This place is basically the same as thai fresh, so i want to warn folks who are hoping to find a COOL place to drink early morning coffee.
I arrived at 8, when it opens and the door was locked. I was let in but the air conditioning was off, radio was blasting and there was no coffee. Apparently, the person who opens forgot. There was an old lady there with heart problems who was really hot. We are both regulars. When the opener arrived, she was rude to us when we politely asked for the air conditioning, coffee or water. I reminded her we had been waiting for 40 minutes and she said "it's not supposed to open until I get here." I replied that it is supposed to open at eight and she said, "yeah well, things happen."
Clearly, she has no sense of customer service for REGULARS. If I were her, I would have come in and offered free coffee and apologized in an attempt to be an ambassador for the restaurant and to repair the huge breach of trust.
I get the sense she was taking out her anger on herself for being so late on the customers.
I really like this place, that being said its far too hot inside. Â Apparently they are trying to "save money". Â I am "work from home" employee and spend a lot of time (and money) at coffee shops. Â You see, at the end of the day I have coffee, lunch, snacks, coffee throughout the day. Â The amount ends up being over $20 daily. Â But that won't be happening here because its far too hot to drink coffee, work and be comfortable. Â Even the Barista had a sweat. Â Move on to your next coffee shop folks. Â Hey on a different note, I heard the Thai food is great.
Review Source:So happy I live near this place. They serve a wide range of vegan ice cream (coconut milk style) and lots of other yum goodies. Â The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, plus they have outdoor seating. If you're looking for gluten free baked goods, they've got them too. Tonight my partner and I had the dark chocolate, thai tea, and peanut butter with cookie dough ice creams. Pretty much our cravings were everything where, and the ice creams were legit. Â
This place is worth checking out. They have wine and beer too!
Casual, south Austin coffee place.
I've been hear on a couple of Sunday mornings. Â The service was slow, but on a Sunday morning that wasn't a problem. Â Maybe there are more staff during the week. Â
I had drip coffee and a pastry. Â The drip coffee was French pressed, and it was really good. Â I liked my pastry too. Â The last time it was some kind of gluten-free, sweet potato and chocolate chip coffee cake.
There weren't a lot of parking spots, but my buddy and I used the bike rack anyway so it didn't matter.
Dropped in for a late dinner about a half hour before closing one day last week and was pleasantly surprised. I didn't realize that Thrice was one long business in a little strip that could host three separate stores. So there's coffee, ice cream, tea, board games, and the reason I dropped in, Thai Fresh. I ordered my go-to thai restaurant staple, Green Curry Chicken. They were out of eggplant, but it was loaded with other great veggies and a surprise, pineapple. The dish was tasty and went well with my crisp draught lone star. I enjoyed the laid back, coffee shop atmosphere (not typical for a place serving Thai food, and of course, this place is also a coffee shop). I look forward to returning and sampling a different Thai dish and following that up with some on-premise ice cream.
Review Source:I've been going to thrice about once a week for the past month or so . During this time I found the following
- Unless you go during non-peak times, parking is a pain. Due to the lack of parking , I've actually driven away to go somewhere else since I'm just looking to get my coffee and leave
- Though I found your staff always very friendly they are grossly understaffed. You need to hire more people. Having one person take orders, clean, and make coffee is unacceptable. You need to have a barista and a cashier during peak times.
-I find the majority of their food to be over priced for the quality type. Everything just seems to be a dollar too much and makes you noticed. Their espresso and coffee are the only thing on par with the area in terms of price.
- One great thing about this place is that I've found the espresso drinks (tried latte's, mochas, and straight espresso) are all consistently poured . This is a hard thing to find and is one of the key reasons for the 4 star rating.
-You need more outlets for computer usage. More outlets = more people hanging out there = more money .
Overall I'm giving it 4 stars as the coffee/service (for what they have to work with) is good, though I recommend staying away from the food since it's overpriced.
I have been coming in here a few times over the last month. Currently overpriced.
Thrice and the cafe (essentially the same place) have some great Thai food, or perhaps we should say sort of Thai / American fusion.
