My husband and I visited the branch to purchase bread and decided to enjoy some coffee. Regrettably, our experience was marred by the rude behaviour of the baristas on duty. Despite the café being full of visitors, I found myself the sole customer awaiting my order. The two baristas, a girl and a guy, were engrossed in their conversation, seemingly oblivious to my presence. While my husband paid for parking and returned, I patiently waited for the employees to attend to my order. When I finally inquired about the status of my coffee, I was met with an unexpectedly rude response. Instead of receiving an apology, I was told, "Why don't you see that I'm teaching him how to make coffee?" This was accompanied by sarcastic comments, creating an unpleasant atmosphere. Upon receiving my order, I discovered that the coffee was cold, and the cappuccino resembled warm milk sparingly sprinkled with chocolate – a far cry from the quality one would expect. To add to our disappointment, we paid £15 for subpar coffee, abysmal service, and an overall negative experience. I kindly request that you address this matter promptly by not only ensuring your employees are proficient in making coffee but also emphasizing the importance of proper customer service and manners. Such incidents reflect poorly on your establishment and can significantly impact customer satisfaction. Regular customer, Richmond

At the time of writing, Gail's has been open approx. 3 months, so has had a little time to settle down into a routine and iron out little problems. For the past month, I've been getting my morning coffee here every weekday. It's a nice flat white - not the best I've ever had, but it's better than the dreary chain coffee shop offerings. I never buy a croissant or pasty though. To me they just look a bit overdone (brown, rather than golden brown). The rest of their buns and savouries do however, look delicious. I often walk past at the weekend and consider popping in to grab a coffee but, as another reviewer has mentioned, Gail's is packed solid from dawn to dusk at weekends, so I don't usually bother. Unlike the previous reviewer however, I don't see this as a bad thing and it's my choice not to join the mêlée. In three short months there seems to have been a surprisingly high turnover of staff. That may just be perception as rotas are chopped and changed, but it doesn't help the atmosphere, which is fundamentally what Gail's is missing. With a little chemistry between staff and customers, it could be a REALLY good coffee shop bakery.

Went to buy a loaf of bread only to be told they closed at 5:30pm when Gail's website and Google both stated that the closing time was 6pm. Despite having bread in store they refused to sell me a loaf. The member of staff acknowledged that I was a regular customer but still refused. He also said that the closing time change three weeks ago. And the fact that website and Google is not updated has nothing to do with the store! I complained to the customer service and was initially fobbed of with a cut and paste email and a £5 voucher. No explanation as to why this took place. I then told customer service that I expected more then a voucher I wanted an investigation and explanation. The girls on the phone was lovely. But all she came back with was that they were running a trial and the store hours have reverted to the original times. Honestly the lack of communication within an organisation of this size is really appalling. FYI store manager Google times can be updated by you yourself by just making a suggested edit. I hope the CEO reads this I'd love a response as to how the company is going to make a change to the processes.

What a lovely service received from Gail's Richmond. One of the best customer service I've received in a very long time. I've gone to Starbucks and Costa and nothing compares to the service received from here. Upon entering I was not sure what I wanted from the lovely selection of Pastries and treats, but Carmen was in a good spirit and was happy to assist me. A lovely Gentleman from the kitchen also assisted as I have allergies so he was able to recommend one of the new toasties which I loved :) I believe his name was Johnny. The team seemed in high spirits and I could tell they had a fantastic team energy between them, Abbie served me my Latte which I ordered, and she was really sweet. Her service was fantastic as she kept me occupied with good conversation while she was making my drink. What a fast efficient service. All in all I was impressed, and will certainly be returning to Richmond :)

The staff in here are rude and lazy. I went here to meet a client for breakfast, I ordered a flat white and almond croissant. The flat white came fairly swiftly, they seemed unable to complete the simple task of putting a croissant on a plate and bringing it to my table about 4 metres away. After 10 minutes, I noticed a vacant looking member of staff standing behind the till, chatting to another member of staff, holding a plate with my croissant on it. I walked over and asked if that croissant was mine, as I Had been waiting for 10 minutes, the member of staff looked at me blankly, wordlessly handed me the plate and carried on talking. It was pretty rude. On top of this, they don't clear or clean tables, the acoustics are terrible and the loos are filthy. Don't bother going here.

