I've been going to Bongo Java for about 11 years. Great place to grab coffee and sit on the porch. Food's nothing special but it's not expensive and it's not bad. The major drawbacks are that it's a coffee house, so everyone who comes wants to camp out and it's often impossible to find a table, and the crowd of patrons can be annoyingly pretentious. read more

So the coffee sucks, it's really loud, and the service is sub-par, BUT: the cider is AMAZING. My personal favorite is the Summit County Cider which is a pear-based cider that sends your taste buds to Narnia and back. I feel the need to tell everyone about this cider. It is so good. read more

Good coffee, lots of hanging art, loosely pinned papers indicating music events and a snobbish Mac toting crowd that is absently pecking on their keyboard, sipping and flipping open their iSomethings every now and then perfectly defines Bongo Java. It's an offshoot of the main one in E. Nashville, but a much needed addition if one is going to thwart the Starbuckification of the city. More power to local coffee shops! read more

I just have to say that Lauren was tremendously welcoming, pleasant and personable and the service alone is worth coming back for. Britt was also very cool and the chef, Nathan was able to cook me up something special, due to my allergies. read more

I personally like all the changes. This is the only decent coffee near Belmont and I'm so glad not to have to hold my breath when walking up to the door. Not only does cigarette smoke stink and stick on you for days. it sucks for an asthmatic who is constantly made to walk through it. Not only has their food improved but their service has improved immensely. Minus one star, I wish the east side one never moved the ambiance is terrible. read more

People watching here is quite possibly my favorite Nashville pastime.

The inside of Bongo Java gets crowded pretty easily, but outside on the deck and patio, there are plenty of tree-shaded tables. Most afternoons, the tables inside are too close together and the volume is too high for me to get work done, although the deck outside is a great place to hang out or do some studying. Of course, Bongo Java's organic coffee is exceptionally high quality, and the bagels are good, but the hummus plate leaves something to be desired. The line can get pretty long, so customers should be prepared to have some patience. If you have trouble finding parking, just keep driving down Belmont Blvd. away from Magnolia Blvd. - I've always had luck finding a spot across from the church. read more

Bongo Java is not only a great spot to grab a cup of coffee (or hot chocolate or tea for those of us that aren't addicted to caffeine) but it also is a great place to just sit around and do nothing. The place does get insanely packed with Belmont students, however, if you can manage to find a table at Bongo Java during the more Zen parts of the day, it's a great place to sit around, or study, or just people watch. I happened to stop in Bongo Java once when they were hosting an Open Mic night a while back, which showcased a really impressive line up of singer songwriters. Parking can be difficult but in general the area is great for the hipster lover in all of us. OH and they also make some great specialtly coffee which has is distributed only Nashville! read more

Everybody loves this place and it's easy to see why. Depending on when you're here you could end up having breakfast next to Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman or listening to an awesome new band. They also have plays here. Who knew? As for the coffee - I'll take it all - yummy. I love their hashbrowns (the strip kind but way better than Waffle House). The hot cocoa is super too. Parking sucks, but that's a given around Belmont. read more

Delicious coffee and some sort of fancy popsicles! Colorful decor and energetic music. If I lived here I'd get my caffiine here! Also hilarious coffee sleeves. read more

Very cool coffee shop. Had the Bounty (basically a red eye, brewed coffee with an espresso shot). Had a very cool atmosphere with very nice art. Also had an awesome deck outside to sit and drink your coffee on. read more

Great looking alternative to Starbucks but their service is really really slow. Nice outside sitting area though, so still three stars.

overpriced and not worth the money! two coffees, an egg mcmuffin and a side of hashbrowns for $20?? insane, not cool and not coming back!

Great hangout, and a place I go to when I want to really focus and study. The surrounding area is really peaceful, and makes you forget that you are actually in a fairly large city. My favorite drink is the Iced Single shot vanilla. I had some of their food a while back, and it was serviceable. Not the best, but if you plan on studying here for a while and don't want to go down to subway or the Asian restaurant across the street, its a decent choice. read more

My husband and I ducked in here to wait out the rain and revive ourselves after an afternoon window shopping. I enjoyed the chai tea from a tea bag and my husband enjoyed the chai tea from a concentrate. Staff was nice, artwork on the walls was fun, and the food looked high quality. read more

I really really enjoy this place. It's usually bustling with young collegiate and while it is often hard to find a good place to sit the coffee is worth a trip in. Big outdoor patio space right up to the sidewalk makes it very inviting. ONE time, though, I was literally kicked off the premises for carrying in a Smoothie King drink. Alright, dude, I get it, no outside food or drink. Chiiiill read more

Great stuff! Had the iced Mochahontas, as recommended by a friend, and it was incredible! Nice and friendly staff too!

