taylor st. baristas, 28 Queens Road Brighton

Newly opened having previously occupied a corner of Travlebag just down the street. I was a fan then and thought I'd give them a look.

As always I'm here checking out the coffee, service and venue so you don't have to.








The venue: 4

This place is very much like a lot of other small independent coffee houses.  If you know your coffee bars you can see that it has been modelled on the Richardson & Gilmartin coffee bar business model. Still, they have made it feel quirky and unique and very Brighton. Good use of the limited space is made by placing the solid chunky furniture around the edges with long benches along the walls. There is a beautiful wooden floor which is contrasted with the grey walls and red chairs. Cool art, plants and nick-nacks finish the look. There is a small but delightful garden/yard to the rear. It's situated on a very busy road close to the train station so the clientèle are mostly office workers and commuters. 

The service 3: 

The staff are friendly and welcoming in a very relaxed manner that will immediately put you at ease. They know their coffee and how to make it and also offer a decent range of nibbles, soups and salads. I'd heartily recommend having the banana bread which was delicious. There is a small range of very good teas available too. They are let down a little by having a bit of a laissez-faire attitude; enjoying a good chat is well and good but seriously where's my coffee!! In anyone's book seven minutes from ordering to having a coffee in front of you is too long.


The coffee: 5 

  Served up in a dramatic black coffee bowl, chocolate was, perfectly for me, neither requested or given and with their customary artistic swirl on top this was a perfect cup of coffee. Single source and directly traded arabica beans ensured that there was mountains of flavour in this cup. Currently they are serving up a Guatemalan bean that is taste bud-tastic. I know of no other coffee house in this city that is serving single source as the house coffee and at £2.30 this was excellent value to boot. The coffee had a velvety chocolate taste with hints of orange oil, butteryness and roasted walnuts. In short fantastic.


Overall this is a decent wee coffee house serving up fantastic coffee. With the location however it's always going to be a place for the nearby office workers or people on their way to and from the station.

Overall score: 12 out of 15

The Courtyard Coffee Bar and Restaurant, 20 New Road Brighton

This place has been around for a while, coffee house by day and more of a restaurant by evening.

As always its the venue, service and coffee that I'm looking at.









The venue:  4

This place is in a great location, sitting as it does on one of my favourite streets in the city. Looking out onto the Dome and the Pavilion Gardens, its in a great spot for leisurely sipping your coffee while people watching. During the daytime this place is quiet, I was their only customer during my visit. Its modern and very clean, with very solid comfortable furniture. From the outside it looks small but there is a cavernous space to the rear including the courtyard that gives the place its name.




The coffee: 2

Served in a quality white coffee bowl, the cup was definitely the highlight of the "coffee" experience. As you can see there was an abundance of chocolate added, without being requested. One of my coffee pet hates is having chocolate dusted over everything, saucer, cup handle etc. I was cleaning it off my hands for ages. Anyhow the tepid coffee was basically not much more flavoursome than hot milk, without the heat. The barista wasn't able to tell me what type of coffee they were serving as she "only makes the coffee" in any case it was bland, lacking in flavour and with little of a caffeine kick. On the plus side the froth was still hanging in there to the very end.

The Service: 0 

   Considering I was the only customer I was truly appalled by the customer services in this place. The barista was so busy talking to her friend that I had to interrupt her to order the coffee. She took the order without looking at me once and never stopped talking to her rather embarrassed friend. The coffee did arrive promptly in fairness although I put this down to the lack of customers and the baristas desire to got back to talking to her friend. When I went to pay, she was on her mobile phone talking to what was clearly her boyfriend, who she was clearly not getting on well with and took no notice of me. I left the money, minus tip, on the counter and left.

I would give this place a miss, which is a real shame as it's in such a lovely place and could be great.

Overall Score: 6 out of 15