Austin’s Coffee “and Film” (and film? Just because you have two TV’s that your baristas sometimes play movies on does not make it necessary to add “and film” to your name. I mean, Coffee Cafe has a TV they play news/sports on… they don’t call themselves “Coffee Cafe and Current News and Sports” or something)
I do love Austin’s. For nostalgic reasons, mostly. And Tré is always a joy of a barista.
Their frozen soy chai is lacking. It separates too quickly. Also, their normal hot soy chai is good for a while. But by the end I feel a bit sick and find myself grossed out by the taste.
A classic cappuccino is enjoyable, as far as I remember. Despite their coffee being organic and fair trade (yadda yadda), I don’t think I’ve had an amazing cup of black coffee their. Probably their brewing method? BUT, their iced coffee is just fine. I’ve had a cup of coffee made from coffee beans from Austin’s and it was uh-mazing (thank you Dandy). Their specialty drinks are good as well. Peppermint mocha in a nice large mug was a delight.
Foodwise, they have hummus. Good hummus. Need I say more? Ask for a little bit of olive oil on the side (thank you, Samia). It makes for a creamier hummus, if you like that sort of thing. Their Greek Sandwich (I think it is called something else, and it is generally under “chef’s special”) is alright. I’d say hold the chicken. At most small places like this, I find the chicken to never taste okay. Which means I eat a few bites with chicken, and eventually lose the chicken altogether. But if you go without the chicken, it is bascially a greek salad panini, and it is delcious. Their pasta salad needs a bit more flavor, but the fact that you get both chips and pasta salad on the side may make up for it.
Dessert wise, avoid the vegan donuts. The name alone should have deterred me. But I thought I’d give it a try. The actual donut wasn’t too bad, but if you like your chocolate topping to taste like chocolate, don’t order it. If you are one of those organic, health freaks you’ll probably like it. I am, however, not one of those people. I like my chocolate to taste as much like chocolate as possible. Or the fake chocolate taste I’ve come to love. For those like me, try a chocolate muffin heated up. It doesn’t get much worse for you than that. But boy is it delicious. They have some pretty good looking chocolate cake as well… one day I’ll get to it, one day.
Overall, the atmosphere is over the top, or there’s something off about it to me. It can give off that indie feel (or indie/vegan/trashy?), but I find it feels like it is trying too hard. They should probably clean up a bit, keep things tidy. Art for sale done by local (and generally not so great) artists cover the walls. There are three booths. If you can sit at a booth it will make the experience much more enjoyable. The outside chairs are nice, but avoid in high traffic times if you are expecting to carry on a decent conversation.
A nice quiet morning or afternoon spent at Austin’s may be the best time for a first visit, or for a second chance. After that, you may want to brave an open mic night on a Tuesday. Generally, the people who play are not good. But I have not been in months, so who knows these days. Let’s just say it’s an experience…
2 Comments
September 8, 2008 at 9:19 am
So this greek sandwich that you are talking about is making my mouth water.
I won’t be having anything like this for the next year. This makes me very, very sad.
love you.
October 31, 2008 at 2:49 am
I have always, always, always wanted to try this place out. I drive by it all the time, and it’s consistently busy. I guess I’ll just have to make it a point, so I can write a post on it as well.
Thanks for sharing.