Cool, quiet place to do homework or read. Definitely has a San Francisco Bay Area coffee house feel to it, which I love. Something about the place is retro too, or like time is passing slowly in there. I've had the peanut butter blendito, which I loved and am now obsessed with. The couscous is pretty good as well, though I did have to remind the guy I ordered it. I like how they bring you your food and coffee to your table too, so you don't have to stop in the middle of reading. read more

Honestly, I don't understand what was so great about this place. The decor was very inexpensive and tacky. Also, the service was unorganized and wasn't very welcoming. I would possibly go here again but I'll give them some more time to adapt to running a business. read more

Coffee Bandits - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Merced, California

Thoughtfully decorated and an awesome theme all-around, the Coffee bandits cafe is a breath of fresh air in Merced commerce. They also have great espresso and feature Janes baked goods from Atwater to snack on. read more

Coffee Bandits - Awesome mural in the lounge area - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Merced, California

This place is super cute and all the employees are so friendly. Plus they are so vegan friendly! With vegan pastries, a vegan white chocolate mocha, and many plant-based milk options. I love their lavender latte and their long list of other syrups to choose from. Their sandwiches and wraps are delicious too, especially the one with sun-dried tomato hummus. Definitely a go-to coffee shop for me. read more

This is your typical downtown college town coffee shop. The coffee was decent, but not amazing. The people made a macchiato (not on the menu) without needing to remind me it was not of the Starbucks variety. I would suggest going good if you are in town. read more

Coffee Bandits - To go - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Merced, California

I am not particularly excited about this place now that I have been. With a name like Coffee Bandits I was excited to go. However, here's the deal... It's mediocre at best. The Starbucks down the street is far better. When we came in my dad and I got coffees. Black. Just plan coffees. You can tell a lot about a place by the brewed coffee they sell. Theirs tasted watered down and they only had one option. It was thoroughly unimpressive. It might has well just been Folgers. The restroom was clean-ish. The floor was clean, but like everywhere else in the facility it had stains on the walls and baseboard/tiles. It was divey, to say the least. They had interesting artwork, but that was the singular plus. The service was prompt, but again, unimpressive. I feel like he did not know much about coffee, and even though it looked like they had multiple options, he had only kept one available. Overall, less than great experience. Just walk the tenth of a mile down to Starbucks... and I'm not a Starbucks proponent. read more

Coffee Bandits - Really great artwork at this place - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Merced, California

Great bagels. Average brewed coffee. The breakfast bagel was very good I had the sausage, cheese and egg bagel. Very tasty. The coffee was a single origin bean, the brew itself was burnt and not very flavorful. If you are a coffee snob go one block down to ASIP. read more

Wow... where do I even begin! I am a coffee addict. Without coffee, I'm a zombie. I'm a harsh critic when it comes to coffee. This place has stolen my heart. The place is HUGE! I loved all the space! Their menu is easy to read and very simple. They have books and board games and even a piano open for people to use. I ordered an Iced Chai tea and it was so delicious. It was the greatest thing I've ever tasted. They are a bit pricy though. I paid almost 5 bucks for a medium chai tea that was mostly ice. I will be returning soon!!!! read more

Hidden gem? Absolutely! I usually stop at Starbucks on my commute from the 559 to the 530, but this time I thought I'll try something new. Merced is a brand new college town and I randomly decided to check a new coffee shop! As soon as I arrived the barista was super attentive and gave me great suggestions that would compliment my pallet. I went with the eustachio. It is the perfect blend of coffee with a subtle sweetness. There are plenty of tables to study! This is definitely my to go place from now on! read more

I love CB! The Creme Brulee tea is fantastic! I also love the cinnamon sugar cake they had. I can't have dairy so I really appreciate that they have a lot of vegan options for drinks and desserts. read more

Yay, I can update my review on a 2nd visit and say I had a very good iced cappuccino here. It was strong, rich & full flavored. My first visit was disappointing. I was raised on Peets in Berkeley, live in Oakland and I know a good cup of coffee when I drink one, and the cappuccino I got on my first visit was not good. But I had a different barista yesterday and she made me a really nice iced cappuccino. It's got a nice vibe, friendly service, art on the walls, free wifi that reaches the tables outside. And it sure beats Starbucks. read more

