Diclaimer: this review is for Xtreme Bean as a good coffee shop to study at Can't beat free WiFi, good hours, pretty decent coffee drinks with a wide variety of options (including SF blended drinks!!), and helpful friendly service. Good amount of seating in and out. As a grad student, I LOVE the study room with desks!!! However, the outlets are hard to use unless you have a long cord... My iPad charger cord doesn't reach from the wall around the front of the desk, and there is no way to have it come up from the back of the desk. Only a few of the desks have good lighting (would like to save my eye sight thank you), and there needs to be a sign or something on the door stating priority to people who want to quietly study. That room and the study environment is what keeps me here... If I can't study, I have to go elsewhere, no matter how much I like a place. Every now and then, people who just want to socialize will use the slightly bigger table in that room... Not cool, esp if there are tables/seating in the other areas. Ruins that environment for everyone else in there. Hence the 3 stars read more

Xtreme Bean Coffee - The quiet study room is clutch!! Though it could use better lighting - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

If you aren't into coffee and tea, this is not the place for you. I met a client here the other day. The location is great - on Southern, just off of McClintock and only a few miles from the 202. The place was clean, smelled great, and the staff was friendly. Unfortunately I'm not a coffee drinker and don't do a lot of tea, so didn't have a lot of options. I realize that's what I get for going to a 'coffee place'. I frequent them for client meet ups and many are able to offer me something other than Iced Tea and fountain drinks. And, I didn't knock their score because of it - I still think it's a super cute and very convenient place for client meet ups! read more

By far my favorite place to go for coffee. The drive-through is super convenient and I love that y'all always keep me up to date with all the great updates on Facebook & Instagram! read more

I think they have some of the best coffee. I've been to a lot of coffee shops over the years from phx to Tempe and this place is bomb. The iced caramel macchiato is sooo good. They actually put extra caramel when you ask. Not like Starbucks stingy ass. Would get that of the iced chia tea. Bombbbb read more

Gonna be honest, I left without drinking coffee. The outside was gross... No problem I just will sit inside....I went inside. Umm what is that smell? No clue. A bar to sit at? Interesting but... The bar top is cracked and broken, ok not sitting there. A piano? Ohh I like that, but oh it's really dirty in here. Fairly busy but, really really dirty. Ok I don't want to sit in here... Still no clue what that smell is... I'm leaving... Might be good coffee but are the cups clean? Not risking it... read more

Xtreme Bean Coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Got a brownie it is dated Monday and today is Thursday. It's cold so it's not terribly stale just has freezer burn. So maybe it was frozen I don't know. Just not fresh. Yesterday I got a blue berry cream muffin. It was stale too. The guy said they make them fresh every day so I don't get it. At least it's fall and the flies seem to have disappeared read more

A must visit! They have a great selection of drinks, and even offer a happy hour! From coffees, toenergy drinks, to killer breakfast sandwiches, I definitely recommend checking this place out! read more

I used to love this place for the drinks and ambience, however the ownership of this cafe treats local musicians in a mean spirited way. Here is why: My friends played with their Band at Xtreme Bean on a Friday night. I went to support them. They were absolutely killing it. All of sudden, the owner came and interrupted my friends while they were playing and said: Take your drinks and stuff off the piano now! You dont put stuff on the piano! Granted he had a valid point, but to embarrass my friends in the MIDDLE of their song rather than politely mentioning it after the song is absolutely reprehensible and disrespectful when they're getting people buying drinks. I will personally never play this venue again (I played with my band previously) and recommend all musicians avoid this place! If the owner apologizes to my friends, I will update this review with a more positive rating. read more

My favorite coffee shop in town. They have a great variety of drinks (Coffee and Tea) and it is always quick. Their new breakfast items aren't my favorite, but get the job done when I need something quick. If you need a place to do homework or meet up the inside has a great atmosphere. There is also a room in the back that is quite for people focusing on studying or reading. The only negative I have is the breakfast sandwiches, if they put a little more effort into them it would make them so much better. Their pastries and bagels are still good options! read more

