I had a great time at Retro. I am always in the mood for hippie coffee shops other than the usual commercial chains. I had some kind of gingerbread coffee and my girlfriend got a hot cider. I'll recommend this to anybody in the area read more

Great third wave coffee! Unique and creative coffee combinations. The Espresso Old Fashioned was delicious!

The quality is good and counter service is friendly but the baristas are not only slow but also not that nice. I've given it a couple of chances but every time I have waited 15 minutes for a latte despite there not being a line. On my last visit when I asked, after two people who ordered after me got their lattes first, the "it's coming" response was curt. I'm not an idiot, I know some drinks take longer but I also know a straightforward latte isn't one of them. A simple smile and "sorry about the wait" would solve everything. read more

Met a friend here for coffee the other day without much expectation, I've been to all the morning quality Nashville coffee shops and this was definitely the best coffee I've had. I love Onyx coffee and it was very well made! I got the shagbark latte and my friend got an iced oat milk latte and we were both very impressed. Would absolutely be here all the time if I lived in Nashville! Totally recommend! read more

Retrograde attempts to offer East an escape from your typical coffee shop. While the coffee, sandwiches and bakery items are ...good...the attitudes of the staff prevent this place from beIng what it should be. Time after time, I return hoping my experience will be different, but I am reminded why I always tell myself this will be the last. While the coffee is good and the atmosphere quiet, there's no reason for the staff to act as negative or pretentious each time I order or ask a question. As an example, one of the female cashiers will tell me there's no bagels or muffins when they're sitting in the window. On another occasion, the same woman scraped avocado off the bagel sandwich I ordered, instead of making a new one, when I had already stated I was allergic and requested a sandwich without. Again, I never write these reviews, but this place frustrates me to no end due to their potential. read more

Nice pour over and a surprisingly good bagel breakfast sandwich - it's rare for me to go to a solid hipster coffee shop known for the coffee and still be thinking about what I ate. Great spot. read more

Great coffee, terrible service. We ordered our food for dine in and everything came in to-go form, and they messed up my coffee order. Easily forgivable if the barista didn't scoff when I politely apologized telling him I asked for my latte hot instead of cold. Not worth the long wait amongst pretentious hipsters. read more

So excited about this place!! It was awesome to walk to the end of our street and have great coffee! It was almost like living in Germantown again (where we lived for 16 years and had great coffee everywhere!). The coffee was great - my husband had an iced coffee, I had a chai latte with coconut milk, and my daughter had hot chocolate. The space was clean and cool (amazing floors, by the way - reclaimed wood gorgeously finished!). Free WiFi. Spotless bathrooms with beautiful fixtures. We know the owner (which we didn't know we did until we went in today. He's a former Germantown resident as well...). We will be back. Probably all the time. Highly recommend visiting! read more

seriously the worst experience I've had in a long time. Completely disgusted with this place !!!! I waited 20 minutes for my food only to have it be given to someone else right in front of me . then I was treated very rudely by the staff as I waited for them to make my order over again. I took my food to go only to later find a hair in it ...Gross , avoid this place at all costs. read more

What a cool shop! The staff is super kind and skilled and the drinks are awesome. I love the atmosphere of the shop too. Not pretentious at all, but they know their stuff and offer some amazingly creative drinks. Super excited this is in the neighborhood! read more

Busy but worth it! Quick and friendly staff. Great tasting breakfast sandwiches. Def coming back.

Retrograde was the first neighborhood shop in the Cleveland park area where I live, so naturally I was very excited. The coffee is great, the food is good, the customer service is lacking. I have this time to resolve itself, but it is still an issue. A coffee shop staff should be warm, welcoming, and ready to help. Many times I've been in line alone with multiple baristas behind the counter working without so much as a "hello, I'll be right with you". It's awkward. I don't mind waiting, just say "hello!" Also when asking a question, the baristas are often on the defensive. I say, "I have an online order", they respond, "well we've got a lot going on back here so we just haven't gotten to it yet. We'll call you when it's ready." I wasn't upset that my order wasn't ready, yet I was responded to in a rude and defensive way instead of a kinder explanation. Retrograde could be THE neighborhood spot, but the customers have to feel like neighbors you want to invite to a cookout, instead of the neighbors you avoid eye contact with. read more

First, great coffees and teas for sure. Pleasant staff. This place is a hidden gem. Not expensive. Just what this area of Nashville needs! The neighborhood is certainly trying to develop but has a long way to go. Retrograde is definitely helping this part of Nashville get there! I'll be going back again today! That mocha coffee was heavenly! read more

Out of town playing a venue down the street from here wanted to grab some coffee. Decent selection of standard coffee drinks, cappuccinos, lattes, iced coffee, etc. They also serve little sandwiches that are pretty decent though a little steep in price for the portion size, maybe I'm just broke. Anyway prefectly fine experience and I'd recommend it if you're in the area and need a pick me up. read more

We were visiting from out of town and staying in the area. Retrograde was the closest coffee shop and had great reviews so we stopped in. It has a cute ambiance so we had high hopes. My friend and I both got vanilla lattes, but one with regular milk and one with skim milk. First of all, it took almost 10 minutes to get the drinks out even though we were the only ones in line. Secondly, the barista couldn't tell me which one was the skim and which was regular (it wasn't a big deal in the end, so we each grabbed one). Lastly, the latte was overflowing and had spilled along the sides and was sticky. We were just disappointed at this whole scenario. Won't be back. read more

The best coffee on the East Side. Great space, friendly staff. I love the coffee. They also have breakfast sandwiches and muffins.

