Merit Coffee

This was another coffee shop we tried in Austin. I was sold when I saw the Cereal cold brew with fruity pebbles. Once again, my favorite ice was looking for skim milk, but there was none to be found. There were a lot of people working in this place early in the morning on a Saturday. The place looks really aesthetic, but the seating is not comfortable. There was a bar type desk at the window. The stools are bolted to the floor and there is not enough clearance for a bigger guy to even get their legs under the table. I saw one guy using it and just standing. The cereal cold brew was just okay, but I had high expectations and it was just okay.

This little merit coffee location was nearly full when I was there on a Wednesday afternoon, with only a couple of stools left open. It's a convenient part of the Seaholm complex and in easy walking distance of the central library, west 6th Street, Whole Foods, and several other business strips. Merit has friendly staff and free wifi. Be warned though - Merit's parking validation for the Seaholm garage is only for one hour, while Trader Joe's validation is for two hours. You can't combine more than one validation, so if your stop at Seaholm includes Merit coffee, don't plan to spend more than an hour at the complex.

This was one of THE BEST lattes I’ve ever had in not only Austin, but probably ever. Not only is this establishment beaaautiful with lots of natural light and both indoor and outdoor seating, but it’s convenient location makes it easily accessible whether you’re driving or walking. Staff was super friendly and walked us through any questions about the menu we had and our drinks were made quick. It’s a shame I don’t live in Austin because I know this would be my regular spot.

You’re lucky to get a table at lunch time on a weekday if you have a group. Latte was decent! They warm up any of the pastries if you like. However, I do not recommend warming up a plain croissant as it was too dry and not fun to eat.

Great coffee shop a few blocks from the downtown Austin Public Library. Half white was excellent and my pour over was good, too. Baked goods surprisingly tasty, even in late afternoon. Not a huge place but WiFi, clean bathrooms, and outlets make for a good work spot if you can get a seat.

Cool coffee shop on the corner. Seriously though after a long day of being all around town, I was in need of a really good double espresso shot. And this place came through. Atmosphere was cool and artistic, they got their decor game working strong. It’s in a great location too but it’s a pretty small space. I enjoyed the visit, I might have even Shazam’ed a song while I was there lol. Their restrooms are locked that requires combination, and the WiFi password is right there too. Overall a dope coffee shop I’ll definitely be back.

Wonderful hidden gem, love the atmosphere here, great outdoor seating, And some good spots inside too. Love sitting in the back under the mirror and reading, or working on my laptop. Their matchaattes are also incredible, not to mention delicious pour overs

This is my favorite stop for coffee in Austin's Seaholm area. The employees are both friendly and helpful. Orders are made with care and come out pretty quick too. It's small, and fills up a lot, but that's to be expected when you have great service and product. I'll keep coming back!

Absolutely delicious! We ordered the strawberry matcha latte, a plain matcha latte, the pop tart, and Lorraine egg bite. All were absolutely delicious! The staff was kind and we were lucky enough to find a seat (there aren't too many) but the space is welcoming and nice to be in. The only thing is that the drinks are on the pricier side (my matcha was around $8) but so delicious!!

Merit Coffee came highly recommended by friends who lived in Austin, TX. The line was long but went by pretty fast. There were also merch to look at so that kept me entertained. + Ube cold foam cold brew 3/5: Meh, hindsight is 20/20 but I should've stuck with a regular latte. I've had my fair share of flavored cold brew in the past and this was the most underwhelming one. There was barely any ube flavor or sweetness coming from the foam. As for the cold brew, the flavor is extremely bright and fruity so that's a bit off from my usual preference of rich and balanced.