Best coffee and smoothies ever-- but the customer service is trash and they never get my order right. That being said, still, best coffee ever. Worth it. #Whateves read more

I just visited this coffee house. Love their coffee and muffins but the music played was extremely loud no matter the song. I'm older but I thought a coffee house was a fairly quiet environment where a person could have conversations and write poetry if they wanted to, not a bar, club or concert where you would expect loud music. read more

Pros: A favorite spot to hang out. Good drinks and nice atmosphere. It has a rustic coffee shop feel with mismatched and wooden tables. Large selection of teas and syrups for coffee/ espresso drinks. On Fri/ Sat nights, there's a person playing free acoustic music playing near the piano. Cons: when they roast coffee, the smell is can be overwhelming. And the flies are gross. read more

I used to really enjoy coming here to do homework but today, I figured I'd just come to get my favorite yogurt parfait and an iced chai tea and read my kindle. The employees used to be so nice and I don't know if it's because the guy at the window ordered a plethora of sandwiches that got them annoyed, or if my mere presence patiently waiting in line just rubbed them the wrong way but when I finally got helped, I asked if I could get a small bowl or mug to put my yogurt in. For those of you that dont know, they sell the granola and fruit in a plastic cup that's a little more than half full, then you buy the actual yogurt cup separately, then you mix it together. I normally dont mind just using the cup it comes in but usually it's a pain to get to the granola at the bottom, especially because it is a decent sized cup and with the small spoon, your hand either ends up covered in yogurt or you run out of yogurt before you get to the granola at the bottom. Hence why I asked for a bowl or mug, the front counter lady then looks at me annoyed and says, "We don't have bowls." I look at the shelves that clearly have dishes. And she says, "I can give you a mug but most patrons just use the cup it comes in." No, really?? That didn't occur to me. (This is said in sarcasm in my head because I'm like, "Not worth it.") It wasn't like they were busy inside or lacking mugs. I get that doing dishes is a pain but, I'm sorry, isn't that part of the job? So then I just order my drink, a large iced chai latte, I dont know what the heck this thing is that she gave me but it is NOT good. It literally tastes like she put some cinnamon in the some water, swirled it around, added ice and gave it to me. I don't know what happened to the really nice cool people that used to work here but clearly, customer service or just plain common decency is out the door. I wonder if she told the guy that she was making all those sandwiches for that most patrons eat breakfast in the morning not at 1:40p in the afternoon. After 7+ yrs of coming here, I don't think I'll be back. read more

Coffee: fantastic tasting and great value for the money compared to Starbucks for an iced latte or a lot of the drinks. Drive through: fast and friendly. Inside: well... it's unfortunately dilapidated and not very comfortable to hang out in. It's either intentionally going for a grungy vibe or is just in desperate need of a renovation. I stick to the drive through. read more

I like this coffee shop a lot. I dropped in for the first time to meet up with a friend and immidialy fell in love with the vibe. There was live music playing and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. I ordered the hot chai tea with a shot of espresso and a slice of cheescake and they were both delicious! They also have free wifi and a "quit room" for studying and work. It seems like a place to get some school work done! read more

I always enjoy coming here, even if it's every 2 years. It's a very relaxing place with friendly employees, good coffee, and great snacks. I had a banana nut muffin and the cafe mocha. The muffin was soft and delicious and the coffee came out wonderfully! I would visit again and would bring my laptop next time to do work! read more

Xtreme Bean Coffee - Mocha, muffin, and Italian soda outside on the patio - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

First, I'll start off by saying I have been a serious coffee drinker for two decades, so I have not tried any of their sweet concoctions and cannot comment on those. I have tried their food which is good in a pinch, but expensive. My normal drink is a red eye. This place has THE STRONGEST black coffee you'll ever try (which is what I'm after). The drive thru can be slow but the baristas are so nice and always chat you up. This is the only place I go in town for to-go coffee. One other thing I'd like to see is offering regular iced coffee. Not cold brew, cold black coffee; then I would go more regularly. read more

