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Despite what some may believe, there are still a few local gems I have not made it to yet in the Augusta-Aiken area. This one was due to its location. It is about half a mile off Washington Road and the parking lot is minimal for there being multiple businesses in the plaza. But how could I resist the opportunity to stop in and try their Americano when I was already driving nearby on a rainy, relaxing morning? I am so glad I did. Though I do like the outside seating area, it is the interior that made me want to visit again. (Unless I have the furry family members. Then I’ll be outside.) Low lighting, cozy decor, local art (on display and available for purchase) all beckon you to come sit for awhile. They have the wall menu and a handheld one (for those of us with not the best eyesight) that also explains certain items, such as the various latte flavors. Such a friendly team working there and timing (on the order). I barely had time to peruse the art before my Americano was ready. My order was to go and I waited, as I always do with Americano’s and lattes, five minutes before tasting. I will say that I was initially concerned. The aromatics were not strong, for being in my car with the windows up. But, upon tasting I quickly realized that it was more so the predominant almond taste in the bean that was coming to the forefront than a lack of flavor. It was such that I was able to sip it continuous (medium size=approx. 16 ounces) till it was gone, but only after it had cooled down. That is not a complaint either, as I prefer it (and anything coffee-espresso related) to be as hot as humanly possible. Between the quality of the service, beverage, atmosphere and the appetizing options I saw on the menu, I am quite certain I will be returning soon. Sidenote: Though any dogs are welcome outside, they have clear signage stating that service animals are welcome inside as well.

Lasaters Coffee & Tea – Menu with Prices – 589 S Riverside Dr, Clarksville

I was in town for work and needed a good coffee. Well I also needed something to eat. So I stopped here because I do try my best not to eat or drink at chain places as much as possible. I pulled up and ordered an Americano and a bacon/egg/cheese bagel. If I based my experience off of just the customer service and the coffee this would have been a 5 star visit. I did order a bagel… Yes I know what was I thinking ordering breakfast at a coffee shop that I didn’t know if they make everything or not. Well by the taste of it the egg was a premade egg, the bacon was microwave bacon the cheese was unknown but the bagel didn’t taste bad, it could have been off the cisco truck or local bakery I was not sure since all I could taste was the over cooked egg and greasy bacon. But this should be about the coffee… the Americano was perfect, it was just the right about of espresso and hot water. I mean it was perfect. I would gladly come back just for the Americano. If back in town again I will come here and order another, maybe even one for the drive home.

Ladybug Bikini Espresso – Menu with Prices – 11603 Pacific Ave S, Tacoma

Not sure what kind of scam they’re running but stop to get an Americano and they ended up insisting that it was $7. Really!? I’ve never paid $7 for Americano even in an airport or at a concert. Maybe she was scamming me or maybe they’re expecting me to pay for the show but sad to report she wasn’t much to look at. If I’m going to pay $7 for a simple americano coffee they better have better looking girls working their “bikini coffee drive-thru”…….

The Grounds – Menu with Prices – 5000 W Bell Rd, Glendale

We have come here a handful of times always fine , takes a while for simple drinks though. Love the fact you have red bull. (The reason for one star) Went today, was a busier day, as three people came over and told us and said sorry its really busy today sorry it’s taking a long time. We were there for 30 minutes for two drinks… we reached the window, when greeted with “what drinks did you have”. My boyfriend’s drink came out once we told them. Then minutes later they ask me again what the other drink was. Told them the medium americano. They came out with a hot americano , I first ordered a “iced medium white chocolate americano, extra sweet”. So they made me another one. It was a “warm” iced americano no sweeter… So they tried again, with something that looked ok. I gave up and said it’s fine. I would think they took the first hot Americano remade it and poured it in a iced cup with a couple ice cubes. Then went to remake it again and poured out half and added white chocolate and more ice. Very horrible today. Will have to second guess coming again. Disappointed.. you need to learn to make drink.

Unplugg-D Cafe – Menu with Prices – 12085 Brookhurst St, Garden Grove

This is entirely based on the drinks, not food or service wise as a heads up! BLACK MILK TEA: For the BMT, I feel like this is generally a very bland tasting milk tea. Other places make it better, but others also make it worse, so this falls right in the middle: average. The BMT is more on the milky side than the actual black tea itself which I believe should have an equal tasting milk to tea ratio. RATE: 5/10 TROPICAL NIGHT: This is suppose to taste like a strawberry lemonade kind of fruit tea, but really lacks that strawberry flavor I was looking for. The TN has more of a prominent grapefruit flavor, but has no grapefruit in it, which is very confusing as to where that taste comes from. RATE: 4/10 PEACHY GIRL: The PG drink is very very bland. I don’t really taste a distinct peach flavor in the drink like it probably should. It’s more on the watery side than the tea side, so it basically feels like I’m just drinking straight up water with a hint of peach juice. RATE: 3/10 TRA BUOI: The TB tea is the best of the 4 drinks I ordered. This tea actually tastes like guava and the tea base complements the guava. It has a little sour taste to it which isn’t necessarily bad. RATE: 7/10 OVERALL: 4.7/10 would recommend coming here.