Pretty decent place to grab an espresso drink. I walked over the bridge to check this place out after reading all the glowing Yelp reviews, but it's just an average coffee shop. I placed my order at the counter with a very aloof employee (where's that Texas hospitality I keep hearing about?) who wasn't very friendly. I felt like she hated me from the moment I walked in, LOL. I even left her a tip on my already-overpriced cappuccino but even that didn't make her happy. Whatever. I waited for my name to be called and the barista was quite fast considering the line of people already waiting. I grabbed my to-go cup and grabbed one of the small tables outside since it was a nice day. My cappuccino was good, but nothing spectacular. The espresso beans were roasted well, and it was a quality cup. I didn't enjoy the more fruity notes though, as I prefer a cereal-y and darker, richer quality to my espresso. That's just a personal preference, though, so if you like fruitier notes, you'll love this place more than I did. The latte art was a nice touch, but it looked pretty pitiful -- if you care about that sort of thing. Minus a star for the attitude and minus another for having an "off-brand" sweetener instead of real Splenda.

Living walking distance from here, this place is one of my favorite coffee shops in Austin! My absolute favorite thing to get here is their Strawberry Matcha Latte which happens to also be a seasonal drink so you can only get it during certain times of the year. This spot also comes with a menu of different breakfast tacos which are all pretty tasty, we've gotten to try pretty much all of them. Another favorite drink is their Cereal Milk Latte which is also a special menu drink that you can find during certain parts of the year. The staff are always friendly, they have pretty cool merchandise to browse while you're in line. This place seems to always be packed when we visit and every table inside is always filled. However, they do have outdoor seating as well! It's definitely a favorite for people to bring their laptops and get some work in while sipping on their drinks and munching on their food. They've got great pastries, we tried the poptart and it was amazing! There's also tons of street and garage parking close by. It's in a plaza with Trader Joe's which is perfect if you want to make a stop to get groceries as well. Only complaint I would have is that this menu is pretty pricey for a coffee shop but let's be real, all coffee shops are getting more expensive now :')

a staple downtown coffeeshop, i recently tried their strawberry matcha and really like it. Its quite expensive but at this point rite of passage in Austin... They have indoor and outdoor seating and free wifi.

Merit coffee is a great coffee spot in the city! However I will warn you there is limited seating. There is indoor and outdoor seating - just plan ahead and have your computer charged. I got a Shaken Maple Pecan drink and YUMMY! They have fun seasonal drinks!

Cute coffeeshop but overpriced. $7+ for a matcha latte with oat milk is eh. Nice staff and good latte though :) Good amount of seating inside with wifi.

They make a great iced caramel latte with oat milk (my order, haha) but I found the service and ambiance to be average. It was packed for a Saturday morning at 9:30am, and I am assuming it is dog friendly because I saw as many dogs as humans, lol! Even with the crowds, drinks were ready within a reasonable time frame. I was eventually able to pay with Google Wallet (of course the employees assumed I was using Apple Pay...not all of us have iPhones you know...), even though the barista did ask if I had my physical card with me...erhm, if ya'll have tap/NFC payment enabled, you will wait patiently until my phone reads, thankyouverymuch! Especially if I'm paying $7 for a small iced latte---yikes!

We made a quick stop in to Merit Coffee for an iced latte for me and a pour over coffee for Nate. The shop is pretty tiny and there was no open seating so we took our drinks to go. The front area for ordering and waiting is a little cramped, but it didn't take too long to get our coffee. The rest of the space is bright and airy with lots of people studying and working. My iced oat latte was a normal price and pretty tasty, but my favorite part about this coffee shop was their merch - I loved all of it and was very tempted to buy the Texas "Trailblazer" glass mug. I'm sort of kicking myself for not getting it! They also had t-shirts, tumblers, other mugs, hats, etc.

Great pour over, very friendly barista and a nice chocolate donut made this morning coffee trip excellent. Plenty of lighting and seating to get work done adjourned with a couple of plants in the cafe.

I was out on a long walk around the pedestrian bridge and was looking for a cute spot to grab coffee! Merit coffee was a great find - super cute and great drinks. People were here to work or meet up with a friend, the vibes were very relaxed and we had no problem finding a spot for 2 on a weekday evening.

