The Exquisite Peacock Emporium in St Albans

Unplanned visit so I didn’t read any reviews before I went in gladly! This morning I’ve had the best coffee I’ve had in quite a while. Perfectly made flat white. I like the coffee beans they’re using and it was made so well - a genuine flat white which is hard to fine. Decor not to my taste and they need to keep on top of cleaning the facilities a bit better (passable but could be better) but next time I’m in St Albans I’ll definitely go back for another coffee. Staff friendly and welcoming.

Dirty, smelly & unkempt. The majority of tables were empty, yet filthy. The toilets smelt horrendous & were unusable. The staff were rude & monosyllabic.

Love coffee shops and restaurants so the name drew me in…I went to the ladies first and the stench…I could see and smell it had not been cleaned for some days. The floor and around seats in the restaurant were the same. In a time when emphasises is on cleanliness, sanitising etc thhis restaurant has failed to offer its customers a clean space to relax.

Stopped for a drink and a loo visit at The "EXQUISITE" peacock emporium today. (What a joke) Don't think i have ever seen such a disgusting public toilet, and im not talking about a little mess, im talking about at least months of neglect/Filthy walls... It was just horrible - worst I've ever seen! and if that's what they don't mind you seeing, I dread to think what's behind the scenes where they prepare your food. So do yourself a favour, keep walking!

I went here for lunch today, even through it was lunchtime with very few people sitting down, there were tables not cleared. I had to ask for my table to be cleaned. I ordered a ham and cheese toastie, it was not cooked properly, toasted one side not the other, (the machine is obviously faulty), like pap inside. Left most. I went to use the toilet, the soap dispenser was broken, the toilet was disgusting. The place is shabby, unkept with unplastered patchy walls. The name of this cafe is a joke, nothing 'exquisite'

Sadly this place was a total disappointment. I’ve often walked past and thought how I’d love to pop in. Sadly it was dirty and had a musty smell as if it hadn’t been cleaned in a few weeks. I went at 8.40 am and you’d expect it to have been cleaned first thing. Normally I’d just put it down to a bad experience and rush my drink and leave, however I have made a point of reviewing this place due to the fact that it was so dirty I asked for my tea in a takeaway cup and sat on a bench outside. It’s never a good sign when you have to perch on the edge of your chair for fear of catching something or it marking your clothes. What a shame!

My friend and I ordered two cappuccinos and a toasted tea cake. The coffee was luke warm and the tea cake was barely toasted. The whole place needed cleaning. Where we were sitting the floor have coffee spilled over it and the armchairs were filthy. There were 5 staff all standing behind the counter, while tables still had cups etc on from other customers. Such a shame!

Every other time I have chanced this place I've had very bad service. The staff usually avoid eye contact and ignore you. Today I saw noone at the counter so thought I'd risk it for a quick coffee. Four members of staff on duty, all unmasked. One with her mask unde her chin, the other 3 with no masks. No barrier between the counter and the customer. Ordered a large skinny cappuccino. Received about one third of a cup of extremely bitter coffee with two thirds of a cup of froth. Took it back and got a latte instead. There was very little grace in the exchange. Won't ever bother going there again.

Really low quality food and kitchen area was a mess. Staff messed up order 3 times so in the end decided just to eat what I was given.

Absolutely awful! The staff were really rude, the woman who served us made a mistake with our order & there wasn’t even an apology! So much for the quote on the back of her work t-shirt ‘happiness served right from the oven’ no sign of happiness anywhere, especially not in the panini - gross! Will definitely not be going back…

Came in for coffee and a cake to takeaway, the staff were cold and unwelcomIng. They got our order wrong and tried to blame it on us. Last time I’ll be going here. Very disappointed from such a beautiful looking cafe.

Passing by and seemed a convenient place to stop. My friend is a vegan so I always let her go first incase they can’t provide suitable food. The options for her were limited but with helpful staff she had a salad and a side of whole meal toast( no flora spread available) and a coffee with soya milk. I on the other hand had a delicious sausage bap and tea. We arrived when it was fairly quiet but it got busy quickly and service is friendly but slow. Miss match of seating adds character to the place. It could do better with more vegetarian/ vegan options with little effort.

