Starbucks

Thought I did the earlier today, but maybe it was just a tip. Visiting from SoCal, staying at The Lord Nelson, & enjoying the iced lattes Sam makes for me almost every day. All the baristas are friendly & every drink has been consistent & delicious. I’ll miss everyone when I go back to LA on Wednesday!

I’ve only been in there once despite catching the bus outside of it everyday throughout undergrad!
I went in there last New Year to catch up with a friend and it was quaint and pleasant despite being on the busiest street in Halifax!

I’m always losing track of time in here. What a great spot to read or study. I’ve never had a problem with the staff or have had a mixed up order. The one bad thing is the bathrooms are always gross when I’m here.

This is probably one of the busiest Starbucks in the HRM, but I’ve never had any issues getting my drink pretty fast, and the Baristas seem to be pros at making long lines disappear. They’ve also always been really friendly.
The only side effect of how busy it is is that this probably isn’t the best location to come to if you’re looking for quiet study time.
The location itself is small but they manage to pack a lot of seating and people in. Wall outlets are well situated and there are some great opportunities for people watching at one of the corner windows (the store sits on a corner of busy streets).
Would definitely recommend this Starbucks any time of the year

As much as I love small independent coffee shops, and generally avoid chains and mega corps, I just can’t go back to other coffees. I’m spoiled. I’ve gotten a taste for my grande dark roast. I’m hooked. My god they sure know how to make great coffee, and it’s completely and totally consistent. The staff is friendly and efficient too. The atmosphere at «my» Starbucks at Spring Garden and Queen isn’t all that cozy but it’s good enough, and when the weather is nice who sits indoors anyway? Once the new library is done there will be all sorts of great outdoor seating to go ingest the black gold of SB’s dark roast.

Love, Love, Love. Starbucks is my go to coffee choice. When it’s a busy day at the office there’s nothing better then a little treat from Starbucks to keep you going.

I always have a good time here. Nice people, quick service and the new renos make for more space.

This is me giving a 2 star rating to a Starbucks. Never thought I’d see the day. I am a huge, HUGE Starbucks fan. I drink their coffee almost daily. Although the coffee I got here was fine, the service was not. The guy that took my order was rude and sarcastic. Management look into this honestly. I was appalled, generally Starbucks employees are more than friendly.

When it comes to drip coffee. I like it fresh and Starbucks does not really deliver on that unless they are making a new pot. I seem to always get the bottom of it. I order an Americano room for milk and put skim milk in with a dash of cinnamon and it taste lovely. I enjoy hanging out here on my road day breaks. The crowd in the middle of the day is always interesting. Blackberry typing important looking people including myself lol. Yeah more Louis Vuitton sightings then Tim hortens.

For those who follow any reviews of mine you know how I feel about SB and their beverages… I «heart» them.
This location is very convenient on the days I am roaming SGR and need my fix. The only thing that bugs me is the lack of tables, or rather then number of people who park their arse and laptop/​netbook/​ipad/​android for hours! Don’t even get me started on that!
Store is usually tidy and the station where you add milk, etc is always well stocked so… Thumbs up!

Out of all of the chains, I like Starbucks the best, they are quick, never mess up my order, have lots of great choices (esp over the holidays)
The staff are friendly, even when someone is being ridiculously rude to them for no reason.
The location is perfect, grabbing a coffee and then taking a walk down spring garden to window shop. But this perfect location often brings swarms of people.

Starbucks is a Starbucks is a Starbucks. None the less, the Spring Garden Rd Starbucks is a great place to chill if you’re a fan of the Seattle mega brewer!
Great views, good window seating, good amount of wall sockets for the laptop bearing patrons… Starbucks coffee… and the Starbucks formula that seems to work over and over.

I’m still not a fan of this location after more visits.
I find it crowded, loud and not kept up to par with it’s cleanliness. The staff seem a little robotic but friendly enough.
It’s more of a university student’s go to spot then most of the other locations which I believe is because it’s located close enough to majority of campus’ downtown and acts as a great meeting spot.
For me this location is in and out, a quick SB fix!

