Gail’s Bakery - is it really all that?

I would have to walk past Gregg's to get to Gail's, and that ain't never going to happen 🤣

I do love a Parmesan chicken sandwich, cheese straw, their carrot cake, breads and brioches. Their loyalty app is better than some others too. It is pricey though but no pricier than the artisan French bakery near me. London prices as we say.

For a proper bakery though you might try Toad in SE London and I like the cakes at the Blackbird bakery branches too. Bread Ahead do nice breads and focaccia, slightly cheaper than Gail’s. All London though.

Only nice thing is the olive bread.

the hot chocolate is undrinkable.

Oh, the other bakery that's overhyped and overpriced - Bettys. Been in two for a takeaway, Ilkley and York, inedible. Gave my pastry to the birds after one bite!

Kind of surprised no one's mentioned the sausage rolls - I don't even really like sausage rolls, wouldn't get one from Greggs for example (and there's lots of other stuff I'd get from Greggs!) but the Gail's ones are out of this world. The sausage meat is so herby and well seasoned - though reading upthread it's probably got a ton of salt in it 😅but yeah that's the only thing I get in a Gail's as have been kind of underwhelmed by everything else.

Thanks - I’m not the only one then. I have no issue with food that is behind a cabinet as most places are, or if open to the customer side, the food is packaged.

I don’t want the germs from a 6 year old coughing all over the food thanks - which their cabinets are the perfect height for! 🤢

One opened in Wanstead and popped in when FIL's hospital over ran and we missed lunch. I bought 6 mini pastries, all different flavours, none of them were edible. All rock hard, pretty flavourless and even FIL, who wouldn't want to see any food wasted gave up on them. The cost a small fortune! I gave Gails the benefit of the doubt on another visit and bought a loaf of bread. Same outcome, rock hard and tasteless.

There must be something good in there but I didn't buy it and not wasting any more money trying.

Don’t have one where we are, didn’t know they were a ‘thing’, but found a small Gail’s near our hotel in London recently and went there for breakfast both days. They do a really good espresso according to my OH, and I had cocoa! Not hot chocolate (which was also on the menu) but cocoa. It was just right.

The porridge with granola and berries was a generous portion with noticeably fresh and tasty blueberries. I had yogurt one day which I’d say was nicer than similar from Pret.

Bought a chocolate babka and flour free chocolate cake for the journey home, and they were both delicious.

❤Gail’s.

Gails is the Centre Parcs to Greggs Butlins.
They both do the same thing just at different price points.

Yes but Starbucks are setting the lowest bar

A Gail's opened near to me a couple of years ago and I was quite excited to go in and see what was on offer.
Maybe I picked a bad day but the cinnamon buns were totally burned and everything else looked burned too. I wasn't prepared to pay those prices for overcooked food so I've never been back since .

A colleague of mine described it as a posh Greggs, which is pretty accurate.

I picked up a croissant and coffee before 30 seconds before I got on a train as a treat. When I opened it, the croissant was cold and thickly burnt on the underside and the coffee was cold. I got a gift card when I complained on the website. Won't be going back its too overpriced and full of yah yah's where I live.

Luke Johnson, a founder of Gail’s, is a Brexiter, which is reason enough not to give them my business. On the other hand, they do occupy a beautiful old bank building in my town, which would probably be something even worse without them.

I hadn’t eaten pret for years but recently decided to pop in. The tuna and cucumber roll has been on ozempic - it’s dropped a lot of weight! Pricey.

It's not actually.

You will find most cafes keep it behind a glass screen. Caffe Nero for example and all of John Lewis cafes in their stores.

I'm not fine buying food exposed to other people's coughs and sneezes and often a child handling a cake when 'trying to choose'.

If you are up North and near Didsbury I give you La Chouquette. Gails is 2 mins walk away if you want to compare.

Love the cinnamon buns and the Christmas buns are out of this world. Hate that they don't do skimmed milk. The "Too Good to Go" bags can be really good value.

People are sheep. They copy others.

I know people who boycott Dominos because of this…

The Pret baguettes aren't crisp (like Paul). They are chewy, which makes me think they are not the freshest.

It’s the same with everything these days. Nothing is ever fine, or ok anymore. It’s always “honestly, the most amazing ever” or “the worst ever”.

Everything is so dramatic and has to be an event. Yet another effect of “influencer” nonsense.

We also have a newly opened Gail’s in our town and I agree with you. It’s ok.

I agree - overhyped and overpriced for the quality you get. Their focaccia is pretty good and the cinnamon pastries are nice, but apart from those two items, l I never buy anything from there. I don’t understand why anyone likes their poorly laminated and horribly dry croissants. In general it’s not actively bad though, so I assume people like it if there is a dearth of decent bakeries in the area.