I had great service today!…read more First time. Can't believe I live like 1/4 mile from here and this is my first time. Parking on either side of the building is easy. Drive thru had about 4 cars, I'm not really a drive thru person. I like going in, seeing people face to face, person to person. Feel the vibe. The vibe is laptops 100% Apparently this is the place to work. So no seating was available. But for today, I was dashing to an appointment anyway. Looked over their menu that was posted up on the wall. Decided on a chocolate mint drink. Could taste the chocolate, but there was no mint to the drink. Customer service was great. The cost of the drink with tip was $8.00. Drink wait time was just a couple minutes. Pretty quick. I didn't take pictures because I didn't want to get people's faces. But the inside was clean. All the seats along the wall were taking by laptop people. So wanted to give them their privacy. They do offer non caffeinated drinks. Maybe when the weather gets hotter I'll try one of those as a comparison.

What do you get when you cross Starbucks with mediocrity?…read more You get Black Rock Coffee Bar. Black Rock follows the Starbucks formula like a dedicated wannabe. The espresso is worse. Given the fact that Starbucks espresso is godawful ... That is an impressive accomplishment. * * * The interior decorating is far worse. To understand what is wrong with Black Rock's room design, You have to think a little bit about what interior decorating does for a retail restaurant chain. * * * Restaurants can either be energizing or calming. You want energizing if you are either selling fun or you need you need high turnover so you can sell high volume. A little kid pizza palace needs to be fun, so all the kids beg their parents to take them to your establishment. Fast food needs to be high turnover. You are selling burgers or whatever at very low margins. So you need those customers in the door then out the door so new ones can come in and buy more stuff. * * * The classic success story in energizing interior decorating is McDonald's. Never mind the arch part - although to be fair that was a touch of trademark defining genius. The bright lights, and the white red and yellow are tremendously energizing. You come in - you get peppy - you eat fast - you get out fast. * * * Starbucks is one of the great classics in calming interior decorating. Starbucks wants you to come in with your computer, or come in with a friend with whom you want to have a soulful conversation. In both cases, you will be staying there a long time. There is a little bit of a build the tab logic. If you stay there long enough, you will order a second drink or another snack. But mostly that tranquility is what made you come to Starbucks in the first place. You would not have had that writing session or that soulful conversation in a McDonalds. * * * How does Starbucks accomplish this visually? Their color scheme is one of the great accomplishments of corporate interior decorating. Natural woods. Light grays. Dark green accents. You slow down immediately on entering. * * * The Black Rock Interior Decorators missed the larger economic logic of what they are trying to accomplish. They decorated in energetic and perky ... With bright colors and and even brighter fluorescent lights. There is nothing visually mellow about Black Rock. The bright perky colors do what bright perky colors do. They make the customer feel energetic. So feeling energetic, I got up and left. * * * To be fair, having just drunk an awful espresso helped with the got up and left part. The caffeine made me energetic. The hating my coffee made me want to get out of there. That said, there was more to this than just the coffee. Starbucks espresso has just as much caffeine as does a Black Rock espresso. The room is what keeps you sitting in your chair. * * * I suspect their sweet and elaborate drinks are just fine. I did not have one so I do not know. But I go to coffee houses to get work done. The fact that I can get a Mocha Raspberry Figatooti for a beverage is a side point. There are lots of places that will sell me a Mocha Raspberry Figatooti. I go shopping for a room that will remove distractions and maximize my clarity of thought. Nothing maximizes your clarity of thought at a Black Rock Coffee.

Dropped my car off at the garage next door. Killing time I thought I would walk up to Summer Moon…read moreand grab a coffee and chill for an hour before heading back to the garage. Couple people on their laptops working. A few firefighters came in and grabbed coffees. And me, just people watching come and go. Coffee was good. I had a latte with coconut milk.

Yep. This is a legit coffee house. Lots of seating. Bright. Friendly and knowledge staff that…read moreknows coffee. It's a super upgrade to Starbucks. It's not much more costly either. Their food is made by local vendors. The cashier explained to me that their vendor would f breakfast burritos recently had their food tested by the USDA. Not sure what they tested for but it sounded reassuring. I ordered a breakfast burrito and strawberry toaster (pop tart). Breakfast burrito was tasty and NOT greasy! And the the toaster was delicious and not too sweet! It was tart as it should be. A healthy and peaceful way to start my morning in Austin!

The Beef Rib Pho was superb. If you are going to get the Pho, definitely recommend the Beef Rib…read morePho Great selection and the presentation of the food was excellent. Family was very happy with the food. The ambience and decor was great - so different than any Vietnamese restaurant in Austin. They put a lot of time with the layout and decor. Nice restaurant to have dinner with the family or on a date.

I recently tried Old Saigon Vietnamese Bistro on a beautiful, chilly morning and went there for…read morelunch with a friend. They offer a lunch menu that includes one spring roll and a choice of one main course for $18. While I found it a bit pricey, the food was delicious and well prepared. We ordered the veggie spring roll and veg pho, both of which were flavorful and satisfying. I was especially happy to see that they have many good vegetarian options, which is not always easy to find. Given that there are limited good dining options within Steiner, this place is very convenient. A nice touch at the end of the meal was their complimentary spoon brûlée, which was a pleasant surprise and a great way to finish lunch. Old Saigon Vietnamese Bistro is a lovely spot if you're craving comforting, flavorful Vietnamese food. The ambiance is cozy and welcoming, making it a great place for both a relaxed meal and a casual outing with family. I'm definitely looking forward to coming back to try more dishes next time.