The best thing about this place is their menu and friendly staff, everything else is a mess. The place is dirty and looks like it hasn't had a facelift since the late 80's. Maybe it's just me, but I think paying customers should be able to enjoy their stay in a place that doesn't look like a college dorm furnished by a grungy thrift store; a lot of the chairs in their study room have broken wheels or worn out seats. The massive crack in the countertop at the front also speaks volumes to how little management cares about their customers experience, any sane business owner wound get that fixed immediately. If you visit, stick to the drive through and you'll be alright read more

Great place to study and get work done. There are plenty of seating options. Some spaces are more quiet while some are more amenable to have conversations with others. The coffee, food, and music are great. Customer service is always on point too. I always feel welcomed here. One of the cons is the central does not hit all parts of the building equally. The bathrooms also seem to not have air conditioning. read more

Xtreme Bean Coffee - New menu board looks great - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Looking for an average cup of coffee and unfriendly service? If yes, then this place is for you.

Please don't waste your time or money. I've been driving through this place as a way to support local business during this COVID stuff. Every morning I go through and order the same thing. Today, I waited 30 minutes (something I was happy to do) I get to the window and they're rude, out of what I ordered and basically have no sympathy for the fact that I waited so long for something they're out of?..... In fact, after waiting all that time the girl goes, "I know, bummer, right?". I'm spending so much money here. Everytime I leave they ask if I want to tip. No dude. No, I don't. read more

I used to go to Xtreme Bean all the time until I sold my business about a year ago. I always enjoyed their coffee and fraps as well as the atmosphere. A couple of days ago I was in the old neighborhood and decided to stop by. There was a couple in front of me. The guy ordered a pecan roll from the case and turned to talk to his friend. He didn't see the cloud of fruit flies that rose up inside the case when they slid the door open in back to get his roll. I wasn't able to decide if I should tell the guy about the swarm so he didn't buy the roll, thus embarrassing the shop, or to just let it go and not say anything. Well, I didn't say anything. Now I have nightmares of this poor guy, his attention completely drawn by his girlfriend, taking bite after bite of this pecan roll in which there are dozens of fruit flies struggling to free themselves from their caramel tomb before he...gulp...eats them! ARGHHHH...I wake up in a cold sweat and regret not saying anything. So wherever you are my poor, unfortunate, soul...I apologize for not saving you from eating this high protein sticky bun and promise to never let such a thing ever happen again! read more

I go to Xtreme Bean a lot, since I live nearby, and I've been a semi-regular for over a year. Depending on the baristas working, your order could be a pleasant transaction where you feel they care about you and your business, or it could be a relatively curt, unsmiling affair that makes you think they maybe woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. The drinks are good overall, though they can be fairly inconsistently made (I tend to get iced lattes of varying flavors), for example, the Caramel Royale tends to be either a uniformly flavored caramel coffee beverage, or a latte with thick, unmixed globs of caramel in the bottom of the cup. It's sort of an adventure, I guess, to see what you'll get. The baked goods are not made in-house, and they're relatively average. I do enjoy the bagels with veggie cream cheese (chopped bell pepper and scallions, I believe, mixed into plain cream cheese) that is made on site. In warm weather or busy times, the indoor seating can be a little crowded. I tend to sit outside in the corridor when I visit, and even though I'm usually sitting amid nearby smokers, the outside seating area is a little more open and I don't feel like I'm eavesdropping on the person sitting at the table next to me. The outside seating provides a place to people watch, get some occasionally fresh air, and enjoy a little more peace and quiet. One last note: Xtreme Bean, why must you constantly burn your coffee? I'm pretty sure that coffee roasting isn't supposed to result in your smoke detector constantly going off during roasting batches of coffee. The burned coffee smell permeates the building inside and out when y'all are roasting, and it seems kind of strange. Do the people put in charge of the coffee roasting get easily sidetracked? Are they not properly trained? I have no idea. For all its quirks and junk, Xtreme Bean has character and it feels like a comfortable place. That's what keeps me coming back each week. I sort of view this place like a quirky, fun, sometimes-annoying friend that is always there for you. Thanks, Xtreme Bean, for being that friend to me. read more