I have passed a number of times coming from and going to the car park. After a fruitless shopping mission I thought I would relax with a coffee and cake before heading home. Service was polite and friendly but very slow. Basically the moment it gets slightly busy the dispensing of coffee cannot keep up with sales - surely the cashier could help with this for a few minutes rather than adding to the orders. The coffee was very pleasant as was the cake I selected. With the stacking of orders I ended up with the wrong coffee but it was sorted out with a smile. There is a mix of furniture including a large centre table. Whilst this works in "Fade to Black" where you can strike up a conversation with your neighbour here it resembles a workbench for those who cannot leave their tablet or similar device alone for a few minutes - sad. The other problem with it is as the queues build it gets in the way. Some of the furniture really needed a clean and refresh! I will probably go back but will check it is fairy quiet first!

We popped in with the little one on a Friday and Sunday and couldn't fault it. The coffee and cakes were good and reasonably priced. Place was clean and we got a table. Plenty of room for the buggy and has free wifi. Will go back if we go up that way again.

I was really impressed with the hygiene. The staff were so polite and professional. Overall was a great experience, would definitely visit again

I was visiting this coffee shop daily for over a year but the shocking service levels have driven me elsewhere. There are a couple of regular shift workers who are friendly and attentive but far too many rotating staff. The operational set up is poor with customers left queuing for up to 15 minutes during busier periods. I now walk past this place to visit nearby alternatives for my daily coffee.

I'd passed several times, but hadn't been in. This week, my ante-natal group met for coffee here. It was larger on the inside than I expected, with plenty of room (at 2:30pm) for all 8 of us plus babies in pushchairs. I went early and had some lunch (cheese and tomato toastie), and between us we had a range of drinks (coffees, milkshakes, juices and others) and a few cakes, and all were happy with their purchase.

Such a waste of a location and lovely venue. Decent food and drink, shocking service and broken locks on toilet doors etc - so much potential to be great if managers and leadership cared.

This place needs a deep clean. Everything is dirty from the table to the chairs, floor and let's not even mention the loo! I am absolutely shocked that such a place where food and drinks are served can be so filthy! The one star is just for the cakes and drinks which are good.Staff are I'll mannered and rude. They would just throw food in your tray and never a hello or thank you.

Parked in Maltings multi-storey and intended heading into town for a drink but then it started raining so we popped in here just before everybody else had the same idea! Although queue at counter looked long, it actually moved quickly as staff were working their socks off. Strange interior layout, with a large central table which I guess customers have to share (there’s also outside seating). Nothing wrong with our drinks and snacks (reasonably priced as well) but not impressed with general state of cleanliness (floors/tables) - could do with a deep clean in my opinion.

This seems to be the 'go-to' place for the yummy mummies of St Albans but presumably they aren't too concerned about service or cleanliness based on today's experience.If there's more than two people waiting to be served, settle in for a long wait as the staff are pretty slow. Also, if you ask for your latte extra hot, you'll still be able to drink it all in one go as soon as you sit down.And so you have the temerity to question whether the glass your drink is in is actually clean you'll be told 'yes it's clean' by a member of staff who doesn't bother to even look at it until you point out the filthy base of the glass and who then decides it's limescale from the dishwasher (it isn't limescale...see the bit I cleaned with my finger).This should be a nice little coffee shop where you can avoid the Pret/Costa chain but sadly it doesn't live up to its billing...

Decor was very attractive but the floor and toilets were filthy.

I went to the hill and placed an order for a couple of muffins, 2 packets of crisps, a hot chocolate and a pot of tea for my 3 and 4 year old to share. The manager then informed me that I wasn't allowed to have an extra cup for them to share the tea as they have a no sharing policy. So we left, we went to Costa where we were greeted by pleasant staff and my request for the pot of the for the kids was met with a no problem!

Nice lunch stop with my teenage daughter today. Good service and food was ok..nothing special but adequate. Decor is nice but toilets need attention

In the Maltings. A good size coffee shop, plenty of seating inside and some outside .

Came here for lunch today (Monday) and it was quiet which is nice - lots of comfy seats and tables around.

