our weekly shop in Fraserburgh and find there's very few places to go for a drink or light bite afterwards...thank goodness for Symposium! Right in the center of town, it has a modern, upbeat atmosphere with a great selection of drinks (try the frappe's!), light meals and sweet treats. What's perfect about this place is that the staff are just as inviting as the decor and yummy food. Five stars all round.

The click & collect service is an absolute treat, the coffee is great, the pancakes awesome and the service is always prompt and friendly, it’s also a pleasure to be able to use the pay it forward service for our frontline workers, a great idea!

I am coffee lover. Hot or iced, espresso to mocha... and this is honestly one of the best local coffee shops i’ve been to and always find myself going back. My co-workers and myself go every Thursday (to the Peterhead branch) for a lunch break treat as the food is spot on too 🙌🏽. From the coffee to the food as well as the Staff...10/10 from me!

Symposium is a quirky little coffee shop in a central location in Fraserburgh. There is ample parking near the coffee shop. There was a good selection of coffees and other drinks plus hot snacks and other snacks. Prices were reasonable and service from Maya was quick and friendly

This is a lovely little coffee shop with excellent coffee. A gem of a find on a recent trip home. Staff were very friendly and service was quick. I would definitely make this my local and suggest locals help to make sure it sticks around.

I stopped in Symposium for a pot of tea on a cold day and was pleasantly surprised. It’s a cute little spot with cafe tables in the front room, a few couches in the side room (plus books galore to peruse), and a good amount of food options for breakfast, a snack or lunch. They seem to be good for kids as well. Is it fancy? No. Are the staff warm and is the cafe clean? Yes. A good little gem to stop by if you’re in the area!

We stopped for coffee here on our travels. Lovely helpful staff who provided recommendations for our trip around Scotland. Good coffee and vegan options too. Cafe was welcoming and friendly.

Stopped in for a cuppa midday - there was trash all over the service area. Food safety - hah! Good for me that the water was boiled. Coffee shop was noisier than to be expected - espresso machine sounded like a turbojet taking off.

Symposium is a lovely little café in Saltoun Square in Fraserburgh town centre. We called for morning tea before our visit to the Lighthouse Museum. The café was popular with the locals and was doing a brisk trade. We sat at a table next to a feature wall decorated with rough wood, which although attractive did look like there was a potential for splinters if you (or your children) brushed their hands against the wall. Free wifi, friendly staff.