This is my favorite Starbucks location in Halifax. I know, I know, they’re pretty much all the same. In fact, I think I said that myself in my review of the Clayton Park Starbucks.
Maybe it’s just because this location is closest to my home, but I like this spot. I like independent coffeeshops as much as the next person, but Starbucks makes the best pumpkin spice latte. And they have really good cupcakes.
On a hot day in the city, I love being able to stop into Starbucks for a skinny mocha frappuchino so that I can stay cool while I check out some of the great downtown shops. It’s a prime location and downtown Halifax wouldn’t be the same without it.

When I think of Starbucks, I know what to expect in the way of food and beverages and pricing. Coffees, teas, hot or cold, over ice or blended, muffins, squares, sandwiches, priced fairly standard or slightly above other similar coffee shops.
This specific location on the corner of Queen St. and Spring Garden Road is a prime spot of downtown Halifax, next to shopping, work, bars, etc. Therefore, it is often quite busy. So if Starbucks-​brand coffee is a must-​have and you want to have it to stay, there are a few locations within walking distance as back-​up.
What I like about this specific Starbucks aside from its location is that it’s a great place to be social or for people-​watching. Nearly every time I’ve been in here, I always run into someone I know, whether it be someone passing through for a coffee of their own or walking on by waving through the window. On the downside, if I want to just read or study, I’d probably go to the Spring Garden/​Robie St. location. But if I’m feeling particularly social, this is my first choice.
The major downside for me is that I typically only get blended beverages. Frappuccinos typically. Nine times out of ten, the frappuccinos are off. Whether it’s the wrong consistency, there isn’t enough of the flavour or the most common problem, it isn’t blended well and chunks of ice repeatedly clog the straw. Because I stick to this one beverage, it’s enough for me to decide on any of the other Starbucks locations for my frappuccino cravings.
When this location opened up, it had a fireplace that gave it a warm and cozy feeling that has since been removed. It added a lot of much-​needed room but as a result took away a lot of the charm that this store had.
As far as coffee shops go in general, I find Starbucks aren’t known for their friendly service as much as their efficiency. In situations in which the efficiency is lacking, such as a delay in the preparation of my drink, I have gotten coupons for my next drink free from this location a few times, which is always a bonus as I’m rarely ever in any sort of rush for it to be an inconvenience for me personally. But as far as friendly service goes, this location does seem to be lacking. I always value personality and friendliness in customer service and rarely get it here. Polite, yes, but most likely because it’s a required attribute. It seems the main goal is to be speedy but if I’m in a coffee shop such as this, I expect to have to wait a few minutes. People that don’t have the time shouldn’t be in line. I’m okay with a few extra seconds to add a touch of personality to my coffee service.
All in all, I don’t shun this location. While it’s probably my least favourite Starbucks on the Halifax peninsula, I still enjoy visiting occasionally.

Freezing to death while getting a Frappa, Macca, dappa, cappa something.
I have done my own informal survey to find out if there are other Starbucks locations that have a similar problem and have found numerous online posts throughout all of North America that prove a theory of mine. Many Starbucks locations are cold. After an hour or so they are too cold to stay in there for much longer. My theory? Its a company policy so that you don’t stay there too long. I agree that its smart business and when you have people like me who live at coffee shops, you might want us pesky writers out of there sooner than later. BUT it’s still cruel and should be stopped.
I would like to add a star to Starbucks making them ⁴⁄₅ since they have added free internet which is great! But my new discovery with their temperature gauge leaves me with a disappointment I can’t shed. In fact I am too much of a wimp and cannot be at Starbucks especially in the winter time. Its just to darn cold.
To Starbucks: You may have thought this idea was good to keep customers in your stores for short periods of time. But its starting to make them never want to come back again. Myself included.

The cosy coffee house franchise is in its prime at this Spring Garden location. Urban bees buzz in and out along the downtown streets to further demonstrate the sureness we’ve all come to know at Starbucks.
Warm, friendly service– authentic or not– is consistent, as well as the appropriate dose of oversized sweets and caffeine concoctions. This seems to be a very popular Starbucks spot for city dwellers to incorporate some piquancy into a busy day. Coffee shops and cafes are a urbane staple in modern day times, and so its safe to say that Starbucks is foolproof.
It can be fairly packed in the run of a day, so its possible that you may not always get a seat. But if you do, the fireplace and comfy chair option is enjoyable. This place has it all down.
No big surprises, as its the standardized Starbucks experience in all respects. But with its downtown location, this place makes for a fun spot to be part of the Halihood buzz.