Little Gourmand – Menu with Prices – 2209 Bandywood Dr Ste D, Nashville

I visit Nashville often and stay in an area close to Greenhill. Today I was looking for a coffee shop that has a croissant and found this cute little shop! It’s a market place with French goodies and a bakery that sells croissants, financiers, quiches, macarons, and a few other patisserie items. There are seats alongside one corner of the store. The people who work (2 French people-couple?- and one clerk who also seemed to speak French) were so pleasant and helpful. And I love hearing French language! I got an espresso and an almond croissant to eat in and took a Lyonnais sandwich to go. * Almond Croissant ($4.50) was superb – a lot of sliced almonds with marzipan inside, great texture and flavor. I like it more with a crispier, flakier texture, but I still enjoyed this one very much. * Lyonnais sandwich ($9.95) was fabulous! It’s a very simple sandwich made on a baguette with dry salami, gherkins, and salted butter..but everything was of great quality, and the proportion of things was very much to my liking. Salted French butter was great! * Financier with raspberries was also excellent. Great almond flavor and soft texture, perfectly baked. * Espresso was fine..(a bit weak for my taste…but I’m very picky about my coffee!:)). They only have espresso or Americano. No cappuccino, etc. I also purchased a butter cookie tin that was so pretty! It’s a really cute place that serves well made baked items and sandwiches. It’s well run. It seems maybe a bit pricey, but I don’t mind it and will definitely go back. It brought me fond memories of visiting cafes and bakeries in France, and I think that’s what exactly this place is trying to do.

The Table on Elm – Menu with Prices – 227 S Elm St, Greensboro

The Almond Horns – IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. It’s very tasty from the inside out. It’s crunchy outside chewy inside. That little bit of chocolate on each ends taste super delicious as well. It’s definitely has a wow factor in it! It’s one of the best treats for humans (even though it’s a little too sweet for me). Blueberry Mango Pound Cake – it’s texture is good. It’s soft and goes well with a glass of milk. However, I’m not able to taste any mango flavor from the start to the end, and I’m still wondering why. Note: I’m still giving this bakery a 5 stars cus the Almond Horns tastes extraordinarily good.

Coffee Shak – Menu with Prices – 16220 SE Cascade Park Dr, Vancouver

This place was ok the last few times we came, but after the terrible service we got today I doubt we’ll ever come here again. to start with, the “supervisor” seemed really sassy? they have Italian cream soda but the flavors where not on the menu, so obviously I asked her what flavors she had and she just said “lots”…, like Is it really that hard to look at the syrups or just have it on the menu ? Like how would I know what flavors you have . The bear claw was really soggy and gross, the decaf americano was literally water. Like, it had no coffee flavor at all. And the worst part was that the cream soda was clumpy!!! Probably made with expired milk, I even drank quite a bit before I realized. We called to complain obviously and the same girl who made it picked up the phone and was just talking to us super rude. She said that it taste like water because we ordered an americano, and just seemed mad that we called her. Needless to say I think We will just stick to professional coffee shops, which sucks because this place is so close to home.

Georgia Street Grind – Menu with Prices – 1001, 25 W Georgia St #101, Indianapolis

This is one of my favorite coffee shops in Indy. The baristas are always friendly, and they are expert drink makers. I normally get either a latte or an americano. They have both been delicious every time I have stopped in. They sell while been coffee there, as well. They have their own blend, which is really good. My last americano from there was made with their signature blend, and it had great flavor at the top middle and end of each drink. They also had a couple coffees from other roasters (including Blue Mind, which is a great local roaster). They sell sodas by the bottle, too. My family likes Sprecher root beer and cream soda, so I will sometimes grab that, too. One thing to know before you go: There isn’t any seating in the coffee shop, so everything is “to go.” Having said that, they are located right on Georgia Street about a half block from Pan Am plaza, so there plenty of places to hang out and sit outside on a nice day. I recommend Georgia Street Grind without hesitation.