Worst Customer Service EVER. And I'm not kidding.... would seriously give this place zero stars if I could. My fiance and I went here Friday night at about 11:30 because our usual place was closed. I had been here a few times in high school, and the coffee was okay but always tasted slightly weird. This time, we waited in line behind two guys for more than 15 minutes while they sipped their already served coffee and talked with the employee working behind the counter. The employee could clearly see that we were in line and waiting, and continued to not care. They chatted about records etc while we just stood there. To make matters worse, another employee came in from the back of the coffee shop and could also see that we were waiting, but didn't help us, or remind the first employee to help us either. He must have known the two guys standing there and chatting (or at least I hope he did) because he walked up and touched one of the two guys' crotch. The guy then loudly said "He touched my pee-pee! He touched my pee-pee! Did he touch yours?" While the employees and the other guy laughed. The second employee walked away and the first continued chatting. I wish I was kidding, but this seriously happened in this establishment. I was so astounded at the lack of any sense of professionalism. Needless to say, my fiance and I walked out and did not ever get our coffee, not to mention we will clearly never be returning. I have tried to write their management to inform them of our experience, but there is also no where on their site to contact them directly by email, another huge faux pas for a company. Basically, don't honor this establishment with your business. Use your consumer power elsewhere. read more

I'm not a great fan of the coffee, but the ambiance is great. (And for the record, that's the first time on this site I've used the word, "ambiance.") If you want good coffee, I'm still going to point you to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Company. But for a place to get together with friends, Xtreme Bean is fun. If you don't want caffeine they have some pretty good fruit drinks. (A little too sweet for my tastes, but still good.) I do like this place, despite the use of the word, "extreme" in their name - misspelled no less. But it's also close by to me - that won't help you, but it sure is good for me. read more

I used to love Xtreme Bean as a teenager. Now, nearly a decade later, I am unimpressed. The coffee is okay at best, the prices are what you would expect from a coffee house, and they offer free WiFi - that's about all the good I can list. The serious downside is the staff and the ambiance. On my last visit to the Bean, I went with a friend who is a regular. The girl at the cash register recognized him and chatted with him while completely ignoring me. After 10 minutes of chatting laden with profanity, complaining about her employer, the sun, and screaming "F***" while continually asking her coworker at the drive-thru to give her sunglasses- she finally asked him what he wanted to drink. She then ignored me again. After literally taking out money and waiving it to her I ordered my drink and a bagel. All I asked for was coffee with hazelnut added and a bagel with cream cheese. She got my order wrong. There was no hazelnut in my coffee, the coffee tasted burnt and old, and there was about a half pound of cream cheese on my questionably toasted (cold but crunchy) bagel. I MIGHT have even been able to overlook many of the downfalls in service and quality (frankly I'll drink just about anything you call coffee and pour in a cup for me) if the atmosphere had at least been pleasant. The staff is in charge of music and apparently often uses their personal play list as the music for the shop. This would be fine if it wasn't being played at a concert level volume. I like Thrice and other loud bands, but not when I'm trying to enjoy a cup of coffee and conversation. I'd rather go to Starbuck's across the street. read more