Aaaugh!! I want to like Merit Coffee so bad, but sadly there are just too many things that dock off points for me. I don't want to be too much of a Negative Nancy, so let's start with the good first! First the Seaholm District will always be a pleasant experience, so you'll have the option of taking your coffee outside and watch the hundreds of dogs that walk by through the grassy field. Second, Merit's decor is OUTSTANDING. It really hits that rustic, hipster, "kind of obnoxious but secretly everyone wants that feeling" vibe. And third, when the drinks hit, they hiiiit. Personally, I really enjoy their Caramel Latte (I think I order with oat milk?). Also, the baristas are very friendly and helpful! So what's the issue then? 1. Price. This seems to be an issue with Austin coffee shops in general, but why in god's name am I paying nearly $10 for a flavored latte with substitute milk?? C'mon now, that's just insane. 2. Their experimental seasonal drinks are usually misses. It makes me wonder if someone actually tried them. Berry Cobbler Matcha? Sure try it, but it'll just taste like pie, not matcha. I distinctly remember one time in the summer - I asked about a seasonal coffee (I think it was lemon flavored or some other bizarre fruit flavor). The barista in the front was doing her best sales impression, but the one in the back was furiously shaking her head, HAHAHA. The one exception is their Harvest Maple Latte. I think that's what it's called. That drink slaps. 3. I'm also not a fan of their rewards point system. Their points expire after some time, so unless you're visiting on the daily, good luck getting any meaningful reward. 3/5 for now. But given that I'm so close by, I'll still be visiting from time-to-time and am more than willing to change my score in the future!

This is a nice little coffee shop in the downtown area with parking available in front and in a nearby garage, but there's also a robust residential area nearby so depending on where you live, it may be within walking distance. They offer various pastries (and a few gluten free/friendly options) although I've only ever tried to coffee here. My last coffee was perfection but most recently I ordered my usual go-to coffee drink, a lavender latte, and could barely drink it. I've been here once before and the coffee was absolutely delicious, but my coffee was insanely sweet this last time - almost unbearably so. I ended up having to cut it with more coffee to help balance out the flavors. I think perhaps a bit too much of the syrup was added, because I LOVE sweets and did not love the drink. That said, it was a birthday freebie, so I really can't be too upset, although it makes me hesitant to return and re-order that particular drink here. Speaking of rewards, they do offer a robust rewards program BUT the rewards expire on a pretty frequent basis (within 3 months), so it's probably not worth it (outside of birthday rewards) unless you're a regular or live close enough to stop in on a semi-regular basis. I believe you earn 1 point per purchase and 5 points for signing up for the newsletter. The location is quite nice with plenty of indoor seating available and I've never not seen dogs when I've been here, so it is pet friendly and they also offer free dog treats! Employees are always so lovely and friendly, so really my only complaint is how sweet my latte was this time. Otherwise, I think this is a great coffee shop and I definitely recommend. The standard lattes they make are great, but maybe avoid the flavored options!

THE BIG: Located in the Seaholm district in downtown Austin. Small coffee shop however plenty of working space. Street parking and parking garages available. THE BLACK AND WHITE: Merit is quintessential to San Antonio but they set up a downtown shop here in Austin. Definitely a place to check out. They have a partnership with tacodeli in delivering their tacos as well as bakery Lorraine on their egg cups. I typically grab a small coffee or a small matcha latte and grab a table to start some weekend work. Great way to find an alternative place to get out and grab some good coffee THE FINAL BAMBOO: Overall for a small matcha latte, you're looking at $5.75. Then for a small coffee, your normal $3.75. If you're around the area, a good way to get some work done at a coffee shop.

Super friendly service. Wide variety of drinks with plenty of seating. I recommend any of the seasonal drinks. We tried the cereal milk cold brew and it was delightful, I just wished they had skim milk.

Excellent coffee place, my favorite in Austin. The only bad thing is it is so popular you can never find a place to sit

I used to come here to work remotely all the time. Haven't been in awhile... tried the new cereal milk cold brew. It was very cute but a little sweet for my taste. This is a good spot to work from if you can grab a table... it does tend to get/stay packed up. There's plenty of outside seating too, but Texas is a little too hot in the summertime for that.

