Loco Espress Coffee House & Boutique — Restaurant in Brainerd

Stopped in on my way back to Minneapolis with my girlfriend after seeing the 4.9 star rating. As I first approached the door, I noticed the sign about masks/COVID (see attached photo). I took a photo because I’ve never seen a sign like it anywhere else I’ve been since COVID, both in and out of Minnesota. It seemed like a lot of mixed messaging and a good way to say “masks are optional here”. I’m not sure how the 4th amendment comes into play here either, but I’m not a constitutional lawyer.

Anyway, as I entered the shop I noticed that not a single patron in the store had a mask on (not counting employees) - and there was only a single open table in the shop. Additionally, none of the tables were closed off to patrons to ensure they meet the 6’ distance rule. Because of the lack of masks and COVID preparations I felt uncomfortable. The unmasked guests also stared over at my girlfriend and I as if we were crazy for wearing masks while we ordered and waited for our drinks. The family of 3-4 who walked in after us also wore masks, and also received a number of stares.

I got a dark roast coffee with cream and did not end up finishing it on the 2+ hour drive back. It tasted watered down and was just not great in general. Definitely not 4.9 star worthy. My girlfriend’s vanilla latte was satisfactory for her and she mentioned it was stronger than the same order at other places, a plus.

The decor of the store was nice and I can see how it’s a nice place to spend time with others or get some work done. I also liked the gift shop off to the far end of the store - lots of Minnesotan items for sale.

I’m giving this place a 2-star because of the “meh” coffee and lack of COVID safety measures enacted by seemingly all other restaurants/dining...

Cute coffee shop and our Saturday afternoon visit started out good. Loved that you provided a military discount. We ordered two iced lattes and specifically asked what size is the iced coffees were available in. We put our order in then we’re handed two HOT coffee. The older barista who made the order gave us an attitude when we told her they were supposed to be iced and walked over and grabbed the order slip and waved it in our face and said it doesn’t say iced on here. This was an innocent mistake the younger sweet girl taking our order made. Not our fault. She gave us attitude about having to remake our coffee, then handed us the ice drinks. We didn’t try them until we left the store, but they were still wrong. I had caramel in mine and the other was supposed to be plain. She got it mixed up on what one had the caramel in it. After our first experience with the wrong order, we did not want to go back to get it remade. We also got a scone and it was delicious, best part of the whole experience. We finished our coffees and went out for a walk. As we were on our walk, about 30 minutes after finishing the coffee, extreme abdominal pain hit both of us. We were hunched over fighting for our lives. My friend proceeded to have a severe urge and ran into the woods. I got one wiff of that and it hit me like a ton of bricks, that on top of an already aching stomach from the coffee, I exploded. It was a mess. We stumbled 2 miles back to our car and made it to the Costco. We had to go finish the job and get cleaned up in the restroom. Not sure what was in those drinks, but we will not...

Update…. Love this place EXCEPT the last 3-4 times I had to walk out due to lack of seating. I wish they would add more seating/rearrange things of offer table reservations. I quit even trying to go here at this point due to this issue. If you are getting a drink to go… fine. Basically, the popularity of this place had made this a no-go for getting work done or finding a chill hangout spot. EVERYTHING else is a++++

This place has AWESOME drinks, Environment and Employees! I feel welcome here every time I step foot in the door. I LOVE the stella cold brew drink! They also have cool merchandise and coffee to brew at home.

The location is in an unbeatable historic building with a ton of character.

*I need a place to work from on my computer sometimes and this place has 100M plus fiber internet vs Caribous Northeast unusable (1999) 1M century link DSL!! *

As someone with a legitimate medical issue. I feel SAFER at this place then anywhere else in town when I can remove my mask and enjoy a drink! Everything is spaced out greater then 6 ft and is constantly sanitized! (They even put cards on tables letting you know they have been recently...