The coffee & food aspects of Thrice have a couple of issues:
- Prices: Prices for coffee and tea are just too high. For instance, a 'large' iced coffee (toddy) is $3.95. Their version of large is probably a bit smaller than a Starbucks medium. Â Also, its just not that good. You can go down the street to Fair Bean and get an iced coffee for around $2.50 that is larger and about twice as good. Also take a normal size coffee, its $2.65. Fair Bean is $2.00 and it way better, just a much better roast.
Just a moment ago I heard some guy get into a discussion with the barista. He was stunned that a hot tea was $4.00. That's ridiculous. You just can't justify $4.00 for a product in a paper cup unless its a latte. Sorry. And when you overcharge people - it angers them. Even soft-soled, wussy hipsters. When they are angered they won't be back soon. Any margin you made you lost multi-fold to future lost business. That guy, he won't be back for a while...
All I can say is - stop trying to over price everything for those of us in Bouldin. Get your prices in line, make it up in volume.
- Now, onto Volume: Â You can't expect to have a single barista both make latte's and take orders, and clean-up. Especially when your selling pretty good food. Invest in a second person during peak hours. You all have way too much stuff to have a single person at the bar.
- Portion sizes: Â The food is good. The portion sizes are not. It costs you almost nothing to make portions just a bit bigger. This will also help you justify your slightly inflated food prices: $13 for Panang Curry?? Well, it's organic. OK. Just make the portions bigger. For $13 people should go home with containers half the time.
- Bathrooms: You should not have a bathroom where when someone opens the door you can see the toilet from a seat where someone is eating. Buy a cheap folding barricade - and just wall off the bathrooms a bit. No one sits in the seat next to them anyway.
----
Despite all this it really has improved a ton.
However, I don't think the daily coffee drinkers will come by frequently unless prices and speed in line are improved. Â Fair Bean just down the street is currently a way better deal (with improved staff and speed now). Here - make the coffee so you can self serve. Relax... no one is going to steal your coffee. :) That will help your line a bit.
The customer service here has really dropped off in the past year. I always get the feeling from the baristas that there are one million things they'd rather be doing than making my (extremely easy) drink order and getting my gluten free sweet potato whoopie pie out of the fridge. I don't like to frequent places where I'm treated like a bother, so I don't think I'll be spending much time here in the future, though it's nice to know there's a place nearby where I can get a good GF cookie without paying an arm and a leg.
Review Source:There are times in life that I think I nitpick too much for my own good. In my defense, my profession _does_ rely on a high level of attention to detail and a compulsion to be annoyingly consistent, so I suppose it makes sense. And that's probably why I'm sometimes annoyed with my experience at Thrice: my enjoyment of my Filthy Chai (with Almond milk) depends on the barista. Call me old fashioned, but I feel like I should be able to go to a coffee shop and enjoy the same drink made from different baristas. But hey, I've never actually worked in a coffee shop, so what do I know?
Now, don't let that slightly negative start to this review get me wrong: I'm a big fan of Thrice. It's my neighborhood coffee shop (for the next 2 weeks), and I think the pros far out number the cons.
Pros: delicious baked goods, delicious Chai, great coffee, yummy breakfast tacos (I recommend the Thai Omelet taco). They also have a lot of tables and free Wifi, so it's a great place to get some work done. On top of all that, one of the baristas (haven't caught her name yet) knows my order, and I can just say "the usual." This makes me happy. She's also very consistent with her Filthy Chai making skills, so I only go in now when I know she's working. They also have Rockstar bagels, which I finally discovered are delicious (right before I cut out most carbs from my diet... sad panda.)
Cons: inconsistency between baristas, doesn't open until 8 a.m.
See, look at that lopsided pros list! Do yourself a favor: pop in on a weekend and enjoy some of their delicious coffee, their scrumptious vegan zucchini bread, or a Curried Potato breakfast taco. You won't regret it!
This is a great place to get some work done and have some coffee.
There's a lot of room to work, and the patronage varies from business people and students quietly working on laptops to friends and their kids meeting up and chatting. There is always interesting music playing low (often local stations), and sometimes they will turn the music off because someone is playing the banjo outside and it is awesome. The small patio is cute and shaded and there is often someone's dog out there looking to play catch.
