Cafe Java

Reviews 4

LE

Leila Rahil

I was in the neighborhood apartment hunting and decided to stop in as I was starving for breakfast. I had had terrible experiences at their Round Rock location, but Id figure Id give this place a benefit of the doubt since it was a different location. Sadly, I think the lack of service is just a staple here and as much as I wanted to like CJ (I know, cliche), me and this place (either location) just do not jive. I walked in and "signed in" at the register (I just dont get that, but whatever) and this lady comes up and says "you know theres open seating at the bar?" Uh, no, I did not know that, I must have missed the invisible sign...? Not a good start when Im immediately greeted by incredulity. She points me to the very end of the very crowded bar and doesnt give me a menu, silverware, nada. I had grabbed a paper menu (live it learn it from the RR location) to peruse. So there I sit at the bar, with everyone buzzing around like bees completely oblivious that I have just been sat and am in need of service. Why this place was so busy on a Wed mid-morning (after 10:30am-ish) or just in general is a mystery to me. I watch waitresses and waiters go to tables that were sat after me and take their order and continue to sit unattended just to see how long it would take before someone even took notice of me (I actually used the stopwatch on my iphone and the magic number before I actually had to ask the lady that sat me "Ummm, is ANYONE going to take my order?" was 9:48), it was almost 10mins (which in restaurant time is LOOOOOONG) and what finally pushed me over the edge is one of the waitresses actually asked the lady sitting right next to me if she wanted a coffee refresh?! A waitress finally comes and asks me if I know what I want to drink and I tell her my entire order because I dare not risk waiting another 9:48 to track someone down to put in a food order. i got the Ironman omelet and in all fairness the food is fantastic, but since service is so much of the dining experience, the food could have been the best in the world and it would not have made up for the gross and blatant inattention here. I had asked for the Ethiopian coffee they were featuring that day, but was not surprised when I got the house brew. The waitress had also asked me what kind of toast I wanted with my meal and I asked for options and she listed french toast, so I chose that. As an afterthought she says "I think theres an upcharge for the french toast, but if there is, its only like 50 cents or something". Again, not surprised when I get to the register to pay and there is a $1.95 upcharge. I dont mind upcharges for add-ons, but I do take issue when they are misquoted as there is a big difference between 50 cents and $2. Needless to say, I had to flag down a waitress (one of which was standing directly in front of me and when I stared at her to hint that "hey, I need something" she literally just walked back in the kitchen and stood in the doorway) for a coffee refill. The lady next to me and the subsequent people who sat at the counter had no problem with unsolicited coffee refills and they even got the option of house or Ethiopian. Im not exactly sure what the issue was with me, if it was where I was seated or I wasnt a regular (it was very evident the disparity of level of service when it involved a regular), but if having to endure this "hazing" is what it takes to become a regular, I will gladly pass. Never again Cafe Java, I am sorry to say, but the abhorrent service standards you have seems to be a systemic issue rather than a localized one.

DA

davidmv113

I been going to double dudes a few doors down and have only recently discovered this place. Woops, it is sooooo camped but other than that amazing. Its like Kirby Lane was before they cleaned the grill and became all pretentious. However they seem to do it here with a clean grill. Every member of the staff is awesome. Even the you busboy is willing to grab you a refill of whatever you need. Theyre always either getting something for someone or looking for folks who need something. Probably the best breakfast experience in Austin. Heres how I rate them in case you think I havent heard of your place. If you have a place I dont know, holy dang I love breakfast, let me know please. Price does not equate into experience/taste for me 1. Cafe Java (best meal = split decision) 2. CheeseCake Factory (best meal = benedict) 3. Dennys St. Johns (sketchy neighborhood, theyve been jackin up the prices here for the same plates) (best meal = meatlovers plate but the price goes up $1 an hour so Id rule this place out.) 4. Pancake Ho (Parmer & Metric)(They think their eggs are made of gold here)(Best meal = Dutch Baby, Apple Pancakes, most everything else seems extremely under portioned.) 5. ihop wells branch (all other locations in Austin are abysmal and dirty)(best meal = Chicken Crepes, Colorado Omelette if they dont mess it up) 6. Kirby Anderson Mill Rd. (The second time I ordered it they used frozen chicken patties in their version of southwestern eggs benedict, whyyyyyy?)(best meal = just get the ginger pancakes even though their new instant mix is nowhere near as good as the old recipe still one of the few places that does them this big and good sadly)

AN

Angie Lee

This place has been right around the corner from me and I have just always looked past it as a coffee shop. I get gas at the Exxon all the time and go to the liquor store next door every week.. how did I miss this amazing little gem! It all started ironically on the boyfriends birthday and the first thing he said to me was he wanted some amazing hash browns. Obviously being the "terribad" cook I am, I said, ok lets go out and have breakfast! So with the power of yelp, i search for best hash browns. Lord behold, there was such a list! We narrowed it down to Cafe Java and boy, are we glad we did. When we got there, there was about a 30-40 mins waitlist. We got lucky enough to snag a seat at the bar. He ordered a large Caramel Frappachino and I went adventurous and got a medium hot "Whole Lotta Love" Latte (Honey, hazelnut, expresso). I cant tell the different between the medium and large mugs, but when they made his frap and had leftovers, they gave us the extras in a cup :) Both were nice and creamy and delicious, but the Whole Lotta Love was def the favorite of the day. I would come back here just for the coffee. Now the food, he ordered a cheeseburger omelet and I went traditional with a corned beef hash. Both came in large portions and we ate as much as we could before we could barely move. The hash was not disappointing, it was crispy on the outside and potato-ey in the inside. I use to go a cafe similar to this in Pittsburgh and I am so glad I found this. I am such a big fan of the place!

JE

Jennifer N

Been here for lunch and breakfast most recently. There is plenty of parking in front and in the lot, some spots are tight and narrow, for those driving larger cars. Its self seating, or if its busy there is a waitlist to write your own name down. There is a good amount of seating considering its in a strip mall. There are different specials on the board, that our server just pointed at but didnt say anything further regarding them or describing anything. I really enjoy the breakfast tacos it was cooked very well. The pancake is nice and fluffy. Hashbrowns are crispy but only the top part. Breakfast is decent for the price. I would not go as far as saying the best in town, but its definitly good for the price that you pay. There are a ton of options to choose from. Checking out, you just take your ticket to the counter and pay there.