Slowest service. Taking pride in your craft is great. Taking 20+min (and counting) for a latte doesn't work.

Such an incredibly welcome addition to the Cleveland Park neighborhood. I've been extremely impressed with the attitude of the staff and their friendliness and helpfulness! Add on a delicious cup of coffee, amazing assortment of treats, and you've got one of my new favorite spots in town. Definitely make your way to Retrograde and get ready to return again and again! read more

We got allot of coffee recommendations while visiting Nashville. Retrograde was never mentioned. But it should of. It surpasses all the recommendations. We just happened to stumbled upon it. The staff are extremely friendly! The coffee is bomb. I had a Cortado and a hot latte. My husband got an ice coffee (no cream) The baristas know what they're doing!! The place is just a vibe! We will for sure be back when we are in town! read more

Delicious fancy "Hickory smoked" Shaga something latte. Nice comfortable room and friendly staff. Not a 5 cuz you need more "food dude"? Something other than one frittata for breakfast. Maybe throw in the infamous "avocado toast" cliche? I'd settle for that or a bagel?? Lunch looks nice however with a few sandwiches. read more

The 4 star is only for service. My husband and I stood at the counter being ignored for a ridiculous amount of time. And it wasn't because they were busy by any means. read more

Great coffee and convenient location. Definitely deserves 5 stars based on these, but the customer service is sometimes lacking, especially the male order taker with the gauged ears. He is always extremely unfriendly and does not greet, say "thank you", or acknowledge the customer outside of taking the order. He should definitely not be customer facing in any capacity. read more

Awesome coffee selection and attention in the cup. When you see Onyx on bar you know you're in the right neck of the woods.

Best lattes and coffee in Nashville! Amazing bagels/ sandwhiches. They are always consistent!!

I can see this is going to become a regular stop for me. They have a great selection of coffee drinks (some unique choices - try the Shagbark Latte!) as well as some killer pastry options, and is a great place to flip open a laptop and get some work done. The shop is well apportioned and beautifully designed. The guys are very friendly, which makes this genuinely feel like a neighborhood hang. Extra parking off the alley in the back, if you can't find a spot up front. read more

I've frequented Retrograde many times since they first opened. It's a joke how often they mess up my order, definitely over 50% of the time. I've talked to ownership about it before because I didn't want to write a bad review, and I was told "oh you must just be that unlucky customer that we always mess up on". I've never written a review, but I'm tired of it. They consistently mix things up. If I order hot, I get it iced. I've ordered 16oz before, gotten charged for 16oz, served 12oz and told that drink doesn't come in 16oz. I always smile and tip well, and honestly don't go often enough to be recognized. They seem to stay busy, but if they mess up with other people as often as they mess up for me, I'm not sure how. read more

Too concerned with their vibe than making even descent coffee. If you care about quality espresso drinks, there are MUCH better in Nashville. Shots pulled and let sit before using, lattes that are under-steamed and barely warm (when asked for extra hot), shot poured into pitcher then milk and THEN steamed for a latte... that's not a latte... and SLOW. Took 12 minutes to get 2 lattes with no one else in line and 3 drink made ahead of ours. I'm incredibly disappointed with Retrograde. If you want good coffee, go to Dose, Red Bicycle, Crema, Ugly Mugs, Barista Parlour or Steadfast before you try here. read more

Went to the soft opening on 7/13/18. Glad I did! The only Nashville shop serving Onyx coffee as far as I know and it's spectacular. Extremely passionate and knowledgeable barista and the entire staff was friendly and seemed glad to be there. The shop itself is both comfortable and stylish and the location is much needed. I'll be going back many times, I'm sure! read more

Feels like I'm back in NYC. Great, hip spot with amazing coffee. I might live in there this winter. Amazing addition to the neighborhood.