I have come here a couple times because I love the layout for working... Good table space, good wifi, and decent coffee.. a good place to meet people to work too. But holy crap, who are they hiring? There is one girl here who constantly is cursing at absurd volume levels and doesn't stop complaining about everything. The others don't do anything during the slow parts of the day other than "hang out" and talk loudly about their lives, sometimes complaining about work. (They could use that time to clean up a bit, there are dust bunnies everywhere and pretty close to food/drink.) They also seem to use the coffee shop as a place to play their own music, which is usually really loud metal or rock. This place is really dropping on my scale of places to work. Too bad, the good qualities are just being squashed by the people working here. read more

Like many Yelpers, when I was first introduced to Xtreme Bean I wanted to mark it as my new hangout spot. But a few visits later, I started growing a strong dislike for the place. It is DIRTY and they seem to be attracting people who have dirty attitudes. The smoking that happens on the outside makes it tough for non-smokers to even enjoy sitting out there on a beautiful sunny day. I have tried to do it once or twice, but found myself running back inside. I'm not saying people can't smoke, but the staff could do a better job cleaning up the buds and, maybe, asking people to not spit out their yuk right by the tables. I witnessed someone doing that one time, and I could not finish my latte. I tried to give her the "eye" but it didn't work. I think she enjoyed the fact that I was disgusted and did it profusely. Seriously, who are they trying to attract? I think this place is catering to those who don't care about certain social norms. I have enjoyed the atmosphere in the past but I refuse to spend my money there. read more

In a previous life, Xtreme Bean was Gold Bar and the "vault" at the Gold Bar was more of a chill area with board games where people could play or chat. Over the years, Xtreme Bean took over the building and Gold Bar moved into the Ross/Subway plaza. The atmosphere then evolved into a haven for those that are glued to their laptops and/or those that need to intensely study. While I do reminisce about the old days of yore, Xtreme bean does serve up very good coffee drinks that are smooth yet strong. I've had their frappes and they have been rich, full of flavor, and not overly sweet. They have a very wide selection of sugar free syrups too if you are wanting something less calorie intensive. read more

Why do I think of Harold & Kumar when I walk into Xtreme Bean? EXTREEEEME!!!! (cue pterodactyl noise) Ok, that was dumb. Anyway, if Steve's Espresso=grad student then Xtreme Bean=college freshman. Or freshpeople. Or freshcrowd. Or freshmasses. I say this because there were so many. I had no idea that Xtreme (I agree with Geoff O in that it does feel lame to type it out this way) used to be a bank but now its odd layout makes that much more sense. Main area with a few couches and a lot of tables, plus a back room with college library-style study cubicles and another smaller room with tables. Plus the ledge which you know used to be where people once filled out their deposit slips is now a laptop counter, complete with high chairs and outlets. A lot of sweet stuff on display, including a mighty huge German chocolate cake which I almost ate whole but didn't because I'm old. Baristas were friendly and my decaf soy latte was decent. Tough finding a place to sit though. This place was PACKED with young college kids. And you know that they're college freshmen vs grad students because they all have their books open but none of them are reading and instead they're talking about things completely unrelated to anything. Not that I'm looking down on them for that. Hell, I was a college freshman once. But Steve's Espresso seems a lot more appropriate for folks who want to get actual work/studying done. Given the masses of young people here, I would have pegged Xtreme Bean to be open until at least midnight. I was therefore surprised to learn they shut their doors at 11. However, they do get a plus for having free WiFi that was fast even with so many people using their network at once. How this place is during the day, I have no idea, so my review is somewhat limited. I can see it definitely being great as a college hangout coffeehouse, and I'll always recommend independent joints over the The Chain That Shall Not Be Named, and I appreciate the little drive thru they have going on to the side, but whether I'd bring my work or a laptop here to get any work done, or even a paper or a book to read, I'm not too sure. Maybe I'll check out Gold Bar next time I'm down this way... read more