Family were over the weekend so thought we try this place as it looked nice, quirky decor, nice looking food display.

Travelt sted, men fine kroker med små bord og gode stoler også. Spiced Chai Latte den beste jeg har smakt. Et altfor fristende utvalg av muffins, gode salater og baguetter.

It is the best cafe I have tried in St Albans so far. The location is optimal, with a very nice atmosphere. The prices are competitive, nothing more but nothing less either than all the other cafes in the town. What makes it different from the other cafes then? Everything but the prices. All drinks were really good, even the cups are really cute. I'm definitely planning to go back there in the future to try one (or maybe more) of their muffins: they had the biggest selection I have ever seen in a place like that, they seemed sooo tasty. Going there for breakfast may be a great idea.

For the most part a good selection on food, the

4 for 3 on muffins when we were in there - winning! they were pretty big and yummy too. One the holby city crew were in there too - celeb spot!

Visited today for the first time. It was very busy which was due to its popularity and early morning.

Unfortunately we were unable to find anything 'exquisite" about this particular emporium. Popped in for coffee and purchased a muffin each. The coffee was fine but the poor old muffins were a case of style over content. They weren't muffins. Granted they looked like muffins but whereas muffins are light, moist, and spongy, these were dense, dry, tasteless sponge cakes. What a disappointment!

Supposed to open at 7:30am on a Sat? lol. I go there at least once a month (which I am seriously reviewing) because I like the decor but we always arrive at 8:10am and it is NEVER open. In fact they only open it when they see us trying the door. To make matters worse, when they do let us in it’s like they’ve just woken up. Chairs on tables still, no machines on, they seem unable to take a simple order without making mistakes and because nothing is switched in it takes nearly 10 mins to get a coffee! Shocking for a coffee shop. Lovely premises and the drinks are fine but the owner is being let down by his staff. I wonder if he/she even knows that they’re opening nearly 45mins late each Sat.

Nice and big and a buggy park coffee shop. No butter or jam with a croissant even when I asked if any. Coffee nice. The toilets always quite dirty with toilet roll everywhere and bins overflowing.

Customer service average for a chain type coffee place. Coffee good. Cheese toastie was OK but not that toasted so soft. No side garnish. Muffin was unpleasant - stale and with a baking powder aftertaste. Tables were slow to be cleared and it wasn't that busy. Won't return.

Took ages to get my coffee and then it was wrong! Given a regular cappuccino instead of what I ordered and paid for... a large latte!. When I tried to tell them they disagreed with me and didn't offer to change or refund the difference. Not sure what happened to customer service! Very disappointed. Don't think I'll bother again as there are plenty of other choices in St Albans

My wife and I would normally pop in twice a week for our morning coffee but not In this weather, apparently they have to keep the door open, not a problem most of the year but please in this weather that is ridiculous. I raised this open door issue last winter and was told that Maltings Security insisted that the door was kept open. If that is the case and I do believe them someone needs to engage their brain and I'm not talking about Koffee employees We walked through the Maltings this morning and saw many empty tables in Love Koffee which you never see normally. If you can't get a table at the rear it can be very draughty and not the usual enjoyable experience, not what you want when having a coffee. It's a great shame because I find the staff extremely friendly and very obliging plus the coffee is superb but today we walked past and went to Neros. Please someone at Love Koffee shut the door when the weather is horrible.

Good coffee, usually enough space for push chairs but can get busy on weekends. No dogs allowed which is good for those with dog allergies.

Inhospitable welcome and service. Ordered an espresso to takeaway. Acrid taste. Could not finish it. Won't be returning.

I popped in for a coffee and sandwich. It’s right in the Maltings and spacious. It’s clearly a hot destination for the parents of babies in St.Albans. If your toying with the idea of a new pushchair then this is the place to go. I was served quickly but it lacked friendliness. The food was ok and the Koffee (yes it’s spelt that way) was equally OK.

I regularly take the train to St Albans and walk into town and have meetings over coffee in this trendy coffee shop. It caters for parents with babies so at 11am don't come here for a quiet coffee.

