Bird in Hand — Restaurant in Baltimore

What's with the staff here? Most of them are so unfriendly. Even when you go out of your way to say hi, they respond with "what are you getting?" You can get me a person who knows how to greet me. They also make the lattes in a rush, over steam the milk and most times I'm walking away with a cappuccino instead of a latte. Latte art? Don't even think about it. Very lazy and unfriendly group. I even overheard a member of staff, the guy that always wears a baseball cap, ask a customer to move from a table so that larger groups can sit there. First, there were no larger groups waiting. There were other seats including outdoor seats available. Second, that man was waiting on a friend. The staff member should have double checked before making such a rude request. Third, there were 3 tables, each table with only one customer, but staff only asked that guy to move. Very strange. There are however two young ladies that are always friendly! One has very curly hair, half dyed blonde the rest black. The other girl is tall and usually has her hair in plaits and I think I've seen her in overalls. They are always sweet and courteous when I come in. This place has potential, but most members of staff need...

It's the coffee! Five stars plus. Especially Telamo pour-over. Uh, plus the iced coffee. Frankly the pastries are intense sugar overloads, but that's a plus as I'm less apt to eat one. The breakfast sandwiches are as good as anywhere else. And frankly I don't expect much from one, anywhere, it's just food, till I load it with Sriracha! But the coffee is superior, beans by Thread Coffee Roasters! I'm a half-the- time brew-at-homer with Thread. Why? Flavor, low acid and smoothness. The Telamo has--strange as it may seem, to some of us--Blueberry Notes. Note the "notes!" This is not blueberry pie! Hey, though, plop in a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Now, the staff. Listen folks, barista-ing is tough work, especially when the line's out the door and one of us is a machina, preloaded with questions. On your feet for hours! So tip generously. These folks are almost always in a good mood, even at 8 AM, when here we come, the desperate. Don't know how they do it. I'm not allowed to socialize till there's a cup of...

It’s between this place and Three Bean for best coffee in Baltimore. Bird In Hand currently uses Counter Culture beans, which are a personal favorite of mine, and they never disappoint on the latte art front, as some other shops do (Ceremony, obviously Starbucks). The only negative I have to say is this cafe frequently runs out of product. I’m talking mostly tea and syrups and whatnot. The other day I tried to order a dirty chai, only to be told that they didn’t have chai. The time before that I tried to get the apple cider—didn’t have that either. So whoever does their purchasing needs to order more appropriately for their business levels.

Aside from that one drawback though, I’d say it’s my favorite coffee joint...