There’s something both pleasant and alarming about the way in which all Starbucks employees greet and treat patrons. The training process must be so thorough that in the end, the workers end up brain washed into quick, smiley customer service agents, part of a well oiled machine that keeps the masses pumping through at a quick pace.
I am not a fan of Starbucks java, although on occasion I do purchase their soy latte. Unfortunately, the Bucks has their own soy milk which tastes extremely «beany» and overpowers the one present espresso flavor. On the other hand, if you find yourself at a strip mall in Florida, rest assured it will taste the same as it does on the other side of the world (which can be great and also slightly disquieting).
This location on Spring Garden is always bumping and often messy. The patrons don’t seem to clean up after themselves, and the employees are too busy processing customers that the state of the café kind of goes out the window. The customer service at the counter is efficient and friendly, whipping people through in no time flat.
The end product at Starbucks is mediocre and it’s altogether unfortunate that so many people are frequenting this place instead of one of the surrounding local cafes. I advise that the next time you plan a trip into this joint, pause and think about putting those dollars into the hands of an independent, locally run café (Steve’s, Smiling Goat, Just Us). You’ll get a better product and the satisfaction of knowing you’re contributing to the greater good.

There are so many things to dislike about Starbucks™ the brand, this location, their unethical business practices. Really, where to start?
First of all, I dislike the flavor of Starbucks coffee. ‘Charbucks’ is really a much more appropriate term. The beans taste as though they’ve been burnt to a crisp. The lattes that i’ve tried have been extremely bitter and the fancier drinks are all extremely sweet! Did you know those things have 500+ calories in them? That’s about as much as a cheeseburger! And a well-​made cheeseburger will actually taste delicious and sustain you for a number of hours, as opposed to a frappuccino.
In terms of this location, whenever i’ve had the displeasure of meeting someone here for school assignments etc, the place has been filthy. This is equal part reflection on the staff and the people who eat/​drink here and get up without clearing their mess. Heads up ya’ll, your Momma isn’t going to walk through life 5 feet behind you wiping up your spills/​crumbs. I’ve also popped in here a couple times within the last year to use the public washroom and found the lock on the door to the ladies broken. Does this take years to fix?
Finally, the way that Starbucks uses phrases like ‘fair trade’ and ‘organic’ incorrectly and as a marketing tool really gets me steamed. There is a crucial element missing here: the term ‘certified’. Without certification, there is no guarantee that bean farmers are being paid equitably or that products are being grown without the aid of pesticides, etc. Now i’m not on some insane bent about pure organic consumption, I just don’t want to be told i’m eating/​drinking something that is not what it claims to be. I also dislike the way that Starbucks spends millions (maybe billions, who am I to know) on psychological marketing strategies. Ie: This swirled red/​brown wall pattern induces calm/​warm feelings that 67.982% of the population will subconsciously associate with whipped cream and hot chocolate. AHHHH!!!
Starbucks also takes part in one of my bigger Christmas oriented pet peeves. Christmas planning, celebrating, associated merriment does not begin on November 1^st. If I were in charge, I would penalize businesses that market their holiday wares to the general public prior to December 1.
In a nutshell: There are a lot of great independent coffee shops/​chains in Halifax, and especially in the vicinity of Spring Garden Rd. Give Smiling Goat or Steve O Reno’s a try!
PS: Who charges for Wifi these days???

I think there is a rule at this Starbucks that you’re not allowed in unless you’ve got a laptop and you intend to sit down and surf here. It’s almost comical, really. Don’t you people have offices?
Anyway, this particular Starbucks is always a busy place, and even WITH the obligatory laptop, it’s unlikely that you’ll get a table. I don’t know if the people at these tables have waited hours for a seat or were just particularly lucky, but anyway, it’s a goal of mine to someday sit in here and drink my frappucino.
Until then, I’ll continue to go takeout. I like a nice cold frappucino in the summer, and my girlfriend likes the peppermint mochas in winter, so there’s always a reason to stop in.
I would suggest that they could somehow organize their ordering and pickup space better, though. The lineup to order always seems to just end up as a random crowd and there’s no real space to stand in and wait for your drink. Counter staff are efficient but not overly friendly, and who would be, given the massive traffic in this shop?