Café Crème - Downtown — Restaurant in Austin

Edited to add: They had such a gracious response to my review! They are removing the extra charge for decaf coffee. They offered me free drinks, but being able to buy a coffee I can drink without an extra fee is huge! Buying a coffee out is a rare treat and it means a lot that they were willing to stop charging extra for decaf coffee!

I had been so excited when the cafe at the library finally opened again! I loved getting coffee when there. One of my first experiences when I moved to Austin was meeting my CapMetro travel trainer at the Central Library and having decaf coffee from the cafe while she showed me the system map and how to read it. That was a special memory because I had lost the ability to drive and moved here so I could regain independence. So that cafe was special in my experience.

I was pretty disappointed, though, to find that there is now an extra charge for decaf coffee (this is not noted on the menu at all and it never was an extra cost before). The menu said a mocha was $5.75, but when I tried to order a decaf mocha, I was told it was $6.25. I had been looking forward to the coffee all day, but was not able to get it because of the extra cost (I am in between jobs at the moment, so am pretty strictly budgeting -this was going to be a special treat because the cafe was open again. I couldn't justify over $6 for coffee.). I cannot have caffeinated coffee due to a medical condition. This is why I give it 3 stars - the cafe is beautiful, the macaroon that I had instead was delicious, but I had most been looking forward to having coffee there again after it had been closed for so long and am very saddened that it now costs extra to have a coffee that is safe for me to drink there. I wonder why that changed. Is it now a different cafe than it was before? I understand that regular and decaf coffee come from separate types of beans, but I've never encountered an extra charge for...

It’s disrespectful for a staff member to tell paying customers that they would “appreciate” it if we cleaned up after ourselves. This is a restaurant, not a self-service cafeteria. Going by that logic, maybe the staff would also appreciate if they sat down and let customers do the cooking and make their own drinks.

The point of tipping is to recognize service provided by the staff, not to flip the responsibility onto the customer. If this is how the place operates, I’d suggest ordering takeout instead. That way, there’s no need to tip and no expectation to clean up after yourself.

I hope whoever is in charge reads this and reconsiders their approach. Customers should be able to relax and feel worry-free — not uncomfortable knowing the staff would rather you do their work for them. Now that this expectation is out in the open, it’s hard not to wonder if staff might resent customers who don’t comply, which could even lead to concerns about how food is handled.

I don’t come here to do someone else’s work. The roles...

Cafe Crème’s new downtown location is exactly what this area needed. Whether you’re looking for a cozy café to grab a latte, a quiet spot to work remotely, or a go-to place for meeting friends over coffee, this place checks all the boxes.

The espresso here is top-tier—smooth, rich, and perfectly balanced. Their specialty lattes (try the honey lavender or the vanilla cinnamon!) are flavorful without being overly sweet, and the cold brew is some of the strongest and smoothest in town. If you’re into pastries, their croissants and muffins are delivered fresh and pair perfectly with a flat white.

The vibe is clean and modern, with lots of natural light, fast WiFi, and plenty of seating. It’s quickly becoming my favorite local coffee shop in downtown. Whether you’re a coffee connoisseur or just need a quick Austin downtown brunch spot, Cafe Crème delivers quality, atmosphere, and consistency.

Highly recommend if you’re searching for the best coffee shops near downtown, latte spots with good ambiance, or a local café...