(2 1/2 stars). Don't get me wrong, I love hanging out here and have been doing so for a while. It's a unique spot and has a kind of awkward-but-homey feel, like it's housed in a building it's not really supposed to be in. The vibe is upbeat and friendly for the most part and it's kind of cool to hang out in a VAULT. But the two-star rating comes from the most important reason why I'm here, yo: the coffee. I have never once had HOT coffee here. I like my coffee searing hot. Like lava. But I always get flaccid, limp, lukewarm beverages here. I even specified "extra hot" once and it still wasn't up to temp. But the tea selection is really good. I like how the loose leaf is presented in a way that you can see the contents of what's in the tea blends. And the pastries always look very tempting. There's a lot of fun, zany stuff on the menu, but I have the coffee tastes of an old man. I want it plain, strong, and hot. XB seems like it may be more geared toward providing caffeine bombs pumped with sweet stuff for students pulling all-nighters. read more

I love this place because it has strong iced coffee, they call it "toddy". Man this stuff is better then all the energy drinks. They also have FREE HIGH SPEED WIRELESS!!! No kidding, unlike that other place, no sign-ups, nothing, just go and and open and go. The berista's are good, and the drinks are real good. Great looking college women all day long. The drive through is great and 24 hours on the weekends. This is a great independent coffee shop. I also have held a few business meeting in there, no problem, no one messes with ya, no one clamoring you to buy drinks. I recommend this place to all my friends. read more

Did anyone else feel like everyone was silently blogging about your entrance when you walked into this place? Creepy. I found the over-caffeinated late night baristas on the weekend to be jarring and almost robot-like in their stupor. The chairs were mildly comfortable, but they get a reasonable rating because they have some incredible loose teas and the 24 hour thing is neato. read more

The drinks are good, no complaints there. But there's always flies around the food and when I went today, trying to support local businesses, both the employees in the drive thru window weren't wearing masks. Cleanliness always seems to be an issue here. Plus both employees were having a side conversation when I got to the window and it took a good minute for them to notice me and they'd already forgotten what my order was. It wasn't busy. Overall just unprofessional and dirty. read more

The coffee in this place is tasty and I really enjoyed the seating arrangements. The couches were a great place to hang out. Sadly, the owner roasts coffee beans on busy weekend mornings..more like Burns the beans. The acrid fumes fill up the coffee shop, making the eyes sting and causing headaches after a few hours of sitting inside. He's also unwilling to consider not-roasting or to offer a fan for the inside air flow. I had to find a new coffee shop. The outside seating is present, but totally taken up by smokers. Non smokers won't enjoy their drink outside anywhere. [edit 9/1]. Wow, I managed to drop my opinion of this place further. Went in today and ordered a soymilk, decafinated drink, and the person making the drink (older guy) gave me this look of "Why would you order this", and rolled his eyes. It was just rude and really not called for. Some of us don't want to miscarry (caffiene) and can't drink dairy milk. I also got a scone which was really dry. Overall, I wish the customer service was better. This place has great couches and live music at night, but the tude and icky food really turn me off here. On the plus side, they stopped roasting beans on Sat morning, so people can actually breathe. This place could be totally my favorite spot with some adjustments. read more

The Gold Bar was the coolest, hippest coffee bar in Tempe for years, located in an old Wells Fargo bank. P.D. ran it like a hang out for friends, hosting all sorts of little parties for customers, and live music of various types over the years. When they'd see my car in the line, by the time I got up to the window my custom coffee drink would be ready. I made friends with the baristas. It was family. Celebrated the fearful 2K midnight transition there -- P.D. brought cake, poppers, etc. I went there almost daily for 10 years, and heard the story about the young man who wanted to buy the business from him. Wanted a ready-made drive-through. P.D. refused -- this was his baby, his dream, his family. So when that didn't work, that boy had his father buy the building, and refused to renew the lease for P.D. & the Gold Bar. We wrote letters, New Times did a story, but that underhanded thief wanted to steal a business, rather than set up his own, and it all was in vain. P.D. then sold his successful business, moved away, and the Gold Bar opened across the street, across from Basha's. If I want coffee in the neighborhood, I go there. Still, there were a couple of occasions when I was in a hurry, and thought I'd at least give the drive-through a try. I ordered my "large mocha, made with whole milk, 1/3 the chocolate". Driving away, my first sip revealed the super-sweetness of a ton of chocolate. So I had to go back, waste that time, to get it done right. About a year later, I was in a hurry again, and gave them another try. SECOND FAILURE!!! Unbelievable! I will never go back. Why reward a thief who also makes bad coffee??? read more

