It’s official: Greggs, purveyors of sausage rolls and steak bakes, have overtaken Costa Coffee as the biggest coffee shop chain in Britain.
After adding 34 new outlets to high streets earlier this year, the retailer – known for its sausage rolls and other baked goods to-go – now has a whopping 2,737 UK stores, overtaking Costa’s footprint.
Costa Coffee, meanwhile, has 2,700 stores, according to the Allegra World Coffee Portal’s Project Cafe UK 2026 report.
Greggs was first opened 85 years ago by John Gregg, who delivered fresh eggs and yeast by bicycle to families in Newcastle.
A decade later, he opened his own store, Greggs of Gosforth, where he made and sold fresh bread and other goods.
The rest, as they say, is history. The bakery turned food-and-coffee-to-go chain has since gone from strength to strength, no part in thanks to its cheaper offering. That and the ever-popular vegan sausage roll.
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But how does Greggs’ coffee fare in terms of taste and value?
It’s not groundbreaking coffee, like you’d expect from an independent coffee shop that charges £4 for a flat white, but it does the job.
While it’s not deemed “incredible”, reviewers at Working From Coffee Shops said the latte was “milky, smooth-ish, [with] no major flavour notes, but it holds up” while the flat white was “surprisingly decent”.
The espresso was described as “slighty burnt” while the Americano was “watery, but functional”.
Overall the verdict on the coffee offering was: “You’re not sipping this for pleasure. You’re sipping it for purpose. And that’s totally fine.”
They also highlighted the caffeine levels in a Greggs coffee pack a punch – and the value is good with most drinks coming in under £3.
According to data from YouGov Profiles/BrandIndex, 14% of Brits buy from coffee shops at least once a week, with 30% doing it at least once a month.
Coffee reviewer Luke Walton said visiting Greggs is “one of the cheapest ways to get a proper cup of coffee on the high street. It’s not trying to be artisan, it’s not pretending it’s roasted on-site, but for under £2? You’ll struggle to beat it”.
YouGov found among weekly out-of-home coffee buyers, 47% think Greggs offers good value for money, compared to 17% who think Costa offers good value.
And if you can grab a sausage roll with your coffee for under a fiver? Well, that’s not to be sniffed at.