This is a really lovely addition to St Albans really nice inside bright spacious and well thought out. The staff are really nice. The muffins are gorgeous. Baguettes great. The only downside (and so typical of new coffee shops) is they need to train their staff to make a proper coffee. It's so common place to see new coffee shops open but then not spend the proper time training the staff to understand the difference between a cappuccino and a latte. If they can just sort that out they would have a winning formula!

Regularly traveling through the Maltings Shopping Centre, we came across this way out presented trendy tea & coffee shop. The decor immediately draws you in and you are transported to somewhere back to the swinging 60's.

Good coffee and service. Nice selection of homemade muffins. Would be nice if there were more cakey things too.

My sister & I went here on Saturday to kill a few hours in St Albans we went at 5.30pm and whilst the shop is a relatively new addition to the town the selection of hot drinks and snacks looks promising.

Not a lot of attention paid to cleaning up after customers leave. The table and chairs were left in a messy state which was a pity. The coffee was good and the choice of sandwiches and cakes also good. Let down by the scruffy appearance.

Just recently tried this as we have got a bit tired of the regular coffee chains. Coffee and cakes both very good and the service pleasant, friendly and efficient.

A relative newcomer to the St Albans coffee scene, located in the Maltings, it's position and step-free access will be a magnet for the pushchair brigade, and also a boon for wheelchair users. Been twice recently, once it was mobbed with mothers+babies, the other time very empty and tranquil. Coffee very good.

This is a smart venue and the coffee is good. However, my visit was spoilt by the sheer number of children shrieking, howling and running around the place. The latter is quite dangerous with hot liquids being carried around but inconsiderate, too; the staff said not a word to parents. And a child in a nappy sitting on a table? Not nice. First and last visit.

My wife and I have had coffee in the Peacock Emporium since it opened, probably three or four times a week, the reason for that is they make a really nice cup of coffee, no matter how you like your coffee theirs is extremely good. However we went there this morning and both doors were wide open and the temperature outside was minus two. It was cold inside and when I ordered my coffe one of the young ladies behind the counter was running on the spot, I asked her if she was cold and she said " freezing" I then asked why don't you shut the doors only to be told they have to keep them open for Health and Safety reasons. To me that is ridiculous and cannot be right. We took our coffees as far away from the doors as we could but after a couple of minutes we both put our coats back on, drank our coffees as quickly as we could and left. I can well imagine you will loose business if you don't shut the doors as do Nero's, Starbucks and Costa coffee all of whom were open this morning but with their doors shut. There is no pleasure in having a coffee in a cold environment.

I go here regularly and, don't get me wrong, I enjoy the food and coffee. Unfortunately, the last few times I have been I have been quite disappointed with the service; two cold paninis on two separate occasions, not listening properly to the order so getting large/regular the wrong way round in the same order, servers too busy chatting amongst themselves to pay much attention, half measure (more foam than coffee) on a number of drinks I've seen ordered. The 'loyalty card' system is also a mystery; we filled a card, had it taken away, got given a replacement card with two stamps on it and no free coffee.

Stopped in for a cappuccino rather than going to one of the chains. What a disappointment, their idea of a cappuccino, I think that i am being generous calling it a cappuccino, hot milk with froth and chocolate sprinkles , completely undrinkable, if the staff behind the counter weren't in such a fluster i would have complained

Quirky, interesting, cheerful. Had a casual business meeting here mid-morning on a Thursday and the place was buzzing. Didn't order until my guest arrived, but no complaints that I took up a table for 10 minutes until I finally ordered drinks. Staff seemed genuinely cheerful and added to the warm and inviting atmosphere. Interesting approach - should drop in and try it - made me smile.

Failed to make my coffee (despite obviously making 3 orders behind mine). Latte was then tepid in temperature. When I asked for it to be hotter I was brought one which was absolutely boiling hot, dumped on the table with no apology just a scowl. So if you want cold or boiling coffee, go! Nice actual venue though and plenty of space for buggies etc.

A lovely change from all the chain coffee houses. Delicious coffees, milkshakes and the most amazing muffin ever! Bonus for us was how child friendly it was. Cheaper than the regular coffee places too.

