Blakes

qualitycoffee

Blakes 8th September 2009

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I am still in two minds over Blakes.

It is dark and dingy but rustic. Which would be appealing if it was cleaner. There are always a lot of flies buzzing around over the food and such. Its never harmed me yet but its not exactly what you want to see.

Besides that, there is probably the best selection of food in the city - cafe wise. There are lots of panini type foods, excellent scones and cakes.

The coffee is pretty good.
The tea pots need a good clean out as they arre really dusty and often leave a skum on top of your brew.

There is a good mix of people in there often.
The staff and welcoming and willing to help.

All in all, this place could be fantastic if they had a good clean out and put a new lick of paint on the walls to brighten the place up.

Just standard cleanliness practices need to be enforced.

I advise going in the morning and in winter when the flies arnt about and the cold has killed off most of the germs.

notebook70

Its quiet and relaxing 17th October 2008

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I love Blakes. Its quiet and relaxing. You can have coffee and a bite to eat and read the paper or chat with friends. Lovely.

jaws

blakes 11th September 2008

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This is a lovely little cafe serving hot and cold food, sandwiches, coffee, smoothies and cold drinks. I've been going there for years - it used to be unpleasant as a non-smoker due to the smoking area not being partitioned off, but now it's very pleasant in there. The atmosphere is bustling and often crowded. There are lots of sandwiches (hot and cold) with a fair selection of veggie options. Coffee is good, as are the smoothies. There is also outside seating available. Blakes does take - aways or is ideal for lunch in. My only criticism is that sometimes it can be a bit dingy and dark, but otherwise it is a very nice cafe.