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?

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.

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

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'.

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.

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 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.

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

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 .

Yes but Starbucks are setting the lowest bar

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

❤Gail’s.

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.

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.

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! 🤢

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.

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!

the hot chocolate is undrinkable.

Only nice thing is the olive bread.

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.

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

Overpriced and won't take cash. Object on principle.

The one near us opened last summer and is the same. I found it all overpriced. It was quiet when we went in and the staff could barely contain their boredom. They got our order wrong, fair enough everyone makes mistakes but then the person argued with me that I had ordered the wrong thing. Luckily I had my receipt and it showed correctly what I had ordered. After then being given an unwashed teaspoon we vowed not to got back.

My pastry was below average so “decent enough” wouldn’t even cover it for me. It was dry and hardly had any of the filling it should have had. It looked impressive, but wasn’t all that pleasant to eat.

My friend excitedly took me there as her treat. I took her somewhere else when it was my turn!

🍿

Usually if an area has a Gail's, it has some decent independent coffee shops around too. They will get my business on principle.

That said, I do go to the one at Euston station from time to time. Especially if work are paying for it.