Usually look forward to stopping at the Richmond Gail’s after a morning cycle, however this morning was once again served by the same very rude member of staff. The guy got my order wrong, which is understandable when people are wearing masks etc., but then berated me because he got it wrong, claiming I’d ordered one thing and decided I wanted another after I had paid to make his life difficult. He then continued to make a big deal about it, arguing with me over what I had ordered/wanted instead of just solving the situation while a queue started to form behind me. Certainly won’t be visiting again if this is how Gail’s thinks it’s acceptable for it’s staff to treat paying customers.

Visited today this branch to get a soup. I was served extremely unpleasantly by the lady. She was very unwelcoming and also didnt even tell me what type of soup is on the menu today. Then she didnt even offer a piece of bread with it. I have only realised on my way that there is no bread added and had to come back. When I asked to have a piece of bread - she looked at me like I owed her a long term debt. I usually go to either Wimbledon or Southfields branches, but the service there is amazing. I definitely did not expect such service in Richmond branch! It looks like Gails doesnt have customer service standards and doesnt apply it across all their branches, which is quite poor.

A shame. The food is great, but I refuse to support a company where the managers of the branch are not only rude to customers (justified in some cases admittedly) but they also rude to their own staff, I don't know the context behind their actions, but badmouthing your own staff in front of customers is highly unprofessionally and extremely inappropriate. If they did something wrong you discuss it away from customers and at worst fire them, you do not resort to insulting them on a personal level IN FRONT OF CUSTOMERS. If anyone from upper management sees this review I would ask that they do an investigation to ensure that positions of power are not being abused in this branch.

Gail's should be a lovely place to go, the bread is great, most of the food and cakes are good, but I feel they should stick to their knitting or sort out the service. We waited by the till to be served, then watched a member of staff come back to the counter and serve the people behind us. Then the food prep, which was as simple as putting a sandwich on a plate and popping a quiche in the microwave took 20 minutes. All rolled, we were in the shop 30 minutes before being able to eat. I wish they would sort it out, but I remember why I vowed not to go back after experiencing the same service week after week in the chiswick shop. Please sort it out, it shouldn't be that hard

Absolutely shocking service. I would say this was the worst customer service I have ever received. Arrogant and ignorant in equal combinations. I have written to the head office as it was so distressing. I was asked to leave the premise as I had my working dog with me. Who is highly trained, impeccably behaved and had his working jacket on so as to identify himself. Apparently they like to discriminate here.. allegedly. We were neither offered alternative seating or our coffee in to go cups. It was such a humiliating experience. They clearly had no idea of the law surround service/working or assistance dogs. A utterly shameful incident.

Rude customer service from 2 out of the 3 counter staff (the other one didn't have any occasion to speak). While two of us were sorting out our order on the tray, we were told to move out of the way for another (clearly more important customer). When I politely said I didn't really appreciate this I was told (by the manager, I believe) rudely "we are only doing our job". Apparently it must be their job to make customers feel unwelcome as soon as they've paid. The lady who told us to move said "we only have 2 tills, you know" - yes and the one 2 inches away from was free so why ensure that 4 new customers do not become repeat ones.

Service terrible, food and drinks aren't co ordinated to come out at the same time. Ordered a cinnamon bun and was then told I couldn't have it as they sold it to customers after I had ordered. Staff did apologise and offer a free drink but didn't really want to order another drink and wait. The cappuccino was more like a latte than a cappuccino. Food is nice but unfortunately the service let it down. Also the tables are filthy and not cleaned off. Clearly there are no systems in place as the amount of staff on shift should be able to manage a cafe of this size. This needs to be looked at by the owner!

I'm a big fan of Gail's, but as others have said, this branch is let down by its' disorganised serving arrangements. The staff aren't helped by having a narrow galley behind the tills, so staff trying to serve at the counter, or taking plates to tables, have to manoeuvre past other staff taking payment. The weird service setup (seems that staff are assigned by task, rather than by customer) is what creates the fragmented arrival of orders, mentioned in other reviews. And the combination of high ceilings and music, make the acoustics of the eating area awful. Barnes branch is much better.

We had a pretty regrettable experience, what with other customers jumping on a table even after a short conversation establishing that we were there first, the management refusing to ask another couple if they could move from the two tables they were hogging onto just the one, forgetting one of the two meals we ordered (the waitress did apologise and blamed the error on brain fade because they were busy) and finally being given a cold ham & cheese croissant. Yes they were busy but one expects a better experience for the money...

Most delicious variety of fresh bread and bakes. Parking available outside. One issue: by 3pm - 3.45pm there is not much bread left. No rolls, no pastries entire shop is swiped off everything. Most bread is gone also. This would be fine if the shop would close at 4pm but the shop closes at 6pm so what is the point to be open without customers being able to purchase? I bet if you would bake more rolls and pastries it would be gone so why not? Do not understand why to be open till 6pm without having anything to sell..

