I have an affinity for baked goods and chocolate, so when it comes to coffee shops, I need a variety of sweets and hot chocolate or mocha. I also look for a comfortable atmosphere that lets me enjoy the coffee shop experience. My top four Austin coffee shops are Quacks, Flightpath, Bennu, and Greater Goods. If you are looking for a place for solely coffee and no good sweets, Epoch and Houndstooth might work for you.

Quacks

Chirping birds fluttered around me as I walked up to the glass door. Quacks may be labelled as a bakery, but I think it’s the best place to go for a coffee and pastry. It is my favorite spot to get something sweet. My go to is a chocolate chip cookie because of its massive size, but I’ve tried a lot of the pastries they offer. Quacks is a great neighborhood spot for meeting friends in a laid back environment. It’s also a great place to grab a breakfast spread. Or if you want a coffee shop that’s chiller than Starbucks.

I like that they have a variety of options for food and drinks. That is something I look for in a good coffee shop. Quacks always has different decorated shortbread cookies with colorful icing to match each season or holiday. They have cookies, cakes, iced teas, coffees, and recently, they started serving ice cream. It may seem like their coffee menu is a bit small, but their coffee basics are made well. I ordered a mocha, that had a nice layer of frothiness swirled with the drink on top, and a huge apple danish, which I happily devoured.

A variety of music genres play softly in the background. On busier days when there are less students studying, the music is mixed with light chatter among friends. Like most other coffee shops, it can be a good place to have a snack while studying. Tiny tables are scattered around the small, naturally lit interior and pictures hang on the colorful brick walls. The tiny tables outside are great to hangout at when the weather is nice.

Flightpath

Flightpath is a neighborhood oriented coffee shop that looks slightly small from the outside, even with its outer seating. The smell of coffee immediately hit my nose as I walked in. Once I entered, I realized how roomy it was. Dim yellow lights hung from the ceiling over the spaced out tables and wooden floors. The room expanded backward into another area, separated from the first by the coffee bar.
Vintage punk rock music played, but not in an overwhelming or loud way. The spread of kombucha, teas, coffees, bagels, pastries, energy bars, pocky, chips, chocolates, cake, pie, quiche, cookies, and sandwiches wasn’t as big as the spread at Quacks, but it was one of the best I’ve come across.
Flightpath and Greater Goods had the best espressos of the bunch. Their apple pie slices taste way better than at Epoch apple pie, and they’re bigger and cheaper. Their hot chocolate is served with whipped cream. It’s not too chocolatey, not too milky or bland and is perfect for a cool day, or simply any day.

Bennu

The first thing I appreciated about Bennu was its cute exterior. The brick walls of the coffee shop are brightly painted and serve as a background for the stone patio that sits under a large green tree and dangling string lights. Potted plants and metal tables are scattered about and serve for the perfect spot for meeting friends.

The interior was dark and wooden and encapsulating of a classic coffee shop vibe. This feeling was accentuated by the 80s rock playing softly. Pictures hang on the turquoise wooden walls, and the ceiling is a dark wood with a carved square pattern. A big grandfather clock rests against the far wall and couches crowd corners next to worn wooden tables. Like most coffee shops during the week, students were scattered at tables using their computers.

Bennu had a small variety of snacks such as bagels, cookies, and pastries. Their mochas had literature inspired names, and provided good caffeine options for customers wanting something sweeter or chocolatey. I ordered a Pride and Prejudice mocha with whipped cream on top. Their espresso didn’t make the top of my list, and it didn’t come with sparkling water like several other coffee shops, but it was an enjoyable spot.

Greater Goods Coffee Roasters

Natural light streams over the concrete and wood interior of Greater Goods Coffee Roasters. It’s a modern coffee shop that’s different from the eclectic, dark coffee shop aesthetic, but it has its own light, open, earthy look. My eyes wandered along the light wooden, paneled walls, concrete floors, metals chairs, and grey couch. Indie rock played softly as the barista made an espresso and got a scone ready for me.

At the back of the coffee shop, you can see where they roast their own coffee. They offer classes on coffee related activities, so it’s the perfect place for coffee enthusiasts. Customers can also watch every step of their coffee being prepared because of the open floor plan. The coffee bar is wide open and sits in the center of the polished room.

They serve their espresso with a tiny glass of sparkling water to cleanse your palate. There weren’t too many baked items, but they had croissants, muffins, sweet bread slices, danishes and scones. I got a cranberry orange scone, which reminded me of the ones my mom makes, so I was immediately a fan.
The inside and outside of Greater Goods make for perfect photo opportunity spots. The neighborhood is bordered by train tracks and food trucks. I think this coffee shop seems like an ideal place for a quick drink or even a longer stay in its comfortable seating.