There is free wifi and the outlet situation is weird - most of the outlets are in the ceiling in the middle of the room. The were nice enough to let me use an extension cord because my mac plug box wasn't staying in securely. Mac plug falling from the ceiling = not good. Thanks for that! You might want to bring your own extension cord.
I wrote this almost a year ago and never posted it because yelp kept clearing my text. Apparently they now have autosave and recovered my text. Thanks Yelp!
Anyway, Thrice is a much better name than Cafe Caffiene. Good job. Minus one start for weird outlets and unexciting food options.
Pros: Barrista found some corn tortillas and made me tacos with interesting Thai-type seasoned eggs. Â Gluten free baked goods.
Cons: Corn tortillas were stale to the point of inedible. Â Interesting Thai-type seasoned eggs were unique but bland. Â $2.75 per breakfast taco = rip-off. Â Gluten Free baked goods were once good but now stale. Â No "real" coffee cups, only to-go paper. Â Mine had a cup sleeve that was literally advertising Target. Â
Well-intentioned but totally un-pro.
I came in equipped with a ten dollar groupon and left with an iced coffee and two breakfast tacos.
Their tacos were fancy, gourmet -healthy ones and were pretty good. Â The neighborhood and vibe is very "Austin" and does have an original feel to it. Â Still, with those prices its tough to be a regular here.
Works in a pinch. Â Â Or for convenience. Â Usually not a line, but if there is one then pull out a book or call your mom. Â Â Â
This is a clean space with a cool waterfall outside, in a great location, and the tea selection is nice and includes all as ready-made iced tea options.
However, the food is lacking and pricey for the quantity. Â Â Also, the big canyon space in this not very unique space can get loud and drab. Â Â
Could use some more positive energy (maybe with tunes?). Â Has potential.
This is one of my favorite coffee shops! And not just because it's right around the corner from my work.
The staff is friendly, the vibe is great, and the drinks are delicious.
They have sandwiches, tacos, and a variety of other snacks that change from time to time (depending on what they have in).
Parking is limited, but you can park on the street if spots aren't available in the lot.
The last perk... 9 times out of 10 I see Leslie here. Who doesn't want to drink coffee with a view of an old (wo)man in a thong?
They sometimes pack the place at random "I NEED COFFEE NOW" hours with elementary schoolers giving reports, making it inaccessible. Â They sometimes don't have my favorite barrista of all time, and I end up needing to rely on the "I can't be bothered to treat you like a customer" owner. Â But they have three things which nearly bring it to 5-stars.
1. Leslie. Â Yep, he's there almost every morning, frequently with a Negro Modelo in hand. Â Even at 8am. Â
2. Mexican Mocha. Â It's worth the effort to have one. Â Every day.
3. That dude with the sweet beard. Â He plays some eclectic tunes, makes great conversation regardless of the ungodly hour (even at 8am!), and can barrista the crap out of a Mexican Mocha. Â Forget about it!
There are also couches.
Unlike a lot of the reviewers, I love the atmosphere here. Â I don't like cozy. Â I like open, spacious, and sparse. Â
If nothing else, I will always come back for their Mexican Hot Chocolate. Â Delicious! Â Even if I didn't like the food that much, the hot chocolate would definitely be worth it. Â And they have a fantastic tea selection as well, including local teas. Â Â
My favorite thing about Cafe Caffeine is that power outlets are hanging from the light fixtures. Â I just love the way it looks. Â And it means I'm never going to trip over somebody's power cord!
Since this place is in my hood, I want to like it more than I actually do. It's not quite as cozy as I'd like my neighborhood coffee house to be so that was kind of a turn off. However, the music was good on this particular Saturday morning and the cinnamon roll I split with my friend really hit the spot, all gooey and warm...
The coffee is Katz's, and was on par with the Katz's at other places in town. However, I don't think I'll be in here often as Summermoon is actually closer to my house and I like the atmosphere a lot better.