I’m a huge Gail’s fan. I buy bread and baked goods weekly from various locations. Richmond is the worst location I’ve been to of the Gail’s universe. After my last two experiences getting rude service from the same person, I’m done with this location. The other person working is always kind and helpful, but the other woman (short with dark hair) is dreadful and has been consistently rude each time I’ve had to order from her. I will stick to the Barns and Chiswick locations going forward.

The coffee, when they make it well, is delicious. My big disappointment is the cafe's hygiene, or lack of it. We've been there many times and each time the tables are dirty, with cups and plates after previous customers. The staff rarely pays attention and you need to ask them to have the table cleaned. The toilet - today, yet again, no paper, no soap and no paper towels. I think even the coffee is not going to lure back into this messy cafe.

I would say its average here. Gail’s in chiswick is way way way better. The staff is so friendly, have a smile on their face and amazing customer service. The vibe is awesome. I was a regular visitor there and then we moved. Richmond is the closest now for us. Grumpy staff, always tired and the service is so transactional. Just asking ‘how are you’ would be a good start!! Gail’s should really investing in staff training on customer service.

Poor service. Card machine was broken and could not have purchased a few items a few weeks ago. Zero care from the staff member who was not even trying to make up for the loss of a returning customer! A good customer service would provide some compensation? (instead you go to a competition?). Strawberry and ricotta cake has absolutely minimal amount of strawberry and is very doughy....substandard quality. Don’t buy it.

Charging your guests seven pounds twenty for a cheese toastie is a crime against humanity. Period. Having said that the actual toastie it is out of this world. Probably the best toastie I have ever tried. If Michelin will start giving out starts to toasties I bet this one will get it real quick. That however don't justify extravagant prices. Seven pounds for two slices of bread and some fermented milk is a rip-off.

Richmond gails is Worst branch ive been too lack of staff caused them not to have half the items on the menu ready. It took them 40 min to prepare my sandwich causing me to miss my doctors appointment. None of there usually sandwiches were ready nor was their breakfast options available. Very poor customer service one chef and two other staff members causing long queues lack of clean tables.

lovely brunch menu and good bread. my favourites for brunch are the french toast & salmon with scrambled eggs. nice coffees too. knocked off a star as service can sometimes be quite slow, so not somewhere to stop if you’re in a rush. one thing i would change would be keeping the brunch menus on the tables instead of by the till - it’s awkward to have to get to the front of the queue in order to see the menu!

Bad experience today. Had no intention of entering the shop, but dashed in stupidly without a mask to hand the payment card to by daughter who was at the payment till, as i did not want her to hold the queue. I was told my a worker that I did not have a mask, immediately apologised and dash out but had a constant barraging from a worker in the shop. Did not stop even when I was outside the shop.

A cappuccino is NOT a latte .. you need to train your barista this .. over milky coffee with a pattern on top and she asks if I want chocolate on top ! I threw half of it away as I didn’t get a coffee kick & it seems other reviews say the same , don’t offer a cappuccino if you can’t find anyone who knows how to make one , I’ll have to stick to a flat white it seems ( If I go there again )

Cold coffee, scattershot service. Busy, and we were warned about a long wait time for cooked breakfast, which was useful, so we ordered cold pastries to go with hot drinks. Coffee arrived ten minutes before scones, and was almost cold when it arrived. Scones might have been nice if they'd had a drink to go with them. As it was, they were dry and half an hour late. Disappointed.

I saw the focaccia on the window, finally bough £25 of nice food and patisseries. Very nice quiche and rolls. Awaiting my kettle to be ready to enjoy the attached picture (not alone to eat all of that - sadly :p ) Friendly staff and nice place to hang around. I will go back next weekend for sure. (Look at those scrambled eggs on toast )

All the food looks delicious, it’s hard to pick one! Every time we are there it was amazing and the bread is always delightful! Coffee never disappoints and the service is always nice and friendly! They’re happy to recommend stuff and help you out and I love to go there a a treat as they’re near my home and work! Big well done ❤️

Can Richmond take yet another coffee and sandwich cafe? Well when it's as good as Gail's Bakery the answer is yes. If we all ate Gail's sandwiches there would be no diabetes epidemic, delicious fillings in healthy artisanal bread yum... on the other hand you'd have to limit your cake consumption... though they are very tempting.

