Spokesman Coffee Review (St. Elmo / South Austin)

We stopped by the South location of Spokesman Coffee – South in the St. Elmo Arts District (they also have spots in Highland and Pflugerville), and it has that warehouse-meets-art-studio energy: open, airy, industrial, and wrapped in bold graffiti. Inside, there’s a medium amount of seating and room to spread out—ideal for hanging out, but quick service makes it easy to pop in and out.

The coffee at Spokesman

Coffee-wise, we tried their Gatomboya Washed Kenya drip and found it surprisingly mild and gentle. We also did a double shot of the Black Mass Dark Roast Washed Guatemala espresso and a double shot of the Atuunka Sugarcane Decaf Washed Colombia—both came across robust with a pronounced bite. We did notice that he beans didn’t seem to be ground fresh to order, but we saw their online FAQ mentions they roast on set days (Tuesdays and Fridays), so it may be part of their batching/production flow. On the food side, they serve pastries from Sour Duck Market and Kerlaches, but by noon on Saturday they were already wiped out—so go earlier if you want the full pastry lineup.

Comedy nights and events

What makes Spokesman extra fun is that it doubles as an event hangout, not just a café. Their calendar includes a free Friday-night standup comedy residency (“Overstimulated Comedy”), weekly BYOV nights where you bring a vinyl record and they spin it like a listening lounge, plus happy hour specials and Saturday-morning “Tunez” with cartoons and mellow music—very on-brand for their “café by day, bar energy by night” vibe.

What’s changed since our visit

Still open at 440 East Saint Elmo Road A-2, with long hours — 7am–7pm Monday and Tuesday, 7am–9pm Wednesday to Friday, 8am–7pm on weekends.

• Our hunch about set roast days was right: they roast to a schedule, which is why the beans were not ground to order.
• Of the three coffees we drank, only the sugarcane decaf Colombia is still sold. The Kenya and the Guatemala have gone.
• Both pastry suppliers are still on the menu, and so is the habit of running out of them.
• The events run under the same names, including the Friday comedy night and bring-your-own-vinyl.

Last checked 12 August 2026.

More on the words used here: how to taste coffee, Kenyan coffee, Central American coffee and how decaf is actually made.

More Austin coffee shops

More of our Austin coffee-shop reviews: Radio Coffee & Beer (South Austin), Doxa Coffee Roasters (South Austin), Radix House (South Austin), Simona’s (South Congress), Funky Sol (South Lamar), SquareRüt Kava Bar (Oak Hill) and Texas Coffee Traders (East Austin).

Disclosure

This review is our own visit. We have no commercial relationship with the shop, and this page carries no affiliate links and earns this site nothing.