Lucky Koi Bubble Tea – Menu with Prices – 3216 Main St, Buffalo

I love that there’s a bubble tea spot closer to where I live now! It’s a cute little spot located near UB South. The decor is modern, clean, and cute. Service is good and pricing is average. You can only order 1 size. You can pick from 4 different tea types: white, green, oolong, and black. Unfortunately there are no nondairy milk options ? hopefully in the future they can accommodate by adding coconut milk, almond milk, or soybean milk as an option. But for now, lactose intolerants have to get the fruit teas. I got a mangosteen fruit tea. Mangosteen is my favorite fruit so I had high expectations but unfortunately it did not meet it. The flavor was ok, didnt taste like it to me. Maybe because there wasn’t much flavor or syrup in it. It kinda tasted like it’s watered down. My husband got a taro coconut smoothie. He said flavor was good but the smoothie was not blended well. It was still icey/chunky. My friend got a mango dragon fruit smoothie and hers was probably the best tasting one! Perfect amount of sweetness. Also, the actual bobas were a bit chewy, they could have been cooked a little longer. But they had a great taste that most bobas normally don’t. It kinda tasted like sweet caramel! They definitely have potential so I’m looking forward to trying it again if they fix these little details. But they make all the difference between other cafes!

Cafe Auburndale – Menu with Prices – 192-10 Northern Blvd, Flushing

I’ve been here a couple of times now and I have nothing bad to say about this place. The first time I came here was just to check out the place and catch up with a few friends and it’s a perfect place to do that. There’s even outside seating in the back, which I thought was also really beautifully decorated. I think it would be perfect to sit back there once the weather starts cooling down! The interior is beautiful and super sleek. It’s very modern, decked with marble/granite table tops in the front and wood in the back (if I’m not wrong). The bar-style seating in the front with stools is where it’s at because that’s where their outlets are located. I assume the pieces at the Cafe are handmade by local designers because there are business cards by the cashier. I thought this touch was great because it allows these designers to showcase their work. Perfect spot to study and work because of how much light the place lets in and because the interior is mainly white and light woods. The wood decoration in the back section is also really cool! It’s meant to be a photo zone, but there is a small table in the corner so it’s kind of hard to really take any “instagram” or whatever photos you want since the seat may be occupied. As for the menu, I’ve tried their Iced Americano and Iced Hazelnut Latte (once with soy and once with almond milk). I must say that the americano was great and was not too sour, as I’ve had in some places. The hazelnut latte was also delicious both times I got it. A tad too sweet for me, but I’ll just tell them to go light on the syrup next time. I’ve yet to try their bingsoo (which many people get because I see the machine churning out ice very often when I’m there doing work), but will give it a shot next time! I’ve also had their blueberry muffin, which was alright. It was a little dense for me and not as moist as I would have wanted. Side note: my Hazelnut Latte with almond milk did come out to be around $7 bucks? It is a bit on the pricier side (I know my almond milk is at an additional cost), but I understand different factors go into the price, as well as the expenses it costs to run a nice cafe like theirs. The staff are also all super friendly and nice. And this place is very clean, which is a great environment to study in (in my opinion). The bathroom is big and clean as well. It does get a little chilly in here so if you are here for a while, make sure to bring a light cardigan or something to keep you warm! Great atmosphere and will be back! This place has become a nice study/work spot that’s not too overcrowded.

Nancy’s Sky Garden Menu with Prices 10900 Lakeline Mall Dr #650, Austin

I can’t even begin to describe how much I LOVE this place (but I’ll try). I was recently diagnosed as celiac so I just assumed that I wouldn’t be able to find food this delicious when eating out. Tonight my wife, 3 year old and I had the healing cabbage soup, Spicy Mango Chicken, Almond Ginger Chicken Salad, sweet potato noodles and Almond Ginger and Spicy Vegan Mayo dressings to go with our vegetables. Everything was bursting with flavor and our son couldn’t get enough of the noodles and dipping his vegetables into the Almond Ginger Dressing. To top it all off, both Nancy and Won were so nice and attentive. They spent time talking to our son and he had a blast laughing with them. By supporting this business, you’re supporting your taste buds. I can’t recommend it enough.

Cosenza Espresso Bar – Menu with Prices – 3570-3578 Mavis Rd, Mississauga

Review is only for Americano/atmosphere. This place is also known as a “social club”, but I was the only person there during the mid-afternoon. It appears to be a clean café-type place that serves drinks & cold sandwiches. Too bad there wasn’t a hot table. (I did not observe any illegal gambling or suspicious “construction workers” here.) After I ordered an Americano, friendly lady behind the counter read my mind and asked if I wanted milk/sugar. Best ghetto-latté that I’ve had in a long time! “Americano” was $3, whereas a latté is $3.50. I saved $0.50. I am happy. Would come back to support a small business as opposed to a chain!