Sure the bread here is good enough (if way overpriced) but the queues are unacceptable, possibly due to hardworking but inexperienced staff. Staff don’t appear to be fully trained on the till and the café, at busy times, is understaffed. Plenty of competition in town not to bother with this place unless you have to.

Food - great pretty much faultless Service - terrible if sitting in, food and drinks not coordinated, food comes without cutlery. Teapots pour horribly. Today we went to get more food and they cleared our unfinished teas away while our things were still at the table! Such a shame as it let's down the amazing food

Everything is top notch here and the service is excellent, they were very patient when I couldn't decide what cake to have! It's defo worth getting bread here too if you pop in for coffee, it's the best thing they do The coffee tastes good, it's not especially strong but will please most people. …

The one thing that brings me back again and again to Gail's is the great bread. And the fact that the coffee shops do not have blaring music and therefore allow you to have a conversation. I feel all coffee shops should have no music so you can hold a conversation without having to scream over the music!

Nice enough staff and would be a quiet place for a meeting or similar but the cinnamon bun I purchased to take out was rock solid and not that cinnamony. I’ve had their bread before (though not from this branch) and it’s been delicious so I’m not sure what’s going on but I don’t think I’ll go back.

Gail's had become my fav place for coffee/brunch/afternoon tea. However, having witnessed the amount of food they throw away if it's a second past their opinion of fresh, I will never go back. Find another way, please, to offload your unwanted food than chucking still-warm trays of it in the bin.

I want to like Gail's but the space just doesn't work very well. Illegible fonts behind the counter (they work at a distance), no noise buffering, a massive plant the staff trip over, terrible soya milk (it only works served hot), rubbish furniture. I like the menu but I don't like the space.

Ordered our food and paid at the counter. 10 minutes later 1 (cold; which according to the waitress is supposed to be cold:strange) chicken burger is brought to the table with the message that they only had 1 left instead of two! We shared but a cold burger with a soggy bun is just not nice.

Lovely products & good service by efficient & polite staff in Richmond. In the past the service has been very slow & sometimes your order never came unless you reminded them - & even then it was slow. Today it was swift & the staff were great!! Very clean tables & toilet.

We came in this morning and we’re served by two of the staff here. They were exceptional - very child friendly and even helped cut a straw for our daughter that was too long. I have no issue spending money with a business like this. Well done for setting a high standard.

Cosy cafe with nice atmosphere, friendly staff and tasty food. Visited it shortly and was served quick, the coffee was excellent as well as scones. The croissant could be better, but still not so bad. They sell nice handmade sourdough bread there, top quality

I absolutely love Gail’s. Their sourdough bread is as close to San Franciscan sourdough as you’re going to get outside of the Bay Area. Delicious! They take American classics like chocolate chip cookies and English muffins and just makes them much better.

Best coffee, great location, very nice staff, but as a regular they could do some discounts for local residents like me :) I visit the place almost every day for a coffee so, to get two stars on the loyalty cart, time to time, would be a nice gesture!!!!!

Lovely food and coffee. Staff were nice and helpful . Worth a visit. Very busy, queue before 9 on a Sunday.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Breakfast
Price per person
£10–20
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4

Nice food and ambience but staff let it down massively by being unhelpful and unpleasant. The kitchen staff are visible through the window - they don't use gloves when preparing the food!!! Would give the food 4 stars otherwise.

Ordered a toast with avocado and salsa. What I got was a fairly small piece of wholemeal bread with avocado spread over it quite crudely. The seeds were just lovelessly thrown in the middle. The whole creation was not worth £8.

Great staff, very friendly and helpful, products are the best, we actually go there just to get their bread and chocolate cake. Downside is not as much variety of food available as the one in queens park...which we love!

Don't even think about having a coffee here. So don't even think about visiting it. Your day will be bad with this coffee. Suggest changing the type of coffee. Because you have good types of baked goods and nice workers.

I love this bakery! Really lovely pastries, bread is wonderful. Their breakfast is also amazing! The French toast is always perfect. I also love how their pot of tea is huge, great size if you plan to sit and work. :)

Decent coffee and lots of seating. Off the main road, so always quieter than many places in the same area. I like that they have a good selection of interesting soft drinks too. Had a good rhubarb soda.

Delicious range of breads and pastries - we really like the French dark sourdough and the waste bread (made out of old loaves, so better for the environment)! Lovely, friendly staff, especially Carmen!

The people working in this Gail's make it. Carman and Abigail are so friendly and smile all the time, it's refreshing. The cooked food is generally pretty good and their baked items are superb.

Absolutely don't go in the weekend. Jammed with screaming kids. Food and coffee good if you can find a place to sit and put up with the noise. Don't expect a peaceful Sunday morning breakfast.