As much as I like the place, I've begun to exclude it from my coffeeshop rounds because its WiFi network is extremely flaky nowadays. Â My last two visits (about a week apart) were exercises in electronic frustration, and it'll be a while before I give Caffeine another shot. Â Meanwhile, Fair Bean Coffee -- around the corner on S. 1st near Live Oak -- has a reliable network, bigger (if fewer) tables, and a half-caf option in their help-yourself lineup everyday. Â Right now, it's a no-brainer.
UPDATE: Â I'm in Cafe Caffeine now -- a week later -- and online without any problems. Â Maybe they've fixed their problem.
I know I'm going against the grain, because most reviews speak well of Cafe Caffeine. Â And, in all fairness, I have no business writing a review on this place, because I never ordered anything, but the reason I never ordered anything was I just didn't feel comfy there. Â I sat on the couch, checked my email, and left.
I went there during the middle of the day, so maybe it's a better night spot.
So what scared me away? Â Well, maybe it was that the place lacked any feeling of privacy, and so I was forced to overhear every word of a conversation at one table. Â Tables were too close together, and made me feel claustrophobic. Â The layout was too symmetrical. Â There was no interesting energy flow around the big room. Â They should put some curtains up--or something--to break up the space. Â You saw all the "inner guts" of their business, cardboard boxes, and cleaning supplies.
I'm sure it could be a cool place if they put some more thought into the design. Â I love the location. Â I love that it's a local business. Â I love they have WiFi - though I didn't see many jacks. Â In time, I hope this place does a little interior decorating. Â I know I sound like a snob. Â But - I figure it's worth giving a contrasting opinion, and let the readers decide. Â I'll go back and order coffee next time, and if my experience is better, I'll add stars. Â Until then, only two for making me not want to stay. Â I want to be seduced when I go on a first date with a new spot.
I was introduced to Cafe Caffeine through the local co-working meetup group, Jelly, where a good-sized group of folks are working together and everyone is on their laptop. Cafe Caffeine is really friendly towards us, with a solid wireless connection, tons of space and (aerial) power outlets. Â When I have had the coffee before, it was pretty good - they're not kidding with the name though, I had a mocha and it was loaded with caffeine, something I usually don't have a problem with. The snacks are excellent too - try out the samosa/empanadas and the cinnamon rolls. Added bonus about this place is that a the whole place is very vegan/vegetarian friendly, if that's your cup of tea (or coffee?).
Service is very good - the employees are all really friendly and the cafe is very well kept-up, it's clean, spacious and the music is pretty good and low-key.
Look no further than Cafe Caffeine if you're looking for a good meeting place for your cult, sleeper cell, or any other niche cultural or artistic-leaning society.
Every time I've been there (and I go there a lot - it's in my 'hood) for my requisite iced latte (also great - especially when the cute mohawk girl makes it - I think crack is her secret ingredient), there's been a different yet equally interesting crowd hanging out for poetry readings, acoustic performances, literary debates and last night - some sort of multimedia presentation on Palestine strife. Two old French dudes were in a heated debate with some younger passionate folk about the war in Iraq and other related goings-on in the Middle East. It reminded me of my Western Civ class in high school. I felt a little more culturally enlightened just being near them at the barrista.
Cafe Caffeine is in the great hidden (it feels hidden, at least) neighborhood of Bouldin Creek, so it really does feel homey. There's a lot of people with their laptops and hey, if you forgot yours or don't have one, there's even free imacs you can jump on to enjoy the free wifi. There's also a lot of people reading important looking books. I almost feel guilty that I don't bring something as a prop because I always think literary types will give me judging eyes for being too plebian, but thankfully this place is too laid-back for that.
Great shaded patio, delicious-looking treats and snacks that I have yet to try - from lunch empanadas to homemade lemon bars (!!), vegan pumpkin bread, apple pie and even brekkie burritos. The decor is comfortably mismatched and the bathroom is a cool non-sequitur in and of itself.
And remember, Moxie & the Compound is next door if you feel you need to empty your wallet a little more and support your local designers.
It's kind of like a non-violent version of Russian Roulette when you come here; you just never know what kind of crowd or vibe you're going to get. For me, I will continue pulling that happy trigger every day.
