Favorite Coffee Houses

[august948]

Love Agora for ambiance, but they need to step up their game a little with the quality of their coffee. A lot of places have passed them from that aspect. We may need a coffee thread...

Voila!

[kylejack]

I like: Southside Espresso, Double Trouble, and Doshi House both for coffee and atmosphere. I like the coffee at Catalina, but not always the vibe.

[august948]

My personal favorite tends to be IHOP. I know it's not very hip, but I got used to drinking coffee while studying late into the night at the one next to campus in my undergrad years. And back in the day there weren't many coffee shops around, especially in Waco.

[livincinco]

Agora if I'm just looking to hang out and surf, but Blacksmith for the coffee. I agree with you about Catalina. Good coffee, but not particularly friendly. If you're looking for something not in the usual areas, I highly recommend Cafe Fioza down in Meyerland.

[sevfiv]

Black Hole, House of Pies.

[samagon]

I need to try blacksmith. I'll have a coke at agora, but not usually a coffee. double trouble makes a good latte, as does catalina (wish they had more outdoor seating though).

 

I've been spending most of my time making my own coffee and espresso drinks lately, around August I'll be frequenting my own coffee shop on UH campus

[Highrise Tower]

I'm enjoying Cavo Coffee. They present themselves as a luxury coffee house.

https://www.cavocoffee.com/

 

Their main business is in the Regions Financial Bank building in GWP.  They had a pop-up location at ROD but since changed to a more permanent location in West U on Bissonnet.  Friendly staff, high end equipment, great coffee.. and surroundings..

 

If I had Cavo Coffee in the lobby of the building I work at..

[Highrise Tower]

Went to Cavo's "light opening" a few weeks ago.  Very cool! Love the interior and coffee equip

 

 

[gene]

Brasil is my long time haunt (like 23 years?) and their coffee really is excellent! Also love Empire Cafe because of those darn little cookies you get with the coffee...! haha! 

[nate4l1f3]

I’m not sure there’s a coffee house I don’t like tbh, and I’m pretty sure I’ve tried 90% of the most popular ones in the city. I wish somehow I could get paid off doing so lol.  I’ll throw an out of the box suggestion and go with slowpokes on W 34th and Alba.  Also, I’m partial to the coffee shops that actually use theirs AC!  It’s surprising to me how many of them keep it warm inside. 

[Highrise Tower]

Been enjoying Kenya AA beans. A little pricey but worth it!

[august948]

Recently got hooked on flat whites.  The Fellini's in Rice Village makes a pretty good one.  Anyone know of other places to try?

[Highrise Tower]

Today I noticed WF PO had zero Kenya AA coffee. Wonder if they should expand their “coffee bar”

[Reefmonkey]

There are two places I sorely miss: Cafe Artiste and Cafe Boticelli. My favorite now, and been going since I was in high school in the early 90s, is Epicure Cafe. As long as a place can make a decent enough cappucino, it's all about ambiance for me from there on. A place with a serviceable cappucino but great ambiance wins hands down over a place with stellar coffee but only so-so ambiance.

 

Another place I miss, more for high school nostalgia's sake than anything else, is Dolce and Freddo. Mostly patronized the one on lower Kirby, but at one point in the early 90s there was one on FM 1960 in the Champions area when I was in high school up there.

Edited December 21, 2018 by Reefmonkey

[gnu]

I miss Kaldi Cafe in the Heights circa 2000

[mkultra25]

8 hours ago, Reefmonkey said:

There are two places I sorely miss: Cafe Artiste and Cafe Boticelli. My favorite now, and been going since I was in high school in the early 90s, is Epicure Cafe. As long as a place can make a decent enough cappucino, it's all about ambiance for me from there on. A place with a serviceable cappucino but great ambiance wins hands down over a place with stellar coffee but only so-so ambiance.

 

Another place I miss, more for high school nostalgia's sake than anything else, is Dolce and Freddo. Mostly patronized the one on lower Kirby, but at one point in the early 90s there was one on FM 1960 in the Champions area when I was in high school up there.

 

I only went to Cafe Artiste a few times, but I was a regular patron of its predecessor at that location, Chicago Pizza Co., when I was in college. Decent pizza, but perhaps of greater importance to college students, regular specials on pitchers of beer.

 

I miss Dolce and Freddo as well. The Kirby location used to be a near-daily destination for me when I worked in the area - when the late-afternoon malaise kicked in, I knew it was time to hop on my motorcycle and head over there for a quick double espresso, returning to the office sufficiently energized to finish the day. I got to know all of the baristas that worked there quite well and occasionally hung out with one of them who also rode a bike. I never knew about the FM1960 location, but they also had another location on Woodway near Voss. 

[mkultra25]

8 hours ago, gnu said:

I miss Kaldi Cafe in the Heights circa 2000

 

I was just thinking about Kaldi Cafe the other day. It closed not too long after we moved into the area, so we only got to eat there a few times. That section of 19th St. was quite a bit different then compared to now. 

[Highrise Tower]

Did Cavo really shut down their new West U/Bissonnet location due to the ongoing road construction? I remember a local bar did the same thing, but reopened a week later.

 

Hopefully Cavo meant closing for the day

[gene]

On 12/21/2018 at 0:30 PM, gnu said:

I miss Kaldi Cafe in the Heights circa 2000

 

Kaldi cafe is where Blue October, my best friends band, had their first show ever haha...that was 96 or 97...! Loved that place...

[Highrise Tower]

Lola Savannah's single origin El Salvador Honey-Process has been my go-to for beans this month.

https://www.lolacoffee.com/

 

[august948]

On 7/21/2019 at 5:35 PM, ekdrm2d1 said:

Lola Savannah's single origin El Salvador Honey-Process has been my go-to for beans this month.

https://www.lolacoffee.com/

 

 

I'll have to try that.  Been a fan of lola savannah texas pecan for a while now.  Is this picture from central market?

[Highrise Tower]

31 minutes ago, august948 said:

 

I'll have to try that.  Been a fan of lola savannah texas pecan for a while now.  Is this picture from central market?

 

My mom loves the Texas pecan as well. Yes, that is from CM.

 

Give it a try.

[Highrise Tower]

Lola Savannah released a line of holiday coffee at CM. Coconut Rum Cake, Maple Bars, Sugar Cookie, and Pumpkin Cheesecake.  

 

I’d worry about the flavored coffee beans spoiling my grinder for future use. Wouldn’t want my beans to always have a hint taste of cookies.  I was told just wipe the insides and you’ll be fine.

[mkultra25]

4 hours ago, ekdrm2d1 said:

I’d worry about the flavored coffee beans spoiling my grinder for future use. Wouldn’t want my beans to always have a hint taste of cookies.  I was told just wipe the insides and you’ll be fine.

 

There's a reason that every place that has self-service grinders has separate grinders for flavored and unflavored beans and dire warnings not to mix the two up. 

[Highrise Tower]

39 minutes ago, mkultra25 said:

 

There's a reason that every place that has self-service grinders has separate grinders for flavored and unflavored beans and dire warnings not to mix the two up. 

 

Good call.

 

I'll save my main grinder, the Baratza Virtuoso, and use my smaller handheld grinder instead. Hand cranking grinders take a few minutes more