Love the coffee. Great location and pretty inside with a nice shaded sidewalk patio. It's always a little crowded inside, the door sort of spits you right into line and it's a little overwhelming with tables sort of packed in. We often walk here for cup in the morning and also get beans for home use. There's something for everyone and I'm excited to try the egg cups they just added!

Vibey and in a great area!! Love the seaholm district Quick and reliable coffee for that morning boost :') Service was friendly, I got a regular latte and it was more than enough for me to sip on throughout the day! Very creamy and robust, comes unsweetened so you can add your own at the service bar. I came in at 9am on Friday. All the tables and seats were taken except one. There are chargers by the wall under the seats. There's wifi with a password, speed of: 324 mbps download and 33 mbps upload. Two single stall restrooms with a bathroom code. Decently clean!

Wow, Merit Coffee really made my coffee experience in Austin a one to remember. The holiday flavors were really on point and I loved everything about the coffee shop. The baristas were super kind in recommending me their favorite drinks, and even the customers were so so nice. I don't live in the area, but visiting Merit Coffee gave me an insight to what living in Austin would feel like. I loved the vibe of the store, the music choices, the coffee, and also that it was dog friendly. I could definitely imagine myself here getting some work done while meeting new friends in the neighborhood.

Delicious coffee, good service & cute bright/airy place with seating. Perfect for getting work done of catching up with friend!

Solid cappuccino, nice space. Brought some beans home and my wife really liked them. Would come back but wish there was free parking nearby.

Stopped by here for my complimentary drink for my birthday. Ordered the iced strawberry matcha latte with oat milk. It was delicious! Loved the strawberry bits at the bottom too. I recommend getting this iced so you can enjoy that part using the straw. They have free wifi and a good amount of seating. They will also validate your parking, using a QR code. They even have dog treats!

Merit has one of the best cups of coffee in today's world of $9 lattes! Always a lovely staff. Cant go wrong with any of their drinks which tells you their beans are great. Their pastries too, if any left, are tasty. My go to place on that side of town!

Every location we have been to has excellent service and the coffee is perfect! We picked ip our coffee beans for home and enjoyed a couple of afternoon coffees!

Pros - friendly, welcoming staff - clean Cons - weak espresso. ended up throwing it away Conclusion - love the people/staff, dislike the coffee

I came here on a weekday afternoon to complete a Zoom interview while on a trip to Austin, and I think this is a nice cafe. The interior, while small, makes good use of the limited space and is clean and decorated nicely. Most of the seats had access to wall plugs, and the WiFi was reliable for the hour I was there. For those who prefer social distance, the space is small so you will probably be sitting close to other people. The bathrooms were clean. My drink was a pina colada latte with oat milk. It was good. It didn't really taste like a pina colada; the drink was weird but definitely drinkable. The drinks here are a little expensive (about $7-8), but if you need the public space to work or study I think it's worth it. There is street parking relatively close by that is pay-to-park. Overall, the cafe is nice. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to visit again over Starbucks, but I could definitely see this cafe as part of my regular rotation if I lived nearby.

Drinks are good. My husband and I both enjoyed our coffee. He got some sort of pastry which he said was good. The service was good, everyone was friendly which was a big plus. Maybe I'm getting old but I don't really understand the idea of having so many dogs in the establishment. When we arrived there were 4 massive dogs and several small ones. Most of them barking or growling. Dog hair every where on the floor. Not that it's their fault I'm allergic to dogs but it sucks to have a bad allergy flair up because of so many dogs in here. Also the big dogs faces/bodies rubbing against tables people are eating at just wasn't massively appealing. I might go back and order to go or pick up more beans but it's definitely not the place I'd want to sit and drink my coffee with my husband.

More of an ambiance than coffee place; the espresso grounds were not distributed and pretty haphazardly extracted, subpar coffee; great location.

Probably the best vanilla syrup I've tried. bravo. Go-to order is vanilla latte and it hits every time due to the vanilla flavor. Small inside yet enough for some to work and study at.