I admit I don't go to Cafe Caffeine regularly, but I think that's about to change. My favorite coffeehouse drink is a large iced chai with a shot of espresso and while I've had baristas at other coffeehouses roll their eyes when I ask for something that "complicated," the baristas at Cafe Caffeine are always friendly about it -- and they make it reeeeeely well.
I love the atmosphere there -- some coffeehouses in Austin, I feel like I have to get dressed up just to go there, but not at Cafe Caffeine. And the retro-futuristic decor is just great.
They have a great selection of food & snacks, and I've always found everything to be reasonably priced -- last night I got a tasty lemon-poppyseed muffin and what amounted to a vat of iced chai with espresso, made with soy milk, for just over $6. I've paid about that much at a couple of spots downtown that didn't have the great vibe, easy parking and friendly service Cafe Caffeine offers. (And I swear their chai is better than any other I've found in Austin.)
I been here twice and both times it was for a knitter meetup.
Sadly enough, I do not knit. I have friends that knit, but I personally do not knit.
I digress...what I like about Cafe Caffeine is that it feels like a neighborhood joint with families coming and going, people spending hours soaking up caffeine and wi-fi. The place is a little sparse as a nod to the 1950's inspired interior, but also has little thrift store touches here and there.
Don't forget to check out the wall of bumper stickers while you are there - they are always good for a laugh. Try their carrot cake - it's delicious!
One of the more intriguing things about South Austin is the way it plays out structurally:  rows of traditional Texas shotgun-style homes interspersed with modern, HGTV-savvy, Architectural Digest-friendly marvels.  And the Cafe Caffeine plays out a little like a marriage of the modern and kitschy neighborhood where it lives, from the oft-noted mod waterfall in the outside sitting area, to the thrift-store accoutrements inside: 50's style kitchen tables, space-cadet light fixtures, the giant back-lit "Wired" sign on the door, vintage radios sprinkled betwixt  and between.
The staff is a little punky and super friendly, authentic and gregarious, maybe in that order. Â It's clear that there's no put-on here, and my recent mid-afternoon stop featured an array of locals, musicians planning future collaborations (including some wildy gesticulating story about a studio operator whose first foray engineering was for Hendrix...wow). Â The conversation in here sounds like independent film, and I'm a sucker for that kinda thing.
I can't comment on the temperature of the coffee as it was too hot outside to consider a steaming cup, but they make a tasty Italian soda (granted, hard to mess that up) and my planned quick stop-in quickly evolved into a couple of hours in a comfortable chair with a cast of colorfuls. Â I'll stop back in to try some chocolate cake, to slam an espresso, or to sip on something else with ice in it. Â But mostly I'll stop by to see who's stopped by.
I usually end up dropping in on Saturday morning, when it has a heartwarming knitting scene. The overall vibe is unapologetically liberal, but it is very comfortable and welcoming. Â Outside by the fountain is nice when the weather cooperates
Once in a while you will get a grumpy server. Â You may have to search for a plug anywhere nearby. Â It is more of a social coffeehouse than a workplace, and that is fine with me.
As I rode by, I glimpsed what I thought was a new coffeeshop about 30 yards away, on the corner. Â I hope not.
I gave up on this place after I asked for one of their holiday coffee drinks this last Christmas. Â They sold me a so-called "gingerbread latte" for more than $5 which was the worst I've ever had--lukewarm and nasty. Â
I'm all about supporting local business, but when the Starbucks around the corner makes better coffee AND is cheaper, you have a problem.
I was a little underwhelmed. I had some work to do, and I remembered the good reviews of this place on Yelp, so I decided to give it a whirl.
I just got a bottomless cup of coffee (Costa Rican), which I'd give a 7.5 on my Taste-O-Meter (patent pending). It also wasn't so hot temperature-wise. What was cool, though, was the decor. I sat in the little nook comprised of a vintage couch and coffee table. After a time, I leaned back to rest a moment, and saw they have little vintage radios hanging from the ceiling. Very cool.
Unfortunately, that's where my good times ended. One of the employees, who was checking her email, got a phone call. She talked. And talked. This woman was not using her inside voice, either. She kept talking, and now I know all about her friend's legal troubles. I couldn't concentrate on my work. At one point, another customer and I shared a moment when we both realized we were staring at the loud employee.
