Best Hot Drinks in Gillingham! 


With the Christmas season upon us and the theme song from the John Lewis Advert in our heads, we set off to find the best Coffee and Hot chocolate in all the land (Gillingham)! After searching every coffee shop, back-street and alleyway, we shortlisted our favourite mugs of festiveness for you guys to enjoy…

1. Costa Coffee
Orders: Regular Honeycomb Latte - £3.20 / Regular Toasted Marshmallow Hot Chocolate - £3.25

First stop was Costa Coffee, a mainstream Coffee house that churns out Christmas lattes by the shedload! Although more expensive that some of the other shops we visited, their regular hot drinks were around £3.20 which is reasonable. 

Once ordered, we received one Honeycomb Latte and a Toasted Marshmallow Hot Chocolate. Sipping the hot chocolate, it took some to get past the mountain of cream (no complaints from us) but then you met a delightful sweetness. 

Similar with the latte, the cream over-powered everything else but once you got through it, you finally reached the taste of honeycomb you were searching for. For those who enjoy strong Coffee, this one is probably not for you but those who are after a sweet infusion that looks good then this will hit the spot! The hot chocolate was good and had the right amount of chocolatey-ness but was let down by the marshmallows, which were a bit dry (but tasty nevertheless). 

The initial feel and atmosphere of the Costa was really nice – especially their upstairs seating, it was clean and is very comfy! Now for the downer… Unfortunately, there is no student discount on offer, but why not pick up a card and join the Costa Club whilst you’re there to earn points and get rewards!

Affordability – Good
Presentation – 3/5
Taste - 4/5
Service - Average 3/5
Atmosphere - 5/5

2. Frasers Coffee & Co
Orders: Regular Maple Spiced Latte - £2.30 / Regular White Hot Chocolate - £3.00

Next on our quest was Frasers Coffee & Co, freshly opened on Gillingham High Street. This modern and newly decorated Coffee shop has a lot to offer and packs a mighty punch in the Gillingham coffee arena. 

Not only is it stylish and charming, it also delivers great customer service and you get a deep sense passion in what they do. The owner and workers are kind, approachable and definitely know their coffee!

Frasers is not part of a chain, their coffee is sourced locally within Kent so you know what you’re getting and they take their coffee (and everything else) pretty seriously. Instantly you are met with a powerful infused taste and you know this is some good stuff! If you like good strong quality coffee that blows you socks off, then this is the coffee place for you! 

Frasers adds an extra shot of Espresso in their coffees so if you need a kick start to your day, this place is ideal. Good news if you’re not one for added rocket fuel, they also offer a variety of hot & cold drinks, delicious foods and ice-cream.

*COMING SOON*: Student Accommodation Gillingham are in cahoots with Frasers and if you’re a tenant with us you can enjoy a pretty tasty 20% discount! Pending 2017*

Affordability - Good
Presentation - 5/5
Taste - 4.5/5
Service - 5/5
Atmosphere - 4.5/5

3. No1 Bistro
Orders: Regular Cappuccino - £1.60 / Regular Hot Chocolate (with cream) - £1.70

Moving along to our third stop, we arrived at No.1 Bistro located on the Medway Campus in the Rochester Building. Location-wise this is one of the best places to go being a student, walking distance from all lecture buildings. The service was with a smile and we were served promptly with drinks arriving soon after our order was taken. The price of the drinks were exceptionally reasonable but that’s not all folks… being a student you have the added incentive of a 5% discount! 

As for the taste, they were pretty tasty and looked pretty good too. Like your coffee but don’t like pending big bucks…this is one is definitely for you.

Affordability - Very good
Presentation - 3/5
Taste - 3/5
Service - 4/5
Atmosphere - 4/5

4. Starbucks On Campus
Orders: Regular Toffee Nut Latte - £3.06 / Regular Classic Hot Chocolate - £1.80

Lastly, we went to the Starbucks which is also conveniently on the Medway campus located in the Pembroke Building. Unlike an actual Starbucks you’d find on the high street, this one doesn’t provide a full menu, so if you’re used to having your signature Starbucks drink, our advice is to make sure you do your research to be sure your fave drink in on that menu! 

Up until this point, votes on each coffee place we visited were unanimously the same however, here we had mixed reviews. The Toffee Nut Latte was received very well though the taste did not equal the presentation of the coffee. 

In regards to the Classic Hot Chocolate the taste just wasn’t there.. It was missing the intense chocolatey flavour that you’d expect from a Hot CHOCOLATE! You do however receive a lovely 20% student discount which softened the blow…

Affordability - Very Good
Presentation - 2.5/5
Taste - Latte: 4.5/5 Hot Choc: 2.5/5
Service - 3/5
Atmosphere - 4.5/5

Of course they are many other places where you can find a hot drink or two in and around the area of Gillingham near the universities. Feel free to not take our word for it and go and find your own place to get a drink!

We hope you enjoyed our blog and feel free to get in touch to let us know you think. 

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