I have been to some bars that suffer from Schizophrenia but this place takes the cake!
After recently moving to Austin and more specifically to the apartments behind Stompin Grounds, I thought it would be interesting to check this place out. This was a moment of excitement for me. How great is this, a neighborhood bar that I can truly stumble home to with no worries just by walking up a hill. Unfortunately, my opinion quickly changed after recently meeting up with a girlfriend here for the first time.
While I'm not opposed to coffee shops serving booze, obviously this is a viable concept if the world's biggest coffee shop (Starbucks) is pursuing this idea but this one falls flat. Coffee shops that want to disguise themselves as bars or vice versa is just a horrible idea.
We stopped in here on a Wednesday night, which was apparently open-mic comedy night. The performance space was packed and was standing room only. The comics were a little loud but at least there was a curtain between the performance space and the bar side which sort of helped buffer the sound.
Speaking of decor, I don't know if my words could give justice to this place. I can understand how difficult it might be to try to retrofit a space that was designed for retail into a space to occupied by a bar but this one truly missed the mark. The building is fairly new, having been completed in 2007 featuring nearly floor-to-ceiling windows. Do they make use of this architectural feature? No, instead they make a juvenile attempt to cover it with black sheets of poster board. The interior is so dark it looks like a bad Christian hell house.
Adding to the decor is the crowd. The customer base is a rather diverse group of folks which I think says more about activities going on that night more than anything. I think there's a lot of cross-pollination with the highly esteemed strip club, Exposé, across the street. Being a resident of the apartments behind this place; I can honestly say that most of the patrons here are not residents. Stick around long enough you'll notice the pedestrian traffic between the two joints.
So, after giving a bit of a scathing review of this place, I am willing to give it another shot. I will say I don't feel it has much promise though. In the days following this visit, I have walked the dog past Stompin Grounds several times and the music blaring from there has been rather horrible... indescribable a best but it has included such things as Peter Cetera.
Stay tuned.
Congrats on 2 years Stompin Grounds... Love this neighborhood bar on South Congress. I don't live there but can always find parking.
The staff is awesome and the drinks are cheap.
They have live music or karaoke and always have sports going.
Check it out if your in the area. Great place for a cheap drink.
I speak on experience not for the namesake "Coffee & Cocktail," but for the food offered at this hip SoCo bar sort of place. I headed on over during a lunch hour to taste their pizza, which was the only food advertised. I will try to return for drinks in the near future on a full stomach.
Jalapeno poppers and mozzarella sticks were also on the 3-item grub list, so I thought to myself: why not go for the most likely frozen options as well? Poor decision... well, it was the only decision.
You may argue that this place is not meant to serve food, but I figure if you are going to serve anything, you should at least make an effort. I realize this is a bar, but you cannot call frozen boxed food at any establishment. Even if I had alcohol in me, I would know that this was not quality food! That is certainly saying something.
After all that rhetoric, I offer you the grand review:
The "hand-stretched" pizza: the pizza was thin, tough, and the vegetable toppings had that dead staleness.
The jalapeno poppers: not quite cooked through; the processed cheese food (which is something that you should never eat in place of cheese) was still somewhat congealed and not melty.
The cheese sticks: well... these were cheese sticks. Unless they are hand-breaded, they have that odd non-fresh fried flavor. Eh... acceptable if you are at home without the ability to lift up a pan. Actually, I take that back. Not acceptable anytime.
So please, please do not get on to me because "food is not their expertise." I realize that this is a place to get drinks, so I will counter your jab at me with a piece of wisdom: get some drinks and listen to music here. Stay hungry my friends (or come full).
Good things: Extensive vokda collection (A+), very nice owner and bar manager (met them once they are cool people), asthetically pleasing bar (the bar is made out of granite maybe? and the artwork on the walls is very unique, arcade games, great patio seating, and convenience.
It is a neighborhood bar which might be its only redeeming quality except for the laughable view of drunk men stumbling down the stairs right across the street at Expose.
Prices are not that of the "South Austin" bar scene. I think maybe b/c they are situated under the Soco Lofts, they feel like they can jack up the prices a bit.
Some of the female bartenders are a bit sassy. Speed is not their priority. I'm sure they're used to the slow pace, that when it gets a little packed when they have events they can't multitask, which in a parallel universe is understandable because they are a "neighborhood bar." However, any person that tends bar male or female no matter where should be able to quickly adapt to any situation and pay attention to everybody not just their "regulars" so to speak and not to mention be on top of everything.
Blaring the club music at 9pm on a weekday is not my idea of a relaxing time...if I wanted that (maybe back in college) I'd go do 6th street. They should cater to the kind of people in there at the time. If there are mostly older adults filling the bar, don't play Lady Gaga and 50 cent.
I feel like they are still trying to find an identity.. some people still think its predominantly a coffee shop, but really all they can make in the way of coffee are the basics.
