Monkey Nest Coffee — Restaurant in Austin

It's a coffee shop. I went there to have a place to chill out and think mostly. I'm not an aficionado when it comes to drinks of any sort, so I can't really speak to the quality of their beverages. But I can say that they were good enough to keep me buying them when I came in. I enjoyed the few sandwich type things I've had there. Again, nothing jaw-dropping, but plenty good enough for me to spend my money there every now and again. They also have an assortment of pastry items and candies. I was not a fan of their gluten free offerings, but that might just be the way gluten free items taste to the uninitiated; kinda tasted like flavored sawdust, but they have changed out their pastry selections several times since I last ventured a bite of one. They also have an assortment of tasty and / or odd chocolates that I usually enjoy. It's all standard coffee shop pricing so don't expect a "good deal" unless you compare it to StrBck$. The atmosphere is somewhat laid back. Not like sitting in the living room of a close friend, and not like sitting in the dining area of McD's. More like a college lounge I guess. I saw mostly students studying, various small special interest groups, and professionals finishing up some work out of the office.

Usually the experience with the hosts there was a decent one. Some of the employees were super friendly and chatty but, until today, all of them were at least business friendly (they got the job done and still managed a hello/thank you). Today was a slightly different story. I went up to order something on two different occasions. The first went like normal. Friendly gentleman took my order, and one of the ladies called me up when it was ready. Perfect. No complaints. The second time around (must have been around 6:30 PM or so), one of the ladies took my order and totally ruined my experience. I asked her to place a few pieces of chocolate in the little paper sack I already had from the first order, gave her the sack, and gave her my credit card. She took the items, swiped the card, and threw the pen for signing, my credit card, and the receipt onto the counter as she walked off to get the chocolates. Was she in a hurry? Dunno. Was it busy? Nope. Might not be a big deal to a lot of people out there, but for me it feels rude. How hard is it to hand someone their credit card and a pen like they handed YOU the credit card in the first place instead of throwing it on the counter at them? She might as well have added a kitty cigar butt to my bag of chocolate... Perhaps she did not think I belonged there in my plain white t-shirt and motorcycle touring pants. I know I look weird. Full motorcycle gear is just hot and sweaty. Did I smell bad? Maybe she was in a bad mood? Doubt it as she seemed pretty chatty with the other taller lady in black stockings working there. Maybe I pissed her off and did not realize it. If I did, then I am sorry. But places like this are built just as much on service as they are on food quality and atmosphere. On a slightly rant-y note, I think its a shame when someone as beautiful as this lady (cute pink nail polish) has to be rude with such a basic task. The guys always got it right and were polite. I know attractive ladies get hit on often in the service industry, but its not an excuse to be like that without cause. Aside from placing my order, I did not every try to speak to you. I looked at you like I looked at everyone else there. You are cute, so maybe I lingered a bit too long on the glances. Again, if I offended you "pink nails", I'm sorry. If I bother coming back, please don't treat me like dirt. My money spends just like your...

Edit 7/22/21 - I've since visited again and per the owners response below, the internet issues do seem to have been resolved, at least for the time being. I had no issues with the wifi connection today, so I'm changing the rating up to 5 stars.

Original Review: June 2021

I want to love this coffee shop, but there's one thing that continues to hold me back: Extremely poor interest connectivity. I come here to get work done, and often my sense of calm and tranquility quickly gives way to frustration and negativity (something the world needs less of) as I'm constantly having trouble loading website or getting disconnected from the network or unable to connect, etc. It drives me bananas, and I'm sure other customers don't appreciate hearing me cursing under my breath about it every two minutes. It's like trying to use dial-up in 2021 ... you can't really blame me. And I know it's not just my machine, as this problem has persisted for me across multiple laptops and across years now. I keep returning thinking this time will be different, since I live in the neighborhood, it's super convenient, and I also like everything else about the place. The baristas are all really friendly, amazing people. I've actually emailed the site/owner in the past to express my disappointment in their internet service, and I believe I may have even offered some suggestions, but to no avail, apparently. I actually was going to include the download speed results from speedtest.net here, but I can't even get the test to load. I therefore rest my case. Other's mileage may vary, but as I said before, this issue has persisted for me across different laptops and over a number of years. If you're planning to get work done over the web you may need to look elsewhere. I'm currently able to post this review from Monkeynest only because I finally decided to tether my laptop to my mobile phone in order to do so, and I don't plan on coming back any time soon. Maybe I'll try Monkeynest again in another year or so and hope things change but will keep my expectations low. Very...

I hate to leave a negative review after being a loyal customer for years, and I want to be clear: this is in no way a reflection on the staff. The young people working here have always been friendly and hardworking.

That said, this place has steadily declined. Just three years ago, it was open 24/7 and served delicious $3 tacos. During COVID, the prices went up and the hours were cut back — disappointing, but understandable.

But under the new ownership, things have gone downhill fast. It’s obvious they’re trying to squeeze every last dollar out of the business. I ordered a frappe with an espresso shot yesterday — it was $3 more than Starbucks at almost 9 dollars and noticeably smaller. The quality of several menu items has dropped, and they’ve cut corners in small but telling ways — like no longer offering honey at the service counter.

Worst of all, this is a coffee shop that now closes at 7 PM.

This place is ruined. I live in the apartment complex across the street and used to come here every single day. A few of us regulars have stopped coming altogether. Maybe someday they’ll realize that squeezing your customers for every cent is bad for business.

Also I went back and saw other reviews with the same sentiment where management replied, "We are sorry that you have this perception. In fact, we are doing the exact opposite: we are getting higher-quality ingredients, making more and more items in-house, and making them fresh every day.". I wanted to say I know dozens of people all right here who see this as not being fact...