It was fine - I wouldn't rush back but it did the job. The variety of sandwiches was pretty basic but you could get your standard cheese and ham and cheese and onion type sandwiches. No garnish or anything added and it cost just under £20 for 3 of us so fairly normal. One thing that did strike me was the over the top lighting - I had a spot light in my face which was odd and annoying. It was busy but the staff coped well. You get a raffle type ticket with your order and the poor waitress has to walk around calling the number until you react - not great. As there is so much choice in St Albans probably worth making a note of everyone's feedback as I think it could be good if just tweaked a bit.

Had a good lunch here with a friend but little details could have improved things. The food was good quality and good value. Service was good but little details like providing napkins with the sandwiches would have improved things.

A lovely coffee shop, gorgeous food and lots of space for prams. Their muffins and sandwiches are delicious. I will definitely be back with my little boy.

Nice addition to St Albans as clearly not a chain. Good choice of sandwiches. Coffee nice but smoothies and milkshakes also good. Plenty of space for prams and pushchairs so works well for young families of which there are many in this town!

The best freshly made sandwiches in town; interesting varieties, quality fillings and good fresh breads of different types. The staff have a lovely friendly manner and made up a sandwich specially when I was obviously disappointed because my sandwich of choice had sold out! This beats all the chains and will be my go-to sandwich shop from now on.

A nice change to the many coffee chains in the area. Nothing exceptional, but not bad either. Friendly staff and nice, clean facilities. Good coffee and muffins! A bit slow at clearing tables though.

Not enough staff. No urgency or awareness shown in clearing tables for newly seated guests.

This is clearly a new coffee shop and it should be understandable that it takes time for everything to gel. No new establishment gets it perfect right from the start.

It was busy and noisy and I was short changed; given change from £10 when I handed over £20. I know what was in my wallet and I also know what I handed over. They didn't believe me and checking till was fruitless and £10 and £20 notes are separately kept in till (so you can't check what last note received was). There is no way to contact them. It's only £10 but I wasn't taken seriously (event though it was busy and easy mistake), they didn't offer to check at end of day, and there is no active website or number to contact them on. I just thing it's a procedure thing they need to tighten up on to make sure the mistake just isn't possible for them to make but be very careful indeed and also consider if there might be similar slips like this in food/coffee etc prep. There are enough coffee shops to avoid this one.

Clearly they do not have properly trained baristas in this place, coffee was bitter. Lots of fresh eyed girls, looking great with nice new uniforms. They need more training in the art of coffee and less in eye fluttering. It's a shame as the place has clearly been invested in and will take on the night of Starbucks and Costa but not the real coffee specialists. I expect it will become a cool meeting place. We won't be going back unless we hear that they can make great coffee. I like the dragon outside

Have been twice now for coffee/milkshakes, apart from the name there is nothing exceptional about it. All quite bog standard.

Took my 2 grandkids out for a milkshake and cake to this cafe and found it to be very child friendly the coconut milkshake was exceptional and the others vanilla and strawberry good

The Exquisite Peacock Emporium is situated in the Maltings Shopping Arcade in what used to be the Silver Rivet Jean Store and next door to Anne Summers. St Albans already has a mass of coffee shops so how does this one compare?

There's enough room to park a truck and the seats are comfy but the coffee is not great and I had a chicken baguette that tasted like nothing. I was tempted to eat the plastic wrapper instead. Also, the waitress kept coming over to clear bits off our table even though I asked her not to. In the end she came over anyway and cleared the table before we were ready to go, making us feel as welcome as a fart in a lift, by which time I'd put so much emotional effort into eating the world's most boring baguette I had lost all will to fight. Also, bloody stupid name.

There is an abundance of cafés and coffee shops in St Albans, however this one looked different and looked nice from the outside and is nice inside. It was busy and there was only a very big communal table in the middle that was empty, (which indicates people don't like sitting at very large tables with lots of other people). but two people said we could have their table by the window as they had finished, I asked about their coffee and was told the Americano was very strong, they did not seem very impressed!. I can't comment on the food as I only had a cappuccino, I asked for extra hot and it was only warm and the top of the froth was completely brown and very bitter- which it shouldn't be. Not a good cup of coffee. The milk shake came in a plastic cup. They seemed slow at clearing tables.