Fido, the flagship of the bongo java fleet has the best menu around, really five star hipster foodie hang. This one in the east end is a sinking ship... Lousy disinterested service, stale bagel, mediocre hummus, lousy veggie patty. No going off menu. No going back here again... C'mon guys, read more

I like bongo java! I have been to their location near belmont as well as the one in the omni hotel downtown. Their coffee is tasty, I liked the iced mocha special I had. Not my favorite coffee place in Nashville but I do really like it, they also have the tasty muffins that are also at Fido. Cute merch at the front too! read more

This place is a favorite when in Nashville, and the coffee beans to go make a great gift. Bonga Java was affectionately called Bon Jovi's by my friend's parents. The best coffee house in the south. read more

Ack - I was more than a little disappointed with this establishment after experiencing some great coffee joints in and around Nashville. I ordered a latte and received an extremely weak cup of tepid milk. My "breakfast sandwich" consisted of a dry, barely heated english muffin with a rubbery egg slapped on top (no sauce whatsoever). The tables were sticky and visibly dirty. And the bathroom is unisex, unkempt and up a small flight of stairs (what ever happened to handicap-accessible?). We won't be back. read more

Love the oatmeal, when they have it. Great place for breakfast. Newly re done patio section, much more space. Staff is always friendly and social. read more

Great place to hang out, especially on the porch. Interior furniture could be more comfortable. Coffee and food are weird. Home of the Mother Teresa cinnamon bun. read more

Great bagels and burgers! I have been here a couple times and the food never disappointed. However, the coffee mugs are small and you do not get a refill. The staff is definitely snobby and not welcoming. This does not bother me generally, but rolling eyes and not asking before grabbing the extra chair is way too much. They need take down the attitude a notch! read more

I have been all over the world, and had many bad customer service experiences, but had never had to deal with staff as rude as this Bongo Java location. It is truly disgusting the level of disrespect the staff here treat customers with. The cashier glared at me, and snapped when she could not understand what I was saying. I waited 20 minutes for my coffee, and when I got it the order was wrong. I would never go here again, nor recommend this awful place to anybody. They need a brand new staff, and should probably recommend the cashier not act like they are strung out/ or not be strung out at work. My experience here was so bad, I created a yelp account just to post this because I am so disgusted by the service here. AVOID AT ALL COSTS PEOPLE. Oh also, cherry on the cake, they will act very annoyed when you ask for the wifi, the wifi WILL NOT WORK read more

Had lunch here and a nice iced chai. Okay for quick, simple bite. Great atmosphere and nice, speedy service.

I am a regular since I work across the street. Bongo is wonderful. They have become my absolute favorite in Nashville.

This place lives up to it's hip-beatnik name. Back in my day beatniks were the hipsters. The insufferable Sartre-lovers we all know and hate listening to complain about the quinoa not being ripe or something while we wait in line for coffee. They told me this place had a cinnamon bun that looked like momma Teresa, but it was stolen and never returned. Now ain't that a shame? A damn beatnik probably ate it because religion is for "fascists". Pastor Raymond ain't Catholic but he would probably say if the person was hungry, it wasn't a sin to steal the nun bun. He is a saint. The bathroom at this place has a mystery door inside it. Makes me nervous like a beatnik could pop out at any minute with a John Coltrane record and demand I play bongos while I try to take an honest whiz. Spoooky! The covfefe was good. High score for the food and drinks. Would have been a five star if it weren't for all the beardos complaining about not having enough bike parking. read more

Great food and coffee, but there was a couple to my left and the girl wouldn't stop thoughtfully caressing her man's arm as they held prolonged eye contact and I don't know, it was like watching a sex scene of a movie as a ten year old; I shouldn't be watching but my eyes kept being drawn back to the matter at hand. This encounter didn't really affect my visit I just think about it a lot. read more

Great coffee and even better atmosphere. It's the first place I have seen that doesn't let you order while on the phone! The coffee is worth every penny and is a gem to enjoy the weather! read more

g**damn this place is bumpin. they are so often slammed but man Worth The Wait! staff is a bit cool, but that's kinda the way it goes with baristas/bartenders huh? (they get there at 6 in the morning who could blame them). coffee is good, n my hashbrowns were Bumpin. couldnt recommend it more Honestly. great place to kick back with a hot brew n my brand new copy of infinite Jest . 5 stars read more

