Buona Caffe Artisan Roasted Coffee — Restaurant in Augusta

Buona Coffee

Wow! What a coffee shop. I was traveling from Atlanta to Charleston to visit the USS Yorktown. We left about 5 am and I knew I would need some delicious coffee on the way to Charleston. Everything in Atlanta was not open yet. I would have definitely stopped at Brash had it been open when we passed through downtown. Alas, I was driving caffeine less for about 2.5 hours. I am too snobby for Starbucks and almost broke down for a McDonalds drip, but then I thought about what the inside of the coffee machine may look like there, then I thought about the farmers and how coffee may be processed from McDonalds and in a flash I was determined to hope for some excellent coffee in Augusta.

You never know what you are going to find when searching through the reviews on Yelp. I found a coffee shop near the interstate called Inner Bean I think? It would take minimal time and I would be back on the road in no time. Well, I also found Buona Caffe Roasted Coffee and it looked like they roasted their own beans. The pictures looked like an authentic coffee shop. They just looked like they were having fun and were passionate about coffee with their house converted to a coffee shop. I also checked their Google reviews and they were off the chart. So I also found a place called Lil Dutch Bakery shop that to me looks like they specialize in Cinnamon Rolls. Let me tell you, Cinnamon rolls have a special place in my heart. My mom makes the best, therefore every cinnamon roll I eat gets measured against my mom’s from scratch cinnamon rolls.

I decided I needed coffee more despite the excellent cinnamon rolls and Inner Bean coffee located conveniently within 5 minutes of the interstate. So I hit “get directions” for Buona and was a little nervous when Siri brought me through a neighborhood and I didn’t see any signs of a coffee shop. Well, Siri came through and we pulled up to a quaint little house of coffee. I walked in and immediately scanned the area for the menu. It was on the sidewall. I think I blacked out because before I knew it I had ordered a cinnamon roll from Lil Dutch bakery, an affogato, an Ethiopian light roast pour over, a ristretto, and sampled a blend of Ethiopian and another roast. WOW! I was in coffee heaven and stayed about 45 minutes!

The cinnamon roll was excellent. They warmed it up for me and it was just about as good as my moms. Perfect amount of glaze, cinnamon and not too doughy. The ristretto was my starter given to me by Carsten who I presume is the owner of Buona. He was super nice and I could tell that he was passionate about what he did. He was always smiling and joking with us while we were hanging with them. The ristretto was strong but delicious.

The affogato was excellent. It is one espresso shot served over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was so good, coffee desert breakfast! I finished the cinnamon roll off about the same time that my Ethiopian light roast pour over was ready. Amber said that is so good that I would not need cream with it. I was like, I don’t know about this but took her word for it and I was delighted to find that she was RIGHT! I typically put cream in my coffee. This one did not need it, it was so smooth and yummy.

Carsten and Amber were excellent at interacting with us and keeping the drinks rolling. Carsten made me and my son feel welcome from the start. Amber was very knowledgable about the coffee being sold there and was nice to talk to about coffee. There was a steady stream of locals coming and going. There were plenty of places to sit with outlets and wifi. There was even a wireless printer available in the seating area which I have not seen in any other coffee shop.

Please, do not read this whole review and JUST VISIT! You will have a blast and enjoy...

The food was okay, the bakery items were just bad. Dry and tasteless. The service was rude. I hadn’t been there in a bit and wasn’t sure if they had sweet cream etc, when I said could I get sweet cream with my coffee the lady said “we have cReAm cReAM!!” Sarcastically. And I said what’s that, she said “regular cream¿” like I was dumb. They still never actually told me what it was yet forced to pull out a gallon of what looked to be milk. The gentleman proceeded to tell me the drink will be to my liking, in a mater of fact tone because I like my coldbrew sweet and with extra cream. Not, give it a try and let me know! Anything of that sort. It just felt very rude. It’s also very awkward looking at the menu when the whole staff is staring at you from the other side of the counter (even after I said one moment) because the menu is right above them. It’s odd to not bring out the food to the guest if you’re going to have a patio with a closed door (we can’t hear you call for us), or to not mention “by the way we’ll call you when your foods ready!” It just felt very uncomfortable and unwelcoming frankly. It really made me and my friend feel out of place. Definitely won’t be coming back. As that was the second time I tried the place and both times were of the...

Cozy little coffee shop. It has your coffee needs and options for tea drinkers, etc... too. They have some tasty food options should you need a bite to go with your sip. They host a couple different rooms with various seating arrangements. It was relatively quiet even with a substantial number of customers, not in a creepy way but you can have a conversation with friends at a normal volume. Personnel working were pleasant with helpful recommendations and the service was timely. There were at least a few outlet around the rooms if you wanted to charge your laptop/phone and they did have WiFi for customers if you wanted to send a quick email. I thought the parking situation might be rough as I only saw street parking out front but I believe they also have a reasonably sized parking lot in the rear. Been a few weeks but I remember the establishment being clean throughout and I don't recall having any issues with the restroom facilities. Definitely worth a trip if you're new to the area, it was healthily populated last time I stopped through as it has clearly become a favorite for many. Lastly, they have the menu and prices online, always a plus to you know what you're...