The food is overpriced. I can grab a BIGGER size frozen pizza down the street at HEB for a dollar.
My visit to Stompin Grounds was the coda to a busy day of hard work and hard drinking. Actually, for my friends opening a new business it was hard work; I, of course, only participated in the latter. Or as someone put it, "With hands as soft as yours, there's no reason to start manual labor now." Girl, I couldn't agree more.
My friend Thad has a cutely decorated apartment in the SoCo Lofts, to which Stompin Grounds is attached. I had crashed there the night before along with several other people, including my friends D and SK. D and I woke up to discover in our very well-appointed flop house that we were joined by a straight, 20-year old Australian bartender we knew, and a pair of lesbians (?) who apparently used the walk-in closet for fooling around when the couch became too...um..."ergonomically" uncomfortable. Thank God I'm a deep sleeper. Anyways, on our way out with Thad, it was clear he had a good rapport with whoever was working at Stompin Grounds, but we never stopped in to see it for ourselves during the day.
Cut to Thad, SK, and me: 12 hours later, we're all out and all slightly tipsy (read: drunk) by the time we make it back to SoCo Lofts. I've had a very busy day of crazy, and I was quite ready to fall asleep before Thad had already walked into Stompin Grounds. SK and I followed. Truly, the buzzed leading the buzzed.
Even in my haze, I could tell it was actually a pretty cute neighborhood bar, although it seemed slightly small and crowded with the surprisingly busy Wednesday night crowd. It was clean, and comfortable, due in large part to its relative newness, I suppose. We ponied up to the bar where two very attractive and friendly waitresses poured up our drinks. My vodka tonic was perfectly mixed, and even though I was probably slurring borderline inappropriate things about "that guy" again to the always-patient SK, we all had a fun time. At some point I felt the need to reassure the bartenders I was gay, although the reason for this escapes me. I pray there was one.
For this guy, on this day, Stompin Grounds ended up being the perfect nightcap. 4 stars.
The live music is pretty god awful.
Other than that, this is a solid little hideout.
None of my friends in real life know about this place and I like it that way. The drinks are priced right, the crowd, for the most part, friendly. Hot bartender. If you are down South South Congress way I definitely recommend it.
This is a pretty low-key neighborhood bar that I just discovered even though I've been living 1 minute away for half a year now.  I've never been there during the day, so can't judge their coffee, but their night scene was pretty good.  The crowd is a little bit older and it seems like everyone there knows each other (probably because most of them live in the SOCO lofts).  My friends and I were playing the arcade games, but unfortunately one of them just completely stopped working in the middle of our game.  Boo.  They had a live band there that was really good cover band but not sure how the live music scene is when it's not SXSW.  Overall, it's convenient for me and I would go back if I felt like having a  not having to dress up to go downtown but still wanting to drink night.
Review Source:Too few businesses have figured this out despite the fact that all of the customers have: people make the place. Â And good people give good service. Â We're not naturally masochists and like being treated like crap; there's plenty of the trendy downtown bars for that. Â
Stompin Grounds has this figured out. Â The three or four times I've been there, the waitress was very friendly, engaged in conversation and the rest of the staff followed suit. Â I'm asked "Hi! How are you today? Can I see your ID please?" not "Show me your ID". Â Subtle differences like this tip the balance between a successful business and one that won't be around next year. Â
In addition, they have some good daily happy hour specials and a decent amount of seating. Â Good Job Stompin Grounds, please keep it up!
I've enjoyed some free brews here, courtesy of a local cancer group at my school, and I must say that I like this place. Â It definitely doesn't have that South Austin "vibe" but works well at doing what it does. Â
The bar is decorated nicely.  Art adorns the wall and there's plenty of comfortable sitting where you can just kick back and relax.  The bartenders are awfully nice and work really hard.  I was happy to tip them  generously.  The only thing this place is missing is more patrons.  So stop by sometime.  There's plenty of parking.
Is it appropriate to flag a review for being so terrible? mark m., if i ever meet you, you owe me $4.25 for the dough I wasted here.
Based on the reviews I read of this place, and based on the fact that Green Muse & Ruta Maya were packed, I decided to go ahead and park near Ruta Maya and walk over to Stompin' Grounds.
I should've turned around the second I opened the doors. Someone has terrible taste: in decor, in layout, in music, in signage. I mean, this isn't the worst coffee shop I've been to in Austin. It's the worst coffee shop I *been* to.
The cappuccino tastes like the shit you'd make out of a cheap $25 espresso maker, all burned and ashy tasting.
Notice the lame, generic pizza sign you'd expect to find in a Dallas suburb shop in order to attempt to inject life into a strip center. Wait, this place *is* in a strip center.
