It's small and brand new. They have a limited menu and their bakery case is way light. They were carrying items form the Bakingtist but they said they are transitioning to baking their own stuff. Their coffees seem a bit small compared to other coffee sizes and yet still Starbucks prices. A medium is a 12 ounce? Mediocre. read more

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On the hunt for coffee on Sunday, I thought it might be a nice time to try the fairly new Hatch Cafe. Located inside the south Huntsville public library, Hatch Cafe is fairly unique in that it's mostly run by people in a workforce training program. Per everything I've read and heard, it seems like a cool program that provides a small amount of money, transportation assistance, resume and cover letter development, and budget tutoring to the students. This cafe is small and clean although a little antiseptic. They have standard coffee and tea drinks and usually have several specials each month, often named after popular books or characters. When I arrived today their drip coffee machine wasn't working, so it was espresso drinks only. The case for baked goods was also pretty empty except for some bagels. Several food items on the menu were scratched out and unavailable, including the item I most wanted (the banana nut crunch). They seemed a little overwhelmed, which is understandable; only three employees were available (two for coffee and register duty and one for food prep). One girl in particular was a little short when running the register (cutting me off before I finished my order, etc), but the other two workers, especially the girl in the kitchen who brought my food out, were pleasant. I wound up ordering one of the specials, the Quasimocha (mocha cold brew with amaretto cold foam) and the apple almond crumble (almond butter, brown sugar, and sliced apples on toast). The toast was decent. I had hoped it would be a little sweeter - I didn't taste much brown sugar and non-peanut nut butters are always a little too thick and sticky for my preference, but it was quite filling and overall I enjoyed it. I was not a fan of the Quasimocha. The cold brew wasn't as mellow as I typically think it should be -- it had a super sour, bitter taste that I didn't like at all. The amaretto cold foam was absolutely delicious: thick, creamy, sweet, almond-y, but it didn't do much to improve the rest of the drink. I wound up eating the cold foam with a spoon and pitching the rest after multiple sips hoping I'd change my mind about the cold brew. One big detractor is the price. $6.25 for my drink, which given the size of it (I wanna say 12 oz?) is...crazy, in my opinion. Another $6.25 for my toast (which also seems high) made for a pretty pricy experience that I wasn't crazy about. Definite sticker shock for me, lol. Big fan of the mission but wish the prices were just a smidge lower. Still, the convenience of being inside the library and the pleasure of supporting a cool program may make this a worthwhile spot to return. I'll just skip the cold brew next time. read more

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While I was completing my last college degree, I would use the South Huntsville Library as my primary study location, and I hung out mostly within the Hatch Cafe because the library is woefully low on electrical outlets. I must say I love that the library has its own coffee shop, and I wish more libraries had coffee shops. I'd say it's more of a 3.5 stars place, but I round up for Yelp. For the record, any place I give 3.5 is a place I'd be willing to return to, so they're okay. Pros - Located inside a library. Books/studying + coffee = success! - They have some pastries such as cookies, scones, or muffins.* - Great service - Good coffee with seasonal drinks. I loved their autumn drinks the most. Their cider chai or matcha latte were my go-to favorites. - Paper menu on the counter - Indoor and Outdoor seating - Rewards program through square Cons - They don't really have any house-made savory food except some wraps or prepacked sandwiches they keep in their refrigerator. Maybe, if you're lucky, you could get a savory scone. - No self-serve water - Paper cups - *Their cookies were what I used to jokingly refer to as millennial food because they were mostly breakfast cereal cookies (i.e., fruity pebbles, cocoa puffs, cinnamon toast crunch). Some people liked them, I guess, but honestly, they weren't that great. Most of the time, I just wanted a regular ol' chocolate chip (which was pretty much the only "normal" cookie they ever offered), and those were usually sold out because people prefer chocolate chip to cereal. While I was there, I always wished they'd offer more normal cookies and would knock it off with the cereal stuff. - The biggest con of this cafe was the price of their food and drinks. Yikes! I hate to think I probably paid almost as much as my tuition, eating and drinking there almost every day while I was working my way through my degree. They justify their exorbitant prices with their community outreach program that's supposed to help young people learn work skills, but let's be real - it's food service. You don't need a special program to teach people how to sell coffee and cookies and do basic customer service. Good on them, I guess, but it is NOT worth those prices. Now that I've graduated, I probably won't be hanging out at the library cafe anymore, but I do wish to thank all the many staff members who have come and gone during my year and a half of patronage. I probably weirded them out by sitting in there for hours on end day after day, but they were always pretty welcoming and nice, and that caffeine got me through school--so, thank you all! read more

Service is impeccable, the people are kind and the coffee is delicious. I'm a latte person almost exclusively and it always makes me happy to enjoy some house-made syrups. Placement in the public library aids with an atmosphere of peace and calm. Definitely not a Starbuck's in the best of every possible way. read more

I come here everyday! Its fun to be at and conveniently placed in the library. Staff is very kind and accommodating. Prices are moderate and food and drink is 10/10 love it! read more

Hatch Cafe - vera with tee - Cafes Near Me - Huntsville, Alabama