Cure Bakery & Coffee is a family oriented shop on Highway 183. Note to self, do not believe your…read moreGPS. It will lead you to the opposite side of 183. Cure is closest to the Department of Public Safety. All their pastries and desserts look extremely appetizing. Their offerings include croissants, turnovers (apple turnover...my choice today), sandwiches, breakfast rolls and cakes. In addition, they serve breakfast sandwiches with customized additions. They sometimes also have breakfast bisuits. Service is always family friendly and welcoming. Today, I ordered an iced matcha latte and apple turnover. The matcha latte was perfect - fragrant matcha flavor but not too sweet with a smooth texture. The apple turnover was flaky like most turnovers but not eye-squinting sweet. I loved every sip and every bite.

The coffee is great, the pastries are fresh and delicious as well…read more I don't know how or why I forgot about this place for a while, but it's back on the top of my list for local shops to patronize. **all I would suggest is some kind of sound tile, or gets really loud bc of the high ceilings and concrete floors.

THIS PLACE DOPE :D whole menu goin off…read more its clean, its quiet, its chill service is awesome, really nice peeps here

We came here for desserts after dinner. The staff were nice and welcoming. They gave a lot of…read moresuggestions. I ended up getting a butterscotch. It was creamy and had a few chunks in it. There's a few tables and chairs inside and outside. They also sell breakfast tacos in the morning. Parking is free and out front.

Just a quick update. First, the drinks are always outstanding. Whether off the menu or a…read morerecommendation of staff, you will be happy. Now for staff: you must ask for recommendations! Just throw out a flavor or coffee type and you'll hear great suggestions! Finally, window service. The folks at the window are happy! The want to serve you. They like their jobs. They make you feel welcome and happy. I look forward to my interactions here. This coffee place is superior in every way!

Mojo Coffee does not have a extensive menu, but their coffee are extremely good. Over two days…read moreperiod, we tried 5 different coffees and all of them were impressive. Pricing was inexpensive. Service was cheerful and quick.

I stopped into Chaparral while on a brief trip to Lockhart, and what I didn't expect was a huge 5K…read moreand 10K to be happening at the same time I was in town. A ton of the runners and spectators needed a little coffee fix after the race, so Chaparral had a huge rush while I was in town. This created a long line and a long back order of drinks. Instead of complaining about how long it took and OH MY GOSH HOW DARE THEY MAKE ME WAIT, I have to give them credit. Though the 3 people working were slammed, they were churning out orders quickly and efficiently, fighting off the rush one drink at a time. It took about 20ish minutes to get my coffee, but after getting my hot lavender latte with oat milk, it was worth the wait. It was a very quality cup, and it was just what I needed to start my day. The shop is super narrow, but super cute and stylish. The roadrunner LED on the wall really added to the shop's character. Next time I'm in Lockhart, I'll go out of my way to get back to Chaparral. RIYL: The best coffee in Lockhart

Beautiful coffee shop! The muffin and my iced 3shot espresso was amazing! Will be definitely coming…read moreback!

We love this coffee shop. Cute shop with a great interior lakeshore vibe. Friendly service has us…read moregoing back every time we visit Kingsland.

Lazy Heron is the best (and only) coffee shop in Kingsland! The coffee and food is great! But you…read moreknow what's even greater??? The service! The employees were so friendly and kind; one wrapped up all our food and drinks and brought them straight to us! We got 2 croissants, a cinnamon muffin (that was huge!), a cold brew, and a french toast latte (that was super delicious), and would recommend all of it. In addition to the food and drinks they also sell art by local artists and Lazy Heron swag. The whole place feels homey, friendly, and Heron themed (especially with the 5 foot hanging herons). The next time you're in Kingsland TX, definitely make time to stop and grab some coffee, pastries, or both! at Lazy Heron.

This is a great place to take your dog. It's a very relaxing atmosphere. The food was fresh and…read moretasty. The wait for the food was a bit long. But I was able to start with a chia pudding cup and coffee while I waited.

As part of my austin adventures, I had first stopped at Civil Goat to get some light bites after…read morehearing some great things from friends. Upon arrival, the indoor and outdoor seating areas were incredibly cute and spacious. It had taken us a few minutes to understand where to order, but once we did, everything was a breeze from there. I ordered a chia pudding and a cinnamon toast and honestly wasn't expecting such a small portion. I guess I should've made the connection when the chia pudding was $3. Despite its quantity, the taste was incredibly delicious and felt very fresh. The cinnamon toast on the other end was quite hard and tasted stale, nothing unique about it. The service honestly wasn't the best either as some of the employees had some kind of attitude. Those could've been because they were somewhat busy in the morning. After eating, we had walked around and saw some goats that they have on the property. The was pretty cool and I really did enjoy that. Overall, my experience was good.. I think next time when I'm back in Austin i'll be sure to give it a second chance!

I like the vibe here at Morning Glory. The food is good, and the service is nice…read more I came here after a dentist appointment. Was seated in about the middle of the restaurant along the wall. I love these seats cause you can see the coffee station and what's going on back there. Basically people watching. It was a little loud today, so I put on my head set and listened to some music. My server was Joyce and she was sweet. Took my order, which was breakfast tacos and a pineapple mimosa. My drink came super quick, and my food didn't take long at all. I mean like a couple minutes quick. Tacos were outstanding. And honestly as soon as I asked for a corn tortilla over the flour I thought, they're going to fall apart. But they didn't. And when you see the size of these tacos it will blow your mind that they didn't. Good corn tortilla. Scrambled eggs are fluffy, the potatoes are seasoned a little. They added bacon for me a that was chopped up inside the taco. Honestly it was a lot of food. I knew I wouldn't be able to finish it. But I did, and enjoyed every bite.

I really enjoyed this spot. I'm quite fond of beets so I had to try the beet latte which I enjoyed…read more I also had the MG Avocado Toast which was on the pricey side, however the golden beets and cherry tomatoes on top were delicious. The atmosphere is modern and cozy and service was attentive. I would definitely go again!