We have visited 15 Austin-area coffee shops in person, ordered from the menu, paid our own way, and taken our own photographs at each one. This page groups all 15 by neighborhood so you can find the closest one, or the closest few, without hunting through the rest of the site.
Our policy on these reviews, stated in full on the About page: “We went, we ordered, we paid, and we wrote up what we found, and the photographs are ours.” None of the 15 pages below carry an affiliate link or a commercial relationship with the shop — see the disclosure at the bottom of each one.
Table of Contents
North Central Austin
Barrett’s Coffee Roasters roasts and serves its own coffee out of the Highland neighborhood, alongside breakfast tacos and easy walk-up ordering. We had an espresso made with their Ethiopian beans and a drip made with their Timor beans.
Northwest Austin
Whipped Bakery & Cafe on Anderson Mill Rd is an elegantly decorated bakery best known for its desserts — our favorite was the pistachio fatcaron. We paired an Americano and a peppermint tea with a plate of them.
South Lamar / Bouldin
Café Medici is a cozy South Lamar neighborhood spot that also records the Make Haste Slowly podcast on site. We ordered two single-origin espressos and a Clarksville drip.
Funky Sol Coffee pours out of a retro Airstream trailer behind Bouldin Acres, with a “coffee for dreamers” personality. We had the Space Cadet drip and an espresso made with the Dreamer blend.
South Congress
Simona’s Coffee + Cocktails is inside the Colton House Hotel, with an elevated upstairs room and weekend mimosas. We ordered a drip and a double-shot espresso, both from Proud Mary Coffee.
South Austin
Radio Coffee & Beer on Menchaca roasts under its own RCB Roasters label and runs food trucks and live music alongside the coffee. We ordered a black drip coffee.
Doxa Coffee Roasters is a calm, plant-filled space with Moorish-style archways, roasted on a closed, ventless system. We had a Brazil and a decaf Colombia pour-over.
Radix House Coffee is a food truck that supports PTSD awareness and local animal rescue causes. We ordered an espresso and a drip, both made with local Third Coast “El Guapo” beans.
Rise Coffee & Bakery bakes its cupcakes in-house across 30-plus rotating flavors. We kept our order simple: one small regular drip and one small decaf.
Spokesman Coffee in the St. Elmo Arts District doubles as a comedy and vinyl-listening venue. We tried the Gatomboya Washed Kenya drip plus double shots of a Guatemala espresso and a Colombia decaf.
Bougie’s Donuts & Coffee (technically Sunset Valley, and everyone including us calls it South Austin) keeps vegan and gluten-free options on hand. We had an Americano, since the drip was out that day, with three donuts.
Southwest Austin
Black Rock Coffee, at the Lantana Place location, is a chain known for its sweet “Fuel” energy drinks alongside its house drip. We ordered a Mai Tai Fuel and a Steel Bridge dark roast drip.
Oak Hill
SquareRüt Kava Bar is an alcohol-free lounge built around traditional South Pacific kava that also pours coffee and espresso. We’ve been back more than once, and the banana tea cake is why.
East Austin
Texas Coffee Traders calls itself Austin’s original Eastside roastery, roasting since 1994 and letting you sample the drip before you buy. We ordered an espresso and the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe drip.
Dripping Springs
Mazama Coffee Company has been family-owned since 2012, roasting in-house in historic downtown Dripping Springs — worth the short drive west of the city. We ordered the house espresso blend and a single-origin Ethiopian drip.
Disclosure
Every review linked above is our own visit. We have no commercial relationship with any of these shops, and none of these 15 pages carries an affiliate link or earns this site anything.
