Justin M.
Yelp
Jo's coffee establishment is located in the heart of downtown Austin and easily accessible by foot and with a fun atmosphere. Walking up the customer is greeted with mini-gated entrance with minimalistic high and low tables thrown about. Walk on in and wonderful aromas hit the nostrils in force. The king of smells is obviously and rightfully so, is the freshly ground coffee. If your nose is able to sift through various roasted beans; eggs, tortillas and bacon raise their hands to be recognized. I do confess I've never had their food but it smells pretty "dog gone good."
The white, open ceiling facility has a huge menu on the back wall making ordering a breeze however don't forget to check out the little "daily specials" that are on these little plaques. The staff is quick to help out and offer good suggestions when they're asked. I actually enjoyed the controlled chaos watching the baristas fly around operating grinders, ovens, toasters, milk frothing machines and you get the point. They do work quick however if you're coming in with a crowd expect wait times to increase as well.
As for drinks the hot lattes can be outstanding depending on what you might order. That said, I've been to Jo's before so I decided to be adventurous and order the hot special. It was called "Spumoni Latte" with strawberry, chocolate, pistachio, espresso, milk and whipped cream. Unfortunately, it was horrible. The shot of strawberry syrup totally brought the drink out of balance to where none of the other flavors could tickle the palate, thus I'm left with a hot strawberry slurpy coffee concoction that a trashcan would reject. That said my girlfriend ordered an iced latte and it was outstanding. I guess the point here is I encourage everyone to step out of their comfort zone and order something different but also note not all creations might be to your liking.
Jo's has a lot of fun swag including cups, mugs, shirts, you name it so you're covered if that's your thing. While I can't speak to the food, it smells great. While I did focus on the one bad beverage I had, that's the exception. I've had their coffee many times before and it's almost always on point. Not everything is going to be a slam dunk but we're all in search of that perfect wave and until we get in the water and paddle out, we'll never know what we're missing. Jo's is an exceptional coffee shop, in a great and safe section of town with a phenomenal staff. Two thumbs up and like the terminator, "I'll be back..."