It's not bad business in my opinion...more so, it's not business. As a descendant of Rao related families, I was embarrassed to say the least. I walked in and had a young gentleman very kindly direct me where to order. As I walked up to the point of order, there were two men in line; one was on his phone having a conversation while attempting to order which I consider to be poor manners. The second man was texting. There was a voice that stated that she would take the next customer. The second man didn't move. He continued looking at his phone. The cashier ducked around into sight and asked me what I would like. She answered my first question without any problem. When I asked her what coffee she had on drip, I wound up having to repeat myself (this would be due to the people at the register all wearing headsets instead of having someone to focus on just the front end customers). When I asked again, the cashier turned and walked away without a word after looking at me like I said something out of turn. I immediately found the manager who had been standing next to her and expressed my disgust. The manager just gave an auto-response apology which is meaningless though nice. I told her was leaving exactly because of the terrible manner in which I was received. I used to give my money to this business years ago. That will not happen again. read more

I can't say enough about this place. Everything is delicious. The staff are awesome. The price is excellent. The place is always clean. Today I had vegetable only pizza ! Holy Cow that was delicious! read more

The original location - a good pit stop between Houston Area and Baton Rouge / New Orleans off the Interstate 10. Solid sandwiches (I'd recommend grilled chicken club panini) and excellent drinks - espresso, cappuccinos and tea. The desserts are the strong point. They've done a lot of renovation work to this location and it still holds a lot of the charm of building opened in 1941. read more

When I started working close by, I started grabbing lunch occasionally from here. Just recently tried their Spicy Giacomo poboy and I am HOOKED. It is DELICIOUS!! The staff is always super friendly when I pop in as well. I've always enjoyed their sweets, but this sandwich really did it for me! Love the yogurt and granola as well! read more

Had the ham and cheese croissant. So good, flaky and buttery. The staff there was so nice and sweet. Get the chai latte, it is deliciously creamy and not too sweet! We'll definitely stop here again on our next trip! read more

This place is very charming. When stepping inside I knew I was in the south.. and with this is southern hospitality. The ladies working behind the counters were very friendly. Rao's had sweets, coffee, coffee frappo drinks, and of course baked goods. If I want to die from eating cookies and cakes this is where I'd travel to. The oatmeal raisin cookie I picked up was moist chewy with just enough cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg. I just wish I had visited this locale earlier during my business trip. Next time I will release my chocolate fiend..... 4 stars since I really didn't taste a lot of what they have to offer. read more

Rao's is the ONLY place in Beaumont to get a decent coffee if you are trying to avoid Starbucks. But on top of that, the baked goods are better than anything you will find someplace else. I go here every morning when I'm in town. They have everything from fresh tarts and muffins to cannoli and croissant sandwiches. And the gelato is amazing Every flavor. I'm not a huge fan of gelato, but this stuff is really good. If you are in town and want a good coffee, go here. read more

This is the 2nd year I've ordered a Italian cream cake for Thanksgiving. I don't do sweets but my family loves it. I placed my order November 22nd just to make sure we don't miss out. Thanks and happy holidays from the Roberts! read more

Food was awesome! Cookies were especially delicious. A couple staff members weren't very friendly or customer oriented; however, we overlooked it and took our food for the road! read more

Rao's was established in 1941, so hitting the 50-year mark is awesome - small businesses that aren't tow services, real estate agencies or nail salons aren't abundant around here. But where there are West End Wandas, there is some demand for expensive little shops, and Rao's is no exception. I wouldn't say it's expensive as far as coffee goes, but since coffee, pastries and "gelato" are generally overpriced, I think it qualifies. The place definitely deserves a plug for the high quality of all it has to offer. Morning, noon and now, even at night, you can forego big coffee chains satisfied knowing you will get a comparable, if not better product. The cute bistro-style Calder (original) location always has the same friendly faces to pay me some smarmy compliment every time I go, and I kind of appreciate that most of the staff is long out of school. On a personal note - I arranged my own wedding top to bottom and after calling all over the place and even checking out grocery stores for a wedding cake, Rao's was the only place that was able to meet my very undemanding needs without charging a million dollars: three plain, round, white cakes of varying sizes (plain white because I had my own roses to decorate them with). They also had a perfect groom's cake that required no embellishment. Aside from the wedding cakes and an occasional sausage croissant for breakfast, I've relied on Rao's for a superior breve (cappuccino with half & half instead of milk) for a few years now. read more

Great food, but you will always be treated as a lower class person here. So bad, that my family working across the street and her co-workers never have lunch there, or take out. The problem occurs at all Raos. Worse is the prices are relatively high. Who wants to pay a premium to be treated poorly by a staff, that is inept? Not me our my circle. read more

Stopped in here for lunch, but didn't get roped in by the pre-packaged sandwiches and limited soup options. How this place is #3 on Trip Advisor for restaurants in Beaumont, i'll never know! We felt guilty about just walking out, so we ordered a couple chocolate covered strawberries and a Napoleon heart (puff pastry, cream and strawberries). Heaven. Delicious. Absolutely delicious! Hubby says the was nice but it was stone cold. Don't come here for lunch, come for dessert. They are HUGE and delicious and well priced. Wide variety of options and even mini King Cakes for Mardi Gras. Nom nom! read more