Lots of seating although it stays pretty packed. It's aesthetically pleasing but my boyfriend says it's too hipster for him haha. The iced strawberry matcha doesn't look like it has strawberry in it but it's hiding in the bottom. It's not overly sweet. The cereal cold brew is too strong for me but I liked the fruity pebbles on top. Overall, we both thought the drinks were just okay and a bit pricey.

A fancy coffeehouse that happens to have an amazing pastry counter. So many unique looking treats and so high quality. Almost everything I tried was delicious! Raspberry Cheese Danish: Oh wow, this was great. Not only are there a bunch of fresh raspberries on top, there's also a generous amount of raspberry jam underneath. A perfect fruit balance to the buttery flaky dough. There was a little of that Danish cheese underneath too, which had just a subtle sweetness. And that worked just right against all the raspberry. Savory Kolache: A sausage roll with a big thick smoked sausage. Way more personality than those generic hot dogs you'd get in Chinese hot dog buns. Plus there was some cheddar to complement the already intense sausage. The dough was nice and flaky, almost croissant-like. Raspberry Toaster Pastry: So the first two bites felt very dry, like a regular shortbread cookie. Thank goodness I had some coffee nearby. But once you get towards the middle, you'll hit the jam and it will taste like a Pop-Tart. Though much better, since the buttery crust is way better than the cardboard-like dough you get in the store bought stuff. Pain Au Chocolat: The only pasty I wasn't crazy about. The chocolate portion seemed skimpy with only a few bites compared to the huge amount of dough. And dough felt kinda dry, like either they skimped on the butter or it wasn't that fresh.

Nice well known coffee shop. If you're into coffee then you'll really like it. If you like the sugary drinks then this is not the best coffee spot for you. Definitely for the true coffee drinkers. Bring your own cup for a tiny discount and sign up for rewards.

Coffee shop in the Seaholm power plant with great drinks and ample seating. It's not a large location but has free Wi-Fi and a lot of local patrons seem to enjoy setting up shop here to work. I visit because it's next door to Trader Joe's and my dentist. Parking is a garage under the development and is pay by app which is fairly easy. If you shop at TJs or eat at a restaurant there's 1-2 hour validation. Coffee here is on the high side ($6 for a small oat milk latte) but their coffee is delicious- smooth and not burnt. Their bagels are decent and I really enjoy the homemade pop tarts. Overall nice spot, just overpriced

HUGE FAN OF MERIT COFFEE! Tried the coffee for the first time in Dallas and have been loyal customers ever since (please open a location in Houston!!). We were stoked to see that Austin actually had a couple of locations, and we've since been to visit both of them. Unfortunately, this location was #3 of 3 (visit #8 of 8 overall) so the bar was set pretty high. While I loved my iced hazelnut latte, my husband was less than pleased with his usual order because he ordered a hot drink and they made it iced! In their defense, I had ordered an iced drink and it was a busy Sunday morning. Because we were hitting the road and on a tight schedule, we didn't have the opportunity to bring it to their attention and allow them the chance to fix it. We found pretty convenient street parking and there was plenty of outdoor seating (indoors was kind of crowded).

Superb coffee, knowledgeable barista, somewhat chaotic atmosphere (however quite understandably so, this place knows specialty coffee.)

usually in the mornings the baristas are really good about attending me, but today there were three baristas on shift who were just standing and took 12 min to make my iced latte. they gave the one guy that came in after me his drink first. it felt kinda racist :-(

Came here on a Wednesday around 10am as I needed a place to WFH. I saw a lot of reviews saying this place was good for working, but my experience was pretty hit-or-miss: the outlet availability was definitely a huge plus, but during the few hours I was there, it was very loud and frequently over max capacity, so finding seating doesn't seem to be a guarantee. I got an iced Americano, which was pleasantly not overly acidic but also tasted watered down. Price is pretty average at $4, maybe a bit on the higher end.

