Kru