Costa Coffee in Swan Lane

Published on: 18 Jun, 2012
Updated on: 18 Jun, 2012

The Costa Coffee in Swan Lane

It is always preferable to be able to drink coffee in a relaxed environment, and the Costa Coffee shop on Swan Lane have obviously considered this.

The shop boasts a cosy interior (it used to be a pub way back in the 70s – ‘The Seven Stars’ one of those bombed by the IRA). The shop itself is easy to find in Swan Lane with a welcoming atmosphere and efficient service. The outside seating area is popular, particularly on a sunny day, and it has decent shade.

It is also far away enough from the car fumes of North Street, and Swan Lane itself is rarely crowded. But, despite the level access from the street, it is not the best coffee shop for those in wheelchairs or with push chairs because of limited space between tables.

If you are sitting indoors, you might prefer to get a table by the front, closer to the windows where natural light floods through.

The coffee was very enjoyable, and the cakes – an almond slice and a caramel shortbread were also good.

Subject	Comments	Score
*Costa Coffee at Waterstones in Guildford*
Coffee	£1.95 for an americano and £2.15 for a cappuccino. Slightly above average.	3
Cakes	Average selection. Almond slice and caramel shortbread both tasted good and fresh – £1.50 each	3
Menu range	Usual Costa fare – fairly wide ranging.	2.5
Interior	Typical Costa with brown colour scheme. Rather cramped. Artificial lighting required throughout most of the interior. Cleanliness: table and cutlery required some attention.	1.5
Atmosphere	Okay, some background music but did not interfere with conversation.	3
Access	Level access from Swan Lane, but cramped interior makes wheelchair and pram access difficult.	3
Service	Self service including sugar etc, but counter staff helpful and friendly efficient.	2.5
Information	Menu behind the counter, newspapers but no wi-fi yet. On order, evidently.	2
Value for money	Average value for money.	2.5
Opening hours	Monday to Saturday 7am – 7pm Sunday 9am – 5pm
Address	15-17 Swan Lane, Guildford GU1 4EQ

What they say about themselves:

Walk into a Costa and you’ll notice it’s a little different to other coffee shops. Firstly, there’s the warm and welcoming atmosphere. Then there’s the carefully chosen food and authentic coffee drinks. Next the Ferrari of coffee machines. And finally, the most passionate and well trained baristas around. That’s why we’re the nation’s coffee shop of choice.

We’re committed to looking after our coffee-growers. That’s why we have donated funds to the Charities Trust – a registered charity. Those funds have improved the social and economic welfare of coffee-growing communities in countries such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Uganda and Vietnam.

So far, with the help of you, our loyal customers those funds have funded the building of 22 schools – and made a very real difference to thousands of children.

In fact, as we speak, your donations are helping to lay the building blocks of prosperity (often literally) across the continents.

To help put our support for coffee-growing communities on a longer term basis, Costa is in the process of setting up a new registered charity called The Costa Foundation.