A very unassuming atmosphere. This place use to be a bank and you can have coffee in the converted vault. The red velvet cake is pretty sweet and perfect with black coffee read more

Xtreme Bean Coffee - Red velvet cake and black coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Oh man. I love this place. (+ positive, - negative, -/+ neutral) + Open 24 hours on the weekends. 'Nough said. + Cheap, but flavorful, drinks. I always like what I get here. There is one guy who makes a mean vanilla latte, I have yet to get his name. + Food. Good cakes and cookies. -/+ I've found that a lot of high school kids like to loiter here (and they're loud). But, hey, it's not XB's fault. + The people who work here know what they're doing. They make sure to get your order right. And they're always friendly. + They have musical guests every now and then... and it's usually good stuff. read more

I'm a little surprised Xtreme Bean has only 3.5 stars currently, but considering America's addiction to sugar-laden coffee products from coffee shops like Starbucks, I guess it makes sense. I found out after talking to a Starbuck's manager that the Starbucks Cafe Latte that I love so much (that was eerily sweet even though I asked for it unsweetened) is actually made with a sweetened 'coffee base'. NOT freshly brewed coffee. So you aren't getting real coffee and you aren't getting something without sugar. When I asked for a REAL latte they said 'no can do'. I checked with the Starbucks .5 mile down the street and got the same answer. Anywho, when I want real coffee I go to Xtreme Bean. I order the Cafe Latte with almond milk and my boyfriend gets an iced coffee (iced toddy). Both are wonderful. The coffee isn't bitter or sour and my latte is super creamy. The customer service folks are hipsters/hippy types and decent enough people. Don't expect some pre-recorded message to come out of their mouth. Oh, and one of them told me they do get all of their tips. Management doesn't get a cut. The ambiance is relaxed with a nice mix of people (most in their 20's and 30's), and there are two rooms off the main room for you to study in. Seems like a great place for college students, and it's open really late (used to be 24 hrs but I think that changed recently). They have live music too. My only gripe with this place is that if you look towards the ceiling, it's filthy up there. There are these big oval colored plastic things that hang from the ceiling by the register and they are SO dirty. This place could use a good cleaning. read more

Yelp says 2 stars means "Meh. I've experienced better." You would think that's all I'd have to say in my review, right? Well, I want to explain why I've had better. Deal? Deal. *There was a rather long and slow line when I entered. Quickly, it became even longer, with 4-5 people waiting behind me. Only one lady at the counter was taking orders. Wow. On a Sunday afternoon? *The place was packed. No open indoor seating. It's crazy to think of one person and a laptop taking up a large table with 4 chairs. Waste of space. (Our book club needed 5 seats!) *The smoking outside is unbearable. *Only one size straw. Seriously? My small hazelnut latte looked like a freak of nature with a 15" straw jutting out of the lid. *The aforementioned drink I bought was not that tasty. It was naturally too sweet. Go figure. I had to nurse it for fear of a sugar brain freeze. *Kids everywhere. College, I mean. Not really my demo. I love the idea of turning an old bank into a happenin' coffee joint. The decor is cool. I WOULD LOVE to hang here. But, I can't. It's just too packed and not very friendly (from the service to the seating options). If I were in the 'hood and wanted a quick jolt, I MIGHT stop here. Or, as others have mentioned, I could just keep driving a short distance and stop at one of my fave spots ever, Steve's Espresso. Yeah, I think I would keep on driving. This place is, with 2 stars, simply meh. I've experienced better. read more