Prime Cafe - Plymouth

I have been a regular at prime for a couple years now and always found it a lovely place to have good food and atmosphere. In the last months there has clearly been some change around of staff and different faces which don’t seem...to have particularly great attitudes or attention. The last couple times I have been in the last few months it has been majorly declining. The service is slow, a lot of just being left at the door, staff coming across lack lustre, some very moody and just trying to get you in and out of the door just making the money. As it’s always been a place I loved and working in the hospitality industry myself for over years I am more than aware that we are all human and can have bad days! So went in today with a hopefully positivity of the prime we love! We were left at the door for a period of time, the staff seemed to be chatting with people they clearly knew personally but in the end I asked if i could sit at a table i could clearly see was free and was told we could. The table we sat was incredibly sticky and still dirty after a terrible wipe down. We ordered a large Latte with an extra shot and a cup of tea with some water also. The latte came in a pint glass which I have never seen before so obviously was difficult to drink as a hot beverage with no handle and didn’t have the extra shot I asked and was charged for. For lunch we ordered Cornish smoked mackerel sourdough toast and Lahmacun Turkish Pizza Aubergine on flatbread topped with feta, tahini dressing and a herby tomato onion and cucumber salad. When the food came out, it’s wasn’t a high quality as usual, it was cold, the bread base for the pizza was extremely dry and brittle but that wasn’t the biggest problem. My Mums meal (Turkish pizza) was completely covered in sultanas which was not stated on the menu description and was little confused why they where on the dish. My Mum cannot eat sultanas due medical reasons and soon as we saw them, not even touching the meal or eating any of it, I got the attention of one of the staff and explained that she couldn’t eat them and wasn’t at any point stated on the menu that they would be in the meal. The staff member at first tried to tell us it was olives, which it clearly wasn’t, and proceeded to take it back to the kitchen after arguing this. The staff member came back and asked if we would like the meal re done without the sultanas on it, but due the ordeal and quality of the dish it’s self we were completely put off and asked for something different. It was replaced with a mushrooms on toast, again being cold and not a great quality but both just hungry at the point. After all of this, when it came to paying for the meal there was some serious discrepancies. We were told that we would be charged for the Turkish Pizza on top of our meal with a discount of off the dish, to cover the cost of it being made. Now working in a restaurant myself I know this not how it would work if you serve the customer something that was not stated on the menu and wasn’t edible due to medical reasons. Not only that, we was also told we should of stated the allergen before, which i can agree with if it was even stated on the menu, which it wasn’t. especially something that would be in the dish so prominently. It was a mistake on the kitchens part and i feel the front house staff let it down even further with the attitude of just blaming the customer. We will not be coming back to Prime Cafe anymore as collectively all of these things have just disappointed us and not what we know and love Prime and have fine for years.

My daughter and I visited today for the first time and were really glad we did. The service was fab, the food was totally delicious and great coffee too!!! We will be back.

We absolutely LOVE Prime! The coffee, the incredible food and the lovely staff, all spot on. I come at least once a week, either with my husband or to meet a friend for a catch up. Honestly can't recommend this place enough. The hummus, the...soups, the Buddha bowls, the cakes; all amazing taste, quality, freshness and price.

Was looking for somewhere to eat dinner, and this was the first place I came to. I didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out a fortunate choice. Prime is roomy enough to feel safe in COVID times, with varied styles of raised tables...and chairs, plus some green sofas with coffee tables. So it’s versatile for all purposes: meals, snacks, bottled alcoholic drinks, coffees. The rooms have a light and airy feel thanks to huge windows that look onto Ebrington St, one of my favourite old streets in Plymouth. The staff were friendly and on the ball. I sensed a determination to cherish their customers at a time when such precious businesses are under strain to survive the current brutal climate for the trade. The waiter told me she’d been laid off during the lockdown, but with furlough money. “I was one of the lucky ones,” she said. I wish her and the rest of the staff good luck as, at time of writing, the second wave starts to wreak its baneful effect. I’m full of respect and love for café and bar workers, the way they’ve fought back with all their might against this awful virus’s attempt to break their spirit. For my dinner, I had the Italian Chicken Stew, which was lovely and unusual. Contained real pieces of chicken, plus peppers, baby potatoes, cream, cabbage( basil, wine, and pearl barley, and came with dippably crisp brown bread and warmed butter. Hearty, filling, and value at about an imaginative creation by the chefs. I also drank a bottle of San Miguel and a very decent cup of coffee.

Been here before and had lovely food but today the staff we exceptionally rude and condescending. Didn’t feel welcome and will take custom elsewhere.