It very much depends on which chain. If I do have coffee at a chain then my first choice is Cafe Nero, who still major in coffee. In this case its a flat white with their single origin beans ( currently from Peru) and an apricot Danish.
For Pret a Manger, who I think have too dark a roast and overheat their milk, it’s a filter coffee and a egg and veg roll to eat.
For Costa and Starbucks, it’s a cortado. All the other milk drinks are far too milky. No food I these places.
Sadly these have been gone from NYC for decades now. There was a short renaissance in the early 2000s but that came and went. The shops were a little before my time, but the date nut bread they served was a favorite of older family members.
I remember the sign was still there. Chock Full O’Nuts ground coffee was our coffee at home until they stopped selling it in Canada, maybe in the early 90s.
Aren’t you kind. Thank you. The feeling is mutual. By and large what minimal pot stirring goes on here has an underlying note of humor, a very hard thing to convey in a short post!
Interesting! I didn’t know they licensed the name for this. I see the date nut bread is on one of the menus… wonder if it’s the same as my great aunts used to enjoy.
I rarely visit mass chains for coffee, but I usually go for a latte. The only drink I would go out of my way to get at Starbucks was the holiday gingerbread latte. They killed that about 2 years ago though, so I’m back to never having a reason to visit Starbucks unless I’m on the road.
If Dunkin’s is the only other coffee place around, I get their dark roast.
I stuck with my Grande non-fat (skim milk) cappuccino topped with cinnamon, and a Sausage and Egg Breakfast Sandwich today. That’s costing $11.53 CAD at one London, Ontario Starbucks.
Prices for the same size coffee vary at Canadian Starbucks, even from location to location in the same city.
I have never had a good coffee in Starbucks. I once had a grumpy moment in a Starbucks because the flat white was made so poorly. When I complained, the barista offered to make me another one. I said if he was going to be the one making it, then no, as he clearly had no idea how to make a flat white. There was no other barista available and they didn’t offer a refund. I’ve never set foot in a Starbucks again.
Costa - I always get a cortado. Most of the time it’s made well. On the rare occasion I’ve complained, another barista has made it again correctly.
Vietnam:
Not a big fan of Highlands Coffees or Katinat.
I like the chain Cộng Cà Phê, and my go to order there is the Bạc Xỉu, which is a concoction of Vietnamese coffee, condensed milk and coconut milk with pebbles of ice interspersed throughout.
Peet’s Coffee’s seasonal drinks have dropped and include Sparkling Peppermint Vanilla Cold Brew and a “Bar Menu”, with such items as The Derby (espresso, maple syrup, non-alcoholic bourbon flavor, and a cream float).