Really, this place is so lame I'm going to suggest you at least head in once to see what I'm talking about. So far, since I've been here, I've heard Hootie and the Blowfish, Dee-Lite's Groove is in the Heart, and now it's some other 1990s genericana shite. Seriously, this place feels like a nightmare from the 90s. All black furniture, too-cushy black sofas that one doesn't really want to fall into.
you know what this place feels like? it feels like a bar before it opens. like you went out too early and nothing is happening yet. maybe at night, when this place is a bar, it's not as depressing. But as a coffee shop, it seriously couldn't be more wrong.
It doesn't help that on the particular day I'm here, there's a set of dudes in all black with black hair (except for the bleached part sticking up on top) hanging up signs for a stripper who's coming to Stompin' Grounds soon. Who are you competing with Stompin' Ground? Ruta Maya or Éxpose?
These guys look like they havn't let go of their heyday that ended like 20 years ago, when people somehow went from listening to Bauhaus and early Cure to Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains without noticing that that isn't exactly a linear progression but the product of only listening to the same "alternative music" station and liking what they give you to choose from. (Indie Rock scene, I'm looking at you.)
Anyways, up close these guys were ancient, vulgar (hawking up thick, phlemy lugi's [i've never written that word b4 so not sure how to spell it), and lending to the general depressing atmosphere.
I'm done with my rant. I'm just frustrated to be here, to have spent money here, to know this place exists, and to think about what it means for Austin. Yes, I'm taking it *that* far.
It's like a little bit of Plano right here smack dab on Congress.
Judge a book by it's cover. If you like the Stompin Ground logo design, there's a chance you'll like this place. But if you think it looks like a throwback to posters boys bought in grade school of Italian cars they could never afford and knew nothing about, then don't go any further. It just gets worse inside.
What could be better than a night of burlesque at Stompin Grounds?
With fresh weekly entertainment ranging from acoustic & folk to the aforementioned show starring a temptation island belle, it's a hot new place to chill with friends to begin your night.
I like the casual atmosphere drenched in black with contemporary art adorning the walls, with friendly owners and staff who will make you feel right at home.
Stompin Grounds is a place for good friends, great music, and making wonderful memories.
Wow. Â Last night me and a new friend decided to stroll down here after happy hour at Habana. Â This place is relatively new and in the condo's down on SoCo across from Palazio. Â Seriously, this is PRIME people watching. Â So we go in and there's hardly anyone there. Â While at the bar getting our drinks, I believe they were the Stevie Ray Vaughan..not 100% though, we hear someone start to sing. Â They have a tiny tiny stage and from the fliers they had posted, open mike nights and shows. Â That said, last night was NOT one of them. Â It was karaoke night last night! Â The crazy kids had the machine on random too! Â Seeing complete strangers trying to tackle songs they probably didn't even know was priceless! Â About the crowd, clientele....they seemed like older frat boys/sorority girls to me but, non threatening all in all. Â Definitely check this place out. Â Oh yeah, it's a coffee shop with a full bar if that helps.
Review Source:I've passed by the lofts this place is located in a few times, but haven't noticed Stompin Grounds, or thought they weren't open yet.
Finally went in today, and it's definitely going to be a new favorite spot of mine. While I prefer little dives, this place has it all. Coffee, a full bar, free wi-fi with plenty of outlets, outdoor seating, live music, and great opportunities for people watching. The bartender was quick to suggest a local drink - named the Stevie Ray Vaughn, and it was delicious.
They also offer door to door coffee valet (for the residents of the condos) and free curb-side pick up, which can help out with the parking situation.
The high points for me - it's within stumbling distance to my house, and they make my favorite shot, which some bars can't do.
Boss!
Good Coffee and good times. I went in on Sunday to find a very helpful barista who was pretty cute. I don't really drink coffee too much, but found the barista to be quite helpful. he made me a delicious drink that I loved and made me want to come back. Music was really good and the store was very clean. I'm impressed.
Review Source:This is a pretty cool place, especially if you live in the Greystar South Congress apartments (Greystar also manages the SoCo Lofts where Stompin Grounds is located). However, if you are just passing by, it is still pretty easy to park in front of the building or you can park in Ruta Maya's or Opal Divine's parking lots and just walk over to Stompin Grounds. I think this place is really popular Saturday night, but I just went during the day for coffee, and it was good. The staff is very nice. The seating is cool, and there are lots of flat screen TVs. You can sit outside, too, if you like. The menu is really neat with drinks like the Manchac and SoCojitos. I need to try those next time. I think a cafe or restaurant next door to this place would really complement it. You could eat at the cafe and go get your iced chai or cocktail next door at Stompin Grounds after your meal. That would be really cool. I think that will happen in the next couple of months.
Review Source:Popped in after work today to do some work and grab a chai... and while the wifi wasn't up yet, and they don't have chai yet - I still had a nice relaxing post-work decompression session.
Lounge like decor, patio and a full bar - I could see this place becoming quite the south '04 hotspot if the parking wasn't so lousy.
Coffee in the mornin' and drinkin' in the evenings.
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