I gathered my things. No more work would be done. She was still talking as I walked out. But what I really wanted to do before I left was summon the spirit of the late, great Chris Farley: "Why don't you just SHUT YOUR BIG YAPPER!!"
I don't know so much about going there for coffee, although its name suggests it not once, but twice. Â It's a great venue to see live music because the stage is up and center, there are lots of places to sit, and you can BYOB. Â Some may find this inconvenient, but I say bringing your own six-pack or a flask of tequila, and not having to deal with downtown parking, is all around cheaper and easier. Â And if you happen to get hungry, you can grab one of those super delicious Green Cart wraps. Â (The best a Red River bar will offer are peanuts or jerky.)
Although there is only one bathroom for women, it's so comfortable, you may just want to take a drink in there and relax. Â It's clean, large, and there's a chair in the corner to set down your purse and coat. Â This is a deluxe water closet. Â
Also, if the bathroom sign, either for the men or women's bathroom, ever disappears - it's because I couldn't help taking it. Â Too cool. Â Where can I get one?
Alterna-pop bleats in the background, antique transistor radios are tied to the ceiling for some reason I have a laptop. Â I notice there are not enough ac plugs to power my computy. :(
My soy mate-latte is delish and the bathrooms make me remember why this place is nice. Theater Arts rehearsals are taking place and the lil' flowers on the table are real! wow.
Delightful neighborhood caffe, (yes, 2 ff s)
Rumor has it that the co-owner was a producer of Adult movies.
Cafe Caffeine is definitely worth a visit, mainly because it has a totally unique vibe that you won't find anywhere else in Austin. Not sure exactly what that vibe is, or how to describe it, but it's there.
The usually crowded shop has your expected selection of square tables, couches and bar-style laptop workstations (the place is wi-fi). Cafe Caffeine also has a large menu, long list of hot and cold beverages, and some mighty tempting wrapped baked goods. I haven't yet had a chance to sample their coffee, but my bet is that it's good...at least that's what I would guess from the number of people drinking it.
There's a political undertone to this java house. Yes, you could probably make that argument about any coffee shop, since the usually small and independent businesses tend to draw issues-oriented and current-events conscious folks. But here there is something different. Maybe it's just the time of day that I've happened to be there, but there are always several group "meetings" going on. People are excited about things. And if for no other reason, stop by Cafe Caffeine for their humorous collection of bumper stickers. You'll recognize many of them, but I guarantee they've got a few you haven't seen before.
Definitely worth a visit.
I drove to this far away location from my north Austin abode to meet some friends for a coffee happy hour. I liked it. They had great hot tea, signs everywhere advertising entertainment many nights of the week, comfy couches and an array of interesting types to people watch.
Then, several weeks after, I met the old owner of Cafe Caffeine.Ive never met a coffee shop owner before. Just thought that was cool.
For a liberal hip wi-fi friendly coffee shop on the south side, I definitely recommend this joint.
Pretty cool coffee shop in a pretty cool part of town. Â I wish this place had been there when I lived two blocks away. Â
The coffee was good and the pastries I've had (banana nut loaf and blueberry muffins) have been quality stuff. Â They have a couple of cool couches, a swell booth, and occasional live acoustic music.
If you're political, they have many stickers with pro-democratic slogans, which any anti-Bush person would love. Â If you support the current administration, you might want to come equipped with some comebacks to defend yourself with.
When it comes to free Wi-fi in the South 1st street area, Cafe Caffeine is the best. They have super cute, comfortable vintage couches and furniture and RICK PERRY mini-pinatas! This place makes all your Starbucks favorites for a fraction of the price, and sometimes they serve  refreshing hibiscus-mint-lemonade (I hear hibiscus tea is big here).
Cafe Caffeine is also a great place to watch bands perform. I saw my roommate's folk band, Some Say Leland, play here just a week ago and it was so cozy and intimate, unlike so many other cafes. Another plus is, since they don't sell beer or wine, it's BYOB - or it least it was that night.
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