Great coffee & people working the counter! Gave great recommendations and the blueberry muffin was phenomenal. If I ever come back to Nashville I will definitely stop back in! read more

This place is the real deal. Great atmosphere, great food, great drip coffee of course, but the thing that elevates is the barista work. I had a latte made with a red wine reduction that blew my mind. If you think the best coffee shop in town is in some trendy gulch nook, you are mistaken, because it is on Dickerson Pike! read more

Chill atmosphere, great staff, delicious coffee. I got the blueberry almond milk smoothie, which was absolute perfection! The ingredients of the baked goods were not known, which is very problematic for those avoiding food allergies. It would have been nice to have been able to try the bakery items, but you can't have everything. read more

The first time I visited Retrograde Coffee I was in a bit of a hurry. I had my 7 year old son with me and I was on my way to an appointment. What made me want to come back was that the place is a serious knock out. The hard wood floors you'd luv to have in your living room and the marble top counters with gold finishes make for a great-looking location that begs you to come chill. Fast forward a couple weeks till today when I took my entire family after church. We ordered a plain coffee, three decaf Americanos, a sausage and cheese pastry that was light and buttery along side a delectable but not overly sweet cinnamon bun. Oh yeah and I got a cookie. The baked goods were from Brightside Bakery. The coffee from Onyx Coffee and the cookie from Hi-Fi Cookies. I was glad to see High Garden Tea and Spindrift Sodas in their offerings as well. You can tell the staff has an eye for notch treats with a twist. The prices were what you would see in coffee shops of this caliber. Note that, It may be on Dickerson Pike but places like Retrograde signal that Cleveland Park is growing in what it has to offer. Retrograde has zero clutter but it is not cold and tweely modern. There is a coziness, mostly informed by the paintings on the wall that work in a sharp electric palette, that give it a distinct quality. Whether you are in a hurry, need a space to chill, or knock out that work project I think Retrograde will fit the bill. My only regret is I forgot to snap a pic of the rad window sign. read more

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Went for the soft opening and was completely AMAZED how great the coffee is here! I have now had the Shagbark Latte, an iced coffee and the churros crossiant. The staff were polite, efficient and knowledge. Favorite new place for coffee! read more

If you are a coffee nerd like me and live near or visit the Cleveland Park area. This new coffee shop is a must do. There is simply nothing like it in this neighborhood. The environment is bright, clean and super modern. The staff actually cares about their customers. The coffee is delicious! Low acidity, no bitterness and all the modern methods you could think of. There is also a very cool reclaimed wood showroom/shop next door. Great for browsing with a cup of joe. I was able to get a lot of work done on my laptop using their wifi while I enjoyed a cream cheese bagel...Ok and a ham/cheese pastry. :) I highly recommend this lovely new addition to Cleveland Park! read more

Best cup of coffee. So delicious and cool atmosphere. Cold mocha is perfect balance not too sweet

Like too many new coffee shops, its only about the coffee...that shouldn't normally be a complaint, but if your drink has milk and flavors, they need to know how to blend the flavors properly. A mocha has 4 basic elements: coffee, milk, chocolate, and sugar. These baristas act uber-judgmental and think their way is the only right way to make a cup of coffee...that the only flavor element that matters is the coffee...too bad it's bad too. So, Retrograde serves Onyx coffee. We lived in Nw Arkansas and really really love the Onyx mocha, it's rich, thick and creamy, has a great mildly dark chocolate flavor, and a little salt on top that is magic. It's not an overly sweet drink like a Starbucks mocha, but it has some sugar that balances perfectly with the milk and espresso. I asked the Retrograde staff if they use Onyx coffee in their mocha and they said no, it doesn't mix well with milk and feels like tomato soup. Instead they use Monarch blend...ok. Im skeptical but without judgment till I get to taste. I'm less hung up on the brand than just having enjoyable coffee. Tasting the mocha at Retrograde, it just tastes bitter...there is no sweetness and no discernible chocolate in the drink. Sure, it looks slightly darker than a latte, but it's not a mocha. This seems to be the trend for new coffee shops, less sugar and chocolate, which to an extent I can get behind, but this place is extreme. It really just tastes like some black coffee with some 1% milk. The espresso itself is just bitter, even leaving my throat feeling scratchy. Maybe the chocolate flavor is from the bean but I'm not getting that. So, it's missing the crucial other two elements of a mocha, chocolate and sugar. This is making me miss Onyx...and their mocha is almost double the size for the same price. Retrograde sorely missed the mark in criticizing their drink. read more

A very rough excuse of a hip coffee shop... seems as though the baristas are upset about something, always.

Super cute place just to get coffee! I got a smoothie and it was super good and the workers were super nice !! :)

Our family travels A LOT and my favorite thing to do is stop at a local coffee joint in every state I wake up in. This was my first stop during our move from The east coast to the west coast. Service was excellent and so was my coffee. I can't remember exactly what I got but I believe it was the hickory smoked latte or something. It's mentioned a few times in other reviews and was recommended to me by the barista. I also got it with oat milk, which was a first for me, and it was delicious. I don't have a big sweet tooth but I love a good flavored latte and this was perfect. It was exactly what my barista described, not too sweet but with a little bit of smoke. read more