Great coffee. You pay for what you get. They have some really good specials. Only 24 hr coffee place in Nashville. Staff is very friendly. They are certainly swamped with the Vandy undergraduate population. The big patio but there is often someone playing an instrument out there, which I don't always want to listen to. Can be pretty noisy and it is usually packed with people. They do have bands from time to time in the back and then it's VERY noisy. Not what you want when you need to work. Way past what noise-cancelling headphones can do. Only 3 or 4 spots in their parking lot that you won't get towed for parking in. Otherwise it's street parking. read more

Well, my fiancé and I have been here before and have had a great experience. However on our return, we got the hummus plate again; apparently they changed the recipe to a very spicy version and didn't think that was important information. Not such a big deal, but when we asked if we could change it for something else the waitress gave a slight attitude. We asked for a sandwich instead and the woman asked what side we wanted. We chose the salad, but when the food came to the table we got chips and salsa instead. I said we ordered the salad and that same waitress shrugged her shoulders and said "I thought you said chips and salsa" and then just walked away with a smirk. I think this will be the last time we come here. The food is ok, nothing special, but the service was awful! read more

the atmosphere in this spot is dope. Trendy folks & college kids making super strong coffee . Free wifi. Relatively chill staff. Malcolm Gladwell might understand why, but every time I eat here (not drink) I finish my food and exclaim "ah bongo! You never fail to disappoint." Good bagels. Strong coffee (sometimes confused with great coffee). Pure hype. But yes. Sure. Come here. Spend money. read more

Relaxing spot. Enjoyed a delicious Chai with Almond milk! Be sure to also check out the beautiful mural in the bathroom.

I recently checked out Bongo Java for the first time with some friends. Although the food I ordered was great, I was extremely disappointed in their customer service. I ordered a vanilla iced coffee and breakfast burrito. After placing my order, I tipped them generously as I too work at a local coffee shop and know that tips can really make a difference. Not that I was expecting a grand "Thank You So Much!" But, would it hurt to show some appreciation for leaving a tip and for eating at their establishment? The girl didn't even bother to make eye contact with me and was irritated when I asked for my receipt. When I received my iced coffee, I could not taste the vanilla in my drink. So, I went up to a different barista, the one making the drinks. I patiently waited until she was done steaming milk for another customer. After 20-30 seconds the barista with long dark curly hair glares at me and asks me if I needed something. I very kindly asked if she in fact put vanilla in my drink as I couldn't taste it. i wanted to be respectful in the event she did, so I could ask for more. She rolls her eyes and goes, "What???" Wow, clearly she had better things to do than to help a customer. So I made it easy on her and just asked for some more vanilla syrup in my drink. She then fulfilled my request but it wasn't without a LOT of attitude. After sharing my experience with my friends, they all agreed that they too have experienced similar customer service. To the owner of Bongo Java.... I don't know if you are going for some kind of a snobby or boojie type of shop, but it doesn't work. The quality of the vanilla iced coffee doesn't warrant it and your baristas need a major attitude check...at least the two that helped me the other day. If I tried to get away with their kind of attitude at my coffee shop, I'd be out of a job. It's a coffee shop. Be friendly. Be kind. And check your attitude at the door. The burrito was good, but not worth dealing with that kind of customer service again. read more

Bongo Java has great food, coffee, and staff. I always get the gobbler sandwich with a side of fruit and it always brings me back to life. The main issue with bongo recently is that as soon as you get your food if your sitting outside, you immediately feel like you are a dumpster. The fly issue has been so bad that we had to move inside or fight flies off our food constantly. If bongo fixes the fly issue, it would make a huge difference. They food is also super expensive. My meal with a coffee is $14.00!!!! For a sandwich and coffee. read more

Coffee is great but the staff is probably he rudest group of humans I've ever met. Every experience I have in there. Short unfriendly and stuck up. Need to hire new staff and the place would be much better. read more

Good atmosphere! Came here to study and found a table immediately (same can't be said for most nashville coffee shops). Pretty loud with all the people so if you're planning to work, bring headphones. Only lost a star cause my Firepot Chai had about a tea-bags worth amount of grounds in the bottom of my drink. Not a very delicious last sip. read more

Quality coffee and breakfast lunch fare Downside is long lines at peak times if u just want coffee.