Very disappointed, no hot chocolate, no honey, no proper spoons, service could have been better, background music annoying, hard to have proper conversation. Gails in Chiswick so much better.

Quality of hot chocolate has declined. It is now a more watered down version. What happened to the lovely thick hot chocolate?! - Today’s was even worse - it was just warm milk!!!!!

Strongly recommend their sourdough breads. A wide variety and each one is amazing! Staff are courteous and make their best efforts at ensuring every customer is dealt with swiftly.

Disappointing but coffee was good. Overdone scrambled eggs, incredibly slow service, spilt coffee, had to change order twice because they ran out of ingredients. Cakes look nice.

£4,60 for a 11% lemon "juice" made with lemons that do not originate in the UK, DEFO A RIP OFF, a robbery. Defo you banked today £9,20, but you lost a regular customer for good.

Don't go to Gail's when there is such a great non chain local cafe next door!! Cafe Milano is much, much nicer. The coffee is a lot better & it's run by the sweetest couple. :)

Eduardo at Gail’s in Richmond is phenomenal. The service he delivers every time my family are in the store makes us want to come back. The rest of the team are also fantastic!

high quality coffee made by professional trained baristas,best hot chocolate in town,great selection of cakes, bread, salads,breakfast. You will not be disappointed!!

As all the Gail's bakeries in London, this ome is also the perfect place for grabbing some sweat things with a nice coffee. Their avocado toast is also worth trying.

Not the best selection of baked goods compared to other Gail's I've been to. Maybe I caught them on bad day. Tables and amenities a bit dirty. But service was nice.

Great place to meet a friend :)
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Brunch
Price per person
£1–10
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5

Awful. Their service is appalling. They serve the Deliveroo customers before the actual customers and they never EVER have any porridge left….won’t be going back.

Gails is a brilliant bakery - I have also recently visited their branches in Clapham, Balham and St John's Wood. Pleasant staff and a yummy selection of edibles!

Lovely staff and fantastic food. This cafe adds value to the neighborhood . They really try had to please and the fantastic high quality product makes it easy.

Coffee and food are excellent. Interior decor is very pleasant although lighting is far too bright. Staff are friendly but service is sometimes a little slow.

Nice scones and cup of English breakfast tea. However, the portion of English clotted cream just borders on being very measly. Shame as it was nice otherwise.

The coffee was great and the service quick and friendly. The food was very nice (not the best hence only 4 stars), in particular the avacado toast with salsa.

Great place. The welcome and service are as warm as the bread straight from the oven. Busy and place is still spotless. When are you opening in Scotland?

My son and I love Gail's Richmond! We go every Friday and on weekends. Carmen, Maria and the rest of the staff are great. Very baby and kid friendly!

Enjoy a hot ham and cheese croissant, unless its been sat ages and is stone cold and the staff say we can't heat it for you. Thanks for that.

Nice place to relax, enjoy a coffee and a snack but eating in adds a huge amount extra to your bill so not sure how this can be justified.

Nice but nothing special. Food isn't the best coffee was too bitter. Better places available. Staff was 1/5 help wise regarding the food

Very busy. Had to wait for a table, but it was worth it. As soon as the table emptied, a lovely lady cleaned it down for us to use

Not a great visit. Reigate Gail's was great. This one falls short. Much better option a few more steps down the road. Cafe milano

Great Cappuccino and menu items! I had their baked eggs which was very good! Ample seating! Will highly recommend this place!

Not a very friendly bunch.. Cold food , didn't even bother to heat the pasty's up, obviously having a bad day or something.

Good coffee but very expensive. Nice avocado and eggs but they are frequently out of their only gluten free bread.

Always make me feel welcome and the food is excellent. The staff always have a nice smile and are hard working.

Nice coffee shop with some atmosphere. The honey and walnut sourdough is amazing toasted with salted butter

Great place to relax with a newspaper after picking up your cream cheese and salmon from Waitrose.

With all this above the average price stuff, kitchen is closed on Sat afternoon. Whaaaat

Great cakes and friendly service. Great Coffee place to settle in for a read or catch-up

just wow! delicious and freshly made! quick service and cool interior as well

Coffee was so nice! Best I’d had in a while ☕️ food was yummy as well!

Lovely breakfast choices, soups and light lunch. Friendly service!

Posh bakery with lush food and great coffee. Cannot fault it.

Good selection let down because you can’t pay with cash

Great breakfast options, friendly service! Thank you

Great coffee and also great sandwiches