3700 Riverdale Avenue

A Pumpkin spice macchiato 12oz, over $10 and tasted gross

I used to pass by this cafe all the time and was a loyal, regular customer who frequently bought coffee and supported their business. I have worked upstairs here in the past, and I even spent an hour sitting downstairs previously with a student working on a tablet set up the exact same way, without anyone ever mentioning a fee, a time limit, or a policy against devices. Because of how much I liked this place, my recent experience was especially deeply disappointing and exclusionary. ​When I arrived today, I noticed the stairs leading upstairs were blocked off. I asked the employee taking my order if upstairs was closed, and he told me it was full but explicitly said I could sit downstairs to work. ​After sitting down with my tablet, another staff member came over to talk to me. He informed me that I couldn't work there and literally said, "This is not a regular cafe." He told me I would need to pay $10 to rent a room upstairs if I wanted to work, adding the bizarre rule that I could only use my tablet if it was laid completely flat so it "didn't look like a computer," which was ridiculous, considering I was using a tablet, just angled on its stand. To make matters worse, while he was saying all this, a customer at the next table was nodding along in agreement while others silently stared as I packed up, which made the whole atmosphere feel unnecessarily hostile and elitist. I was not warned when ordering about a fee to work. in fact, the cashier invited me to sit downstairs. The complete lack of consistency between staff members and policies makes this even worse. Being a regular customer who frequently buys coffee here, only to be confronted and made to feel unwelcome over the angle of a tablet, is a terrible way to treat patrons. I will never buy coffee here again or return. In RESPONSE to the Owner's answer (that you DELETED after I wrote this): Your response confirms exactly what I experienced. That your staff enforces rules based on arbitrary optics ("laying a tablet flat so it doesn't look like a computer') rather than actual disruption. I was explicitly told by YOUR employee at the counter when I ordered that I could sit downstairs to work. Being confronted afterward because another customer saw my tablet, and then being told I had "the option" to move to a paid co-working space or lay my device flat, is terrible customer service. My partner and I left honest reviews. FUTURE PATRONS DESERVE TRANSPARENCY BEFORE PURCHASING. BTW: your staff member was right about one thing: this is NOT a "regular cafe." A regular cafe operates with transparency, basic hospitality, and consistent policies, not by telling a paying customer one thing at the counter and then changing the rules later for their convenience.

My wife visited this café looking for a place to sit, enjoy a coffee, and use her tablet. Before sitting down, she specifically asked the cashier whether it was acceptable to use her tablet at one of the tables downstairs and was told that it was. A few minutes later, another employee approached her and said that she was not allowed to work there. She was told that if she wanted to use her tablet, she would need to pay for a workspace subscription upstairs ($10/hour). What made this experience particularly frustrating was the inconsistent communication. She explicitly asked for permission beforehand and received it, only to be told the opposite moments later. If the café has a policy restricting the use of laptops or tablets, it should be clearly communicated to customers before they sit down. There are no visible signs explaining this policy. Beyond the policy itself, the situation was handled in a way that was unnecessarily embarrassing, as the conversation took place in front of other customers who were watching. We won't visit this coffee anymore.

Food, service, and atmosphere are all 5 stars! The staff are really nice. Love their banana caramel latte !!! But their different lattes are soooo good. The food menu is extensive and so delicious. Overall, ive had the avocado toast, protein pancakes,and tres golpe. Sooooo good. They have delicious pastries. Highly recommend

Great workspace!