Had to climb over road construction to get here...well worth the effort. Had the chicken salad wrap and a bag of chips. I will be going back as often as possible while I'm in Beaumont. Next time some baked goods and Illy coffee! read more

I used to look forward to enjoying a piece of tres leche cake with my husband, but the last few times that we've been the cake,gelato and pie were not very fresh. We were extremely disappointed because you should get a delicious dessert for the price that you pay. read more

Baked goods are spectacular. Coffee is delicious. It is a little expensive but definitely worth it. Craving something sweet and this place didn't disappoint. Muffins are awesome!!! read more

Found this coffee shop / bakery while stopping in Beaumont Tx. Great coffee, brisket kolache, sausage kolache and apple empanada.

Great coffee shop a little smaller than the Dowlen location but still good. It could use some lighting since it's so dark inside and a little bit more seating. Great customer service and variety of choices in dessert. read more

Used Rao's for a group breakfast for a bridal party. I can't say enough about how great it was. The room was perfect, the food was great. The people were so easy to work with. The prices were very reasonable. Very accommodating!!! It was fantastic. I can't recommend them enough. Great experience!!!!!!!! read more

This place is okay if you don't have access to homemade stuff at home. Ordered a carrot cake for the holiday.. It was just okay and rather expensive. Will probably not order an entire cake from there again and just stick to slices of cakes and pies. read more

Was visiting from dallas, and I stopped by here for some iced coffee. Was greeted immediately upon entering by two very friendly faces. The coffee was perfect, and my friend ordered some cake balls he really loved! What a treat! The guy we ordered from said they've been in business 75 years! Awesome!! Wish we had one of these in dallas! I'd prefer their coffee over Starbucks any day. read more

I wanted the cat poop coffee:( C'est la vie.

Okay so I was in a bit of a rush for this one I admit it guys. But Ya it was yum! Good soup (tomato garlic) and quick sandies. underneath my frown from long day of travel i felt happy and nourished as they played george carlin rants from the speakers ! I loled and had a nice chat with the waitress Martha about nature vs nurture and the current fairs of abortion in popular culture. Really good stuff I'll be back next time I'm making my yearly Houston _ New Orleans pilgrimage for da da da dunnnn PO BOYS!! Lol peace yall read more

My fiance took me here for lunch one day after running into a young lady talking about it, we are very spontaneous like that. So we were both pretty excited to try it out. The atmosphere is a nice . The place itself was nice and clean which meant so much to both of us. Since we were new on the scene, we decided to ask for help ordering. The response we got back was... EVERYTHING IS GOOD! So we both ordered a bowl of chicken chili and sandwiches with drinks. I thought the ones they had on display were just for that reason, but no, they pre make their sandwiches and they are cold, so you have to have them warmed up. That bothered me a bit due to the price we paid, I excepted fresh sandwiches or at least bigger ones... however we still keep an open mind. We got our chili and it smelled wonderful. Upon taking my first bite, I gagged! It was a bowl of spicy bland disaster. The chicken was so stringy and dry that I couldn't see chewing it all the way through and finally gave up and placed it in a napkin. It's chopped full of veggies and the broth smells wonderful, but it's all for show. I mean no flavor at all. We are both trying to figure out how it is even possible, you make a bowl of fresh( so they say) of chicken chili, and it's still early afternoon, yet the chicken in the chili be dry. So we both came to the conclusion that either it wasn't fresh as they claimed, or this was their normal recipe. either way.... We will never go there again. Upon us telling all of our neighbors, one of which is a professional baker, they all cracked up and said, oh yeah... they should have warned us. So we were relieved to know it wasn't just us, but rather it has a reputation for being over commercialized instead of really good. Now a friend goes there for coffee and baked goods a few times a week, and she has invited me, I will at least go back and try out there baked goods and coffee one day, but as for lunch.NO WAY! read more

Really good spice chai latte here today. Had not been here prior. Looks like the original Rao's, as I have been to another location in Port Arthur nearby. Nice cake and pastry selection. I would return. read more

Always stop by when I'm in town. One of the best Chai Teas & some of the best breakfast sandwiches. Staff always friendly. Great local bakery!! read more

Chicken Salad ON Focassia-toasted!!! Amazing German chocolate cake, and incredibly chocolate covered strawberries. Place can be a little pricey but definitely worth it! read more

Great spot to have some coffee if you're into that sort of thing. I get some chocolate milk and some cookies usually. The've got all kinds of tastey treats, gellato, cake, cookies, berry tarts, and all kinds of other stuff. Good outside seating on the patio and out in front. read more

A small intimate setting with vey good coffee and baked goods all around. What is not to like about Rao's on Calder? We always drop by this location, or the one on Dowlen Rd, when we visit family in the area. The quality rivals that of all DFW independent shops. The only negative is the small seating area. Since we are getting ours to go this has never bothered us. read more