This coffee shop, despite really nice staff, has awful espresso drinks. We ordered two espresss and a macchiato and all three were bitter, watery and not worth drinking. My friend's pie was also bad- said it tasted like a "bad Marie Callendar pie". What was awesome-- after talking to the nice Barista, he remade all three drinks. He took more care of the shot making process and pulled the shots shorter. All three tasted better (almost drinkable). I think this shop has potential, but it needs work-- teach the baristas how to pull proper 2oz or less espresso shots. read more

Very messy and unorganized vibe in the eating area, with used church pews and tacky metal cushioned chairs. The display for food and pastries is oddly empty, only taking up a fourth of the display case, which makes for slim pickings and high price if you want something to eat along with your coffee. They got my order wrong the first time, mistaken an hot order for an iced one. I also kind of laughed at the way the way the barista pronounced some of the orders (very Americanized). Thought that it was weird that they didn't sweeten the mocha (kind of difficult to dissolve sweetener when iced), but at least better than drinking an overly sweetened one I guess. If you want somewhere that has better than average coffee with a messy atmosphere, I would recommend going here. read more

Great service!! Not only is the coffee, the hot chocolate, and the pastry good but the service is great as well! They remember my friends and I coming in throughout the week and gave us a frequent stamp card with the stamps from all the drinks we had before! read more

This place is the best in Merced! Coffee Bandits is a unique place to grab a coffee, do your homework or a place to hang out with friends. The barista people are very friendly and the atmosphere is lay back so it feels like home to me. I always stop by on Fridays to grab my white mocha latte and work on my daily task on my laptop. I definitely would recommend anyone who's a coffee lover to check out Coffee Bandits! You won't be disappointed! read more

Amazing! Super great atmosphere with the kindest worker! He was helpful understanding and caring during the entire time my friends and I were here! I would recommend the banana bread, the blueberry scone, and the dirty chai. The service here is unparalleled and the environment is the best in Merced. read more

Went in for some coffee with my son a while back. Love the look and how it's really involved with the community. But when I asked to try their best iced coffee, it tasted just like black coffee over ice. Not sweet. No flavor. About the same price as Starbucks. read more

I love the relaxed ambience of this place. I'm not a coffee drinker, but the chai tea is yummy. I also like the local food they sell (Jantz pie!) read more

Coffee Bandits - Chai tea latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Merced, California

Extremely dissapointed in the art work here. Not a place I felt comfortable or respected as a women. Felt dirty and dingy but the fact that they had so many nude pictures just made me feel so dissapointed. Not a place I would feel comfortable taking any guy or even be in by myself. Very degrading to women. read more

Great drinks and friendly, local atmosphere. Only downside is that is looks kinda dirty. Maybe that's part of the hipster charm? Either way, if you want good coffee, stop by. I would recommend the cider or chai latte! read more

Coffee Bandits - Chai on the left. Cider on the right. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Merced, California

Only had 2 things here: double shot Americano and a lemon bar. Delicious coffee. Yummy bar (bar was a little pricey at $3 I thought but good). Fast WiFi. Nice barista. Go here over a Starbucks! I actually can have a direct comparison because I'm having a Starbucks americano as I type, and it ain't nearly as flavorful. read more

Very great coffee! I got the White Mocha, my parents got Hazelnut Lattes. Everything was excellent, and very nice decor inside. They also had a piano that you could play, which I thought was pretty cool. Would come again! read more

I'm local and gave a couple years of my life to being a regular at Coffee Bandits, then life got busy. It is a perfect cafe for a voracious reader and it's comfortable to get work done there. Melissa is great (and turned me on to several horror movies and podcasts). Quality of coffee? I am the most basic coffee drinker and not choosey, but I barely beat an addiction to their sandwiches. read more

Great place to grab coffee in Merced. The drinks are terrific and the staff is amazing! read more

Coffee Bandits - Just got the newest addition to Coffee Bandits. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Merced, California

