Santos Coffee & Bar Uptown — Restaurant in Birmingham

This place has great, reasonably priced food, but I had a serious problem with the service here.

The staff here brought the food out to everyone in the coffee shop, except for us. I'm not sure what or why this was the case, if it was because we were obviously from out of town or out of state; I had left a ten dollar tip on our order, and spent thirty minutes watching as they brought everyone else their order and had us just pick our order up at the counter. I would've appreciated some consistency.

I don't really ever expect to be served at a coffee shop like at a sit-down restaurant, and I usually tip despite knowing that. And for my sins I got to sit there for thirty minutes while my siblings raged out at me for tipping. And I can't even argue back because this time they were right. Lesson learned I guess.

So personally, while it's certainly got great food and great coffee, after this experience I would never recommend this place to anyone. I'd rather spend 8 hours in an ER waiting room or the DMV than ever come back...

Adorable! Love! Free wifi for customers. Comfortable seating and plenty of plugs for laptops. Staff were super friendly and attentive. I worked out of this shop for two days and during that time, I tried: Hot chocolate-- First off, let me say, they used milk in the hot chocolate. This may seem like a small detail, but a disturbing number of coffee shops use water in their hot chocolate and that is not okay. Not Santos. Santos put milk in the hot chocolate like they care. I appreciate that. 10/10. Would order again. Cold brew--The cold brew was good and would be great if you are a fast drinker, but it came in one of those clear cups that have no insulation, so if you are like me and leisurely sipping for an hour or so, the ice will melt and the cup will sweat. Not my favorite. 4/10. Cafe Nutella-- This was by far my favorite. I absolutely loved it. Normally, I would have tried more items, but I ended up just getting this drink again because it was that good. 10/10. Would...

Day two in Birmingham, and it took 24hours for the other shoe to drop. Santos is a local coffee establishment with 7 locations. The address we visited was adjacent to the Westin, near the UAB stadium.

While the atmosphere was inviting, the service was certainly less so. Yes, I was asked “what size would you like your cappuccino?” If you’ve read my reviews you will know this is a serious faux pas, but I digress.

The 8 ounce cappuccino lacked any effort or even the pretense of effort. Essentially one shot of espresso, with a lot of foamed milk a top.

The service was messy, the presentation was equal, and I honestly believe they care.

Unfortunately I also dropped $9 on a breakfast sandwich. No need to review that, simply reference the prior comments.

Should you find yourself in Birmingham, you would be wise to skip Santos. Head over to Prevail Union, which I also reviewed, and you will be...