Was hoping to find a Starbucks but decided to try Rao's. My hubby typically goes for black coffee but went for the Caramella Frappacino instead and was like a little kid. I had a iced vanilla latte which was good - nothing special. We also got a few pastries. Unfortunately this location didn't seem to have a public restroom. The server Rose was great - the other server was a little grumpy. Overall good visit. read more

A corner bakery that's small but full of goodness. Cakes cookies brownies and sandwiches hot or cold with gourmet coffee as well as bottled water and soda. The chocolate brownie mousse was delicious but too sweet for me. To top this off they have homemade Italian ice cream. Everything looks wonderful. read more

Yummy! coffee, bakery and lunch. We were traveling through and we found a dog park near by, so as we were exciting town decided to get lunch to go. The corner mall is empty except for Rao's, but don't let that discourage you. It was delicious. The sandwiches were in a cold case, but they warm them panini style. Really good, don't miss it. read more

Barrista was funny and helpful and baked goods to die for! Lemon bars, sugar cookies, and brownie were sinful, but our best find were the find were the muffins, soft and fresh, which we will be back for instead of donuts for breakfast! The cakes looked gorgeous and we tried a Dobache Cake which was absolutely unparalleled. Beautiful gift items on display. read more

Raos one of the better eating establishments in Beaumont. Love the pastry but it's not just pastry, coffee is excellent. I just love me some Raos any time. read more

I haven't ever tried Rao's until I was at the hospital one day with my son. The pastries are appealing and taste great! The customer service was upbeat and friendly, which is a huge deal for me. The coffee was a bit strong but still tasty. I will be back for more whether I'm at the hospital with the small shop or on the end of town with the larger selection. read more

Lots of delicious looking treats. Enjoyed the cream cheese blueberry muffin. Coffee was good and they have rocking chairs out front.

We swing by for breakfast and were full till dinner!! So many delicious choices we didn't chose. We tried everything! We had kolaches, scones, roast beef sandwich, grilled chicken sandwich, ham and cheese croissant, chai tea with salted caramel, banana strawberry smoothie, hot chocolate, salted Carmel pumpkin pie latte, and chocolate chip cookies. Everything was delicious and fresh! We left with cookies and croissants for later. We've bookmarked this place to add as a regular place to visit. Highly recommend!! read more

Just moved to Beaumont and a friend told me I have to try Rao's. I am so glad I did! Great speciality coffee and great selection on pastries. This is so much better than Starbucks! I will be a regular customer for sure!!! read more

I purchased two mini cupcakes at Rao's on Calder Ave. Before I drove away, I checked to make sure they were fresh. They were not. I went back inside to notify them that the cupcake and frosting were hard and dry. One of the employees, Travis disputed my assertion. I told him that they were not acceptable so he said they would prepare two more for me. He returned from the kitchen with two and told me that were refrigerated and to wait a few minutes for them to warm up a little. I said ok but they better be fresh. He said "They are as fresh as we have, my friend." I thought that he was condescending, but I let it go. I didn't realize that his statement was a disclaimer. The frosting was fresher but the cake was just as dry and hard as the other two cupcakes. The next day, I returned to request a refund. Again, I was met with the same apathy. I explained I did not drive several minutes just to get a refund for just more over $5.00. I wanted them to apologize for selling an obviously inedible product. Travis asserted he told me that he had given me the freshest ones that they had. This leaves me to conclude he knew they were subpar. Since he was not trying to make up for my wasted time and for the poor product, I asked for a refund again. He told me would not do give me a refund. I insisted, but Travis continued to challenge me on the quality of the product and restated he would not give me a refund. I noticed the Rao's owner standing nearby. He did not acknowledge me nor the problem that I had with the product. When I addressed him about the issue, he began to explain what a great guy Travis is. He actually said that he (Travis) knew when they were made and that they were fresh. REALLY! I told him that his employee may be but he was displaying that greatness by arguing with me about my dissatisfaction with my purchase. Regardless of when the cupcakes were made, they were hard, dry and tasted stale. Only because other customers began to notice our disagreement, Travis processed the refund. There no apology, no offer to make a fresh batch to please a long-time customer. I was very disappointed and can no longer see Rao's as I once did. It was one of the first businesses that I visited when I moved to Beaumont 18 years ago. My family has made many purchases there, usually weekly and exclusively for special events like birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, etc. Before now, if someone had told me that they had this type of experience at Rao's, I would have been skeptical. This is not exaggeration. The event was very disheartening. I can not continue to patronize an establishment with so little regard for its loyal customers' satisfaction. read more

Pretty much the coolest coffee joint in Southeast Texas. I love the interesting gift items that are usually on display. The coffee is really good too. I usually order a sort of complicated drink but 9 x's out of 10 they get it right. I try to avoid Sbux at all cost and really enjoy the ambience of Rao's. read more

Rao's bakery is very good but also way overpriced. They get away with this because they're a local institution so if you want to bring something to a party or event, you'll impress people if it's from Rao's instead of HEB. Having said that, the baked goods are delicious and if the prices weren't so out-of-line, I'd give it 5 stars for yumminess. read more