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Real coffee in Merced! I'm so glad I found it. Happy for the almond milk option! And wow, the large is LARGE!!! read more

Coffee Bandits - Almond milk latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Merced, California

Stopped here on a long drive and it was great. I'm vegan and was happy that they have several vegan options. The hummus wrap was delicious and I loved the art & vibe of the place. read more

If you want a great cup of Joe, made the way you want it, this would be the place to stop. Generous servings, pleasant counter staff, fun atmosphere! Tried their brownies and lemon bars. Brownies were superb. The lemon bar very mild. Hint of lemon, would have liked more flavor, but I enjoyed it! Only thing I wasn't thrilled with was the location of their restroom, which was down a dimly lit hallway. Bathroom itself was clean and well stocked. Will visit again. read more

Coffee Bandits - Coffee Bandit! Try it, you'll like it! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Merced, California

This place doesn't look like much during COVID but their Lavender latte is so comforting and delicious, cranberry chicken salad sandwich is amazing, literally my two favorite things in town! Take my word, you'll love this place! read more

This quaint coffee house is such a relaxing change from the mass market Starbucks. Coffee and service are excellent. This is a great place to study or visit with friends. They also have decadent treats! read more

Coffee Bandits - I had an incredible rocky road bar. It tasted like a sweet little grandma baked it with love. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Merced, California

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My boyfriend & I come here all the time! We love it! It's the perfect place to do some homework or read. They have so many options for drinks I rarely get the same thing. My boyfriend loves their cappuccinos. read more

Im a Starbucks person however decided to give coffe bandits a try along with asip coffe. I still prefer Starbucks over the two but when it comes to coffee bandits and asip, in my opinion asip coffee takes my 2nd place option to get coffee. Asips environment is more welcoming and a bit cheaper as for bandits, its a but outdated and the coffee did not meet my expectations. read more

Best environment to study and drink great coffee in town. Always friendly workers.. has become my go to coffee house.

The coffee is amazing! My boyfriend hates coffee, but has a very fond liking for all of the different types of hot chocolate. The atmosphere is great. They have wifi and tons of seating. They even have an upright piano for anyone to play. They also have a bunch of board games to play while you are there. It's really an awesome place. They use local products which is great for the environment and the local economy. They have a stamp card and offer a discount for UC students. It's great. We LOVE it! read more

Good coffee just off Highway 99 with easy on and off access. The shop is located in old Downtown Merced which is nice to see in the Central Valley. It seems like a nice place to hang out with friends and also offers sandwiches and snacks. The shop also has a very friendly vibe. read more

I went there with my niece and unfortunately it's blah. The cashier and the chubby guy making our drinks wasn't friendly. Cashier not welcoming, looked annoyed and so was the chubby guy making the drinks. When our drinks were ready, we got up and got our drinks I thanked him and no reply..rude! Won't be back there ever again. read more

One of the coolest spots in Merced Ca, good place for an after dinner coffee and a nice environment for relaxing and having a casual conversation. Barista is nice and chill I usually get a cold brew and it's never too watered down. Everything about the little place is 10/10 ! read more

the baristas need a class in customer service ... the two male baristas that i always sadly have to order my coffee from look like they always just woke up and it's the middle of the day. they don't greet me.after i order it's silence , when they call out my drink and i say thank you i get no reply .barley rarely i get the female who is always upbeat and friendly. pls hire more baristas that are friendly i always get stuck with those two guys , also to be one of those picky people it's really hard to find a drink you can always enjoy here because all the baristas make them different every time i get my regular drink it's something different wayyy to much syrup , or burnt espresso . read more

Was on my way home from Yosemite, and kind of just accidentally stumbled upon this place. It was literally the 2nd day they were open, and you could tell some of the kinks needed to be ironed out, but the coffee (sumatra) was absolutely fantastic, the service was good and the vibe of the cafe was great. Definitely a good little place to stop and grab a cup read more

Espresso challenge... coffee bandits exceeded all expectations. Great crema on top, divine coffee flavors

Fantastic independent coffee shop. Most excellent place to grab a latte and read a book.