Kendall S.
Yelp
I've been to this Avoca in The Stockyards at least 4 times, and I'm always happy to come in and give it another shot. For one, there aren't any other coffee shops in the Stockyards. I mean, you can get coffee pretty much anywhere and you can get great coffee at a few restaurants , but there are no exclusive coffee houses like this, and naturally I enjoy dipping into a cozy coffee spot during any Stockyards visit; a brief relief from all the commotion and cowboys. A place that doesn't feel like a western film set (which I actually often enjoy).
I'm a big fan of Avoca and I love their product, though this location has left me feeling a little underwhelmed several times. On my most recent visit there was only 1 customer ahead of me at the register and one couple already waiting for their items. Jon and I thought "it's not too busy, let's get a quick espresso shot!" But it took a full 15+ minutes. Turns out the espresso machine was having trouble and they were working on it, but no one mentioned anything about that until I asked about 15 minutes in. We got them to-go as it was getting crowded by then and we had Winnie with us. When we did try our shots, they were so soooo bitter, we couldn't finish them. I imagine their espresso was overpacked or over-extracted, it just had that unmistakable bitter-burnt taste that avid espresso-drinkers have likely and unwittingly experienced now and again. We all know and don't love it, but these things happen.
I don't take stars away in reviews for things like 1 bitter espresso shot. I didn't ask for a new one or a refund, I didn't even tell them because I'd taken our order to-go and we were on our way out with a tired 2 year old. That's on me! Avoca has excellent coffee. I'm giving 3 stars because I feel like this spot hasn't had very friendly service (like I kind of feel like a burden?) and because the wait has been unusually long even when it's not busy and even when the espresso machine is working properly. It's a really nice vibe though, overall. Very cute and chill, really cool local art on the walls. There's a couple tables downstairs and more seating upstairs, but ultimately it's a pretty tiny space. It fills up fast, especially when there's cowboy boots and hats involved.