Gail’s Bakery - is it really all that?

[BarrellChested]

When a Gail’s Bakery opened within walking distance of the office where I worked, people could barely contain their excitement. It felt like something magical had been bestowed on us, and I maybe got caught up in the hype.

I was aware of Gail’s before, of course, but had never been to one.

The great day arrived - a few of us went over and it was…… fine. Nice coffee and a decent enough pastry. But nothing beyond what I’ve had at the myriad of other coffee shops in the area.

Yet still my colleagues talk about it in reverential tones. So maybe it’s just me that doesn’t get it.

AIBU?

There are quite a few Gails in the North, e.g. Cheshire Oaks, Manchester, Chester, Macclesfield

I dont like that food is displayed in open cabinets with coughing and toddlers touching and dogs in the queue. Puts me
off.

Betty's fat rascals are awful. Not a fan of Gails either though.

Never heard of it, after a Google I realised why, the nearest one to me is 90 miles away 😂

Only been there once, while on a trip to London, we don’t have them where I live. The one near Paddington station. Had a cheese scone. Had to ask for butter as there was none to be seen. It was extra. Who the hell eats a scone without butter? And t was a huge portion, enough for two scones.

Apparently they're about to open one in Harrogate!

I went once and had some form of pastry that looked incredible but tasted entirely underwhelming. I also found the cafe uncomfortable and not at all relaxing to sit in.

A lot of places are better than Starbucks!

I didn’t care for it.

Looked like a canteen. Very narrow gluten free offerings and what they did have (soup, salad) was overpriced and unpleasant tasting.

Then there was the hot chocolate. If anyone has seen Brooklyn 99, there’s a scene in a weird hipster chocolate milk shop where they explain that their USP is the sourness of their milk really bringing out the bitterness of their chocolate.

I can only assume Gail’s took that and made it their mantra. Then when I asked about it they tried to fix it by putting some honey in it which then made it bitter, sour, AND sticky.

honestly wouldn’t waste my money again.

Definitely overpriced, but they do a salad I love which I buy quite often.
The pastries I've had have been good too

You see, I disagree about Pret. I used to love it but now it’s got very “same old”. I sometimes pop in to see if there’s anything new or different and there very rarely is. It’s also eyewateringly expensive.

That said, the white bread they make some of the sandwiches out of is lovely.

Ignorance is bliss.
Until this post I had literally never heard of Gail's!
Obviosuly don't live in an upmarket enough area.

Think that's a You issue. Most people are fine with buying food kept exposed in cabinets, it's common in cafes and bakeries.

Well, I love Gail's. Unashamedly so. They are consistently good and their smoked salmon is easily some of the best available. On a staff level, their turnover is low. I have three within walking distance, including one of which is by the hospital I had cancer treatment in. The staff in all of them are so kind and thoughtful, and even now I've finished treatment and my hair has regrown, the still ask how I am doing. That's incredibly rare, especially in central London.

My only real grumbles are they can be a little stingy with the jam and cream when having a scone. Which is a pity, as their plain scones are delicious. Ditto their chocolate babka, berry custard brioches and the summer polenta cakes.

Thank you for pointing this out. I don't often eat at B King or Domino's and I definitely won't be now that you've brought this to my attention. For what it's worth, I also don't buy Coca Cola products or anything from Costa.

Tbh I hadn’t heard of them til we went to London for a day out, DH works up there and says they’re everywhere. None where we live either

No it’s very overpriced imo. There was a programme on recently where they compared items in Gail’s to other shops/cafes. They didn’t come out well, iirc their croissant was worst and beaten by an Aldi one!

We have a Gail's, but TBH we also have a lot of very very good local/family-run coffee shops in this town that haven't lost any business to Gail's (as far as I can see).

We go occasionally for breakfast, they do a very good porridge.

My name is viques and I am very slightly addicted to their brown butter financiers.

You haven't missed much, don't worry.

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.

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.

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

I know people who boycott Dominos because of this…

People are sheep. They copy others.