Our first visit here and am somewhat grossed out with the lack of hygiene/standards in this establishment. The baristas are nice, however are very dirty. The baristas making the beverages has her hair down and allowing free falling hair onto the prep counter. Next i noticed her constantly touching her face over and over again. Not once did she wash her hands. Again, they were all very nice but lacked in basic food industry skills.

If you like cappuccino, definitely visit Merit! We were in downtown, it was 7pm, and most of the coffee shops in Downtown close by afternoon, so with quick search, came across Merit and they were open. Shop was empty, so was able to order as soon I entered and got my cappuccino in couple of minutes, service is good, cappuccino was just perfect, creamy, smooth, not too strong/acidic nor light, just loved it, one minor thing was, temperature was little less than hot, I like my coffee hot(temperature), especially when it's cold outside, other than that, everything is good!

I have to say that the coffee scene in Austin is incredible and way better than I remember it from years ago. Merit was not far from our hotel so we decided to swing by for coffee before getting on the road. Excellent brews, nice spot, and the pastries were very good also!

I have to say I was not a fan of the taste of the coffee but that might be a matter of personal preference. I drink Cuban Coffee regularly and my cortado did not hit the mark. What was DELICIOUS though, was the strawberry pop tart and strawberry matcha (not pictured). Great service, friendly staff. Dog friendly !

Cute place, but extremely overpriced. I paid $7.50 for a 16oz mocha that was sour and didn't have much mocha flavor. Disappointed and will not be returning.

I love my coffee and while visiting Austin for the first time, Merit Coffee was at the top of my list. I snagged a bag of coffee to take home with me and purchased an iced oat milk latte. Normally I just purchase drip, but I felt like something a little more decadent. It was delicious, well balanced. Not too sweet! One additional fact about my latte is the type of ice they used, not the typical cubes, but the smaller crunchy ice. Which I really enjoyed! I would love to go back and try a pour over or shot of espresso. They make a quality product that is incredibly enjoyable! Check it out!

BEWARE! THE COFFEE IS INFESTED!! Prior to buying their beans, this would have been a 5 star review. I really did like their coffee at their cafés, and was a supporter of this company on socials. Then, I bought a bag of their beans. When I opened them, live white crickets hopped out. I contacted the company via their regular email, and got no response. I then emailed them on Facebook, and got no response. This speaks VOLUMES. A company that will not take accountability for an INFESTATION, has no quality control. I will never buy their products again. And I have been letting everyone I know know how gross this is. Truly, they clearly will not fix a problem, and will let infestations happen to their products. AVOID.

I visited Austin and this was the main coffee shop I found in my searches. I'd say my experience was fair. Hanging plants made the menu a bit hard to see, and the register staff seemed annoyed that I was looking through the menu. Bathroom was passcode locked, but didn't hide anything special, as there was trash, toilet paper, and dirt all over. I left before I needed to use it again. I come from a state where you can't have animals in a restaurant, so having (what I counted in one moment) 11 dogs surrounding you is a bit unusual and got me worried about health code issues. That could be the area norm, though! I ordered a vanilla cappuccino and there was far too much syrup, it was hard to drink, but I deal with it because I ordered it! I may go back just to show it to someone else, but I wouldn't go back on my personal time.

Crowded around 11:30AM on a Monday holiday. Pros: -Rotating donuts! -Very cool atmosphere -Indoor and outdoor seating -- Blueberry Pie Donut ($3.00) Cake donut with a crumb topping on top of a blueberry spread. The blueberry underneath was a very pleasant surprise and added some great flavor to an otherwise somewhat dry donut. It tasted more like a muffin, but we both really enjoyed this! Kolache ($4.00) This was my first ever kolache so I am in no way informed enough to speak on the authenticity of this item, but it tasted just like a salty hot dog in a slightly harder bun to me. I definitely would not get this again. Would return to try more rotating donuts!

Matcha Tea. @meritcoffeeco they provided the perfect mix of matcha and vanilla for this eye opener Thank you Austin for being so welcoming.

First time to try Merit coffee, and it is cute inside & outside. But, they don't make cold foam on cold brew coffee!! That is the part that elevates this drink. Probably won't be back.