The Nostalgic Bean — Restaurant in Altoona

I’m already nostalgic for this place.

A new day means a new morning to visit a coffeehouse. Tim actually suggested this place as he mentioned its something he’s wanted to try for awhile. We hopped in the car and headed out. I wasn’t sure what to expect from The Nostalgic Bean since I was going into this trip without much of a plan besides a few odds and ends. But what a surprise this place is. It’s in a cute little building with some sweet snail art on the side. Inside is quaint and cozy. The staff was super friendly while we did some do-si-do with other patrons of the bakery. Inside is small and due to the layout, it can get a bit crowded if they are busy at all. Normally this is a hassle but something about this place makes it fun.

I got my usual americano and a corn jalapeno quiche. With how busy it was, the food and coffee didn’t take much time to come out and the staff, again, was super friendly and helpful. I wanted a specific t-shirt and while they didn’t have it on their merch shelf, the young lady took the time to locate one in their back stock area. Keep your eye peeled for me wearing it in future reviews :). The americano was pretty good, just a bit below the bitter level I like but it made drinking it a breeze. The quiche was really good, too. I don’t think I’ve ever had one before this and I ended up getting it the next day when we came back with Matt.

The second time we came back, we had the same level of friendliness and same awesome deliciousness. All their baked goods looked amazing and both Tim and Matt were in love with the place, too. Tim dabbled in their baked goods but I don’t remember all that he got. Matt got a coffee and a small thing to eat as well.

The Nostalgic Bean has become a staple for us when we visit Eau Claire. I feel like we will hit it up every time we visit Tim because we all just fell in love with the place. Just look at their baked goods online and you’ll understand just how sweet...

Expensive, and not always what the menu says it is. On a small stand by the pastries, they are selling tins of loose leaf Harney & Sons tea. On their menu board, they boast "loose leaf teas-$3.50" under hot drinks. I was excited to order one, seeing that they were selling Harney teas which are my favorite. I was anticipating my hot tea would be served in a single serve teapot (like they do at The Goat Coffeehouse in EC, who also sell and use Harney teas) and that they would have some nice flavors to choose from. The options offered were english breakfast, earl grey, peppermint and chamomile, pretty basic. I ordered the earl grey. I got a simple coffee mug with a Bigelow tea bag of earl grey. To me, selling higher end teas on a shelf in your establishment, and then charging $3.50 for a literal mug of hot water with a Bigelow teabag as a hot tea was just icky business practice. Don't advertise a brand of tea that you're selling by the tin, and then sell the cheapest tea to people who are going to sit and drink it with their breakfast.

Annnnnd......is a teabag a "loose leaf tea"? No, no it is not. It is a teabag! Don't advertise on your chalkboard that you are selling loose leaf tea to drink when you are in fact selling Bigelow tea bags! Either specify "tea bag" or just leave it at "tea", but it is false advertising to call it loose leaf tea. Tea in a tea bag is not...

I wish that my first experience at The Nostalgic Bean was more positive. A friend and I decided to meet for coffee on Sunday morning and she suggested The Nostalgic Bean (she has been there previously) and I was excited to try it. When we walked in it was fairly busy with patrons already there but we were the only ones in line— not an issue, that’s usually a positive! When my friend asked about the coffees available, the girl working made a rude gesture to the board behind her. My friend clarified that she’d like more information about the drip coffees. She told us that one was a light roast and one was a dark roast, she thought. Her response was short and rude and she clearly was not going to find out any more information for us. The entire time we were ordering she seemed bothered by us— I didn’t feel welcome as a customer. After we ordered we inquired about seating and she huffed that this was the only seating they had. At this point we were extremely unimpressed with the customer service and her attitude. We asked for boxes to take our quiche and croissant to go— she suggested a bag— a bag for a slice of warm quiche?! Although my coffee was decent and the butter croissant was tasty, although dry, the poor customer service left me thinking about other options for my next coffee date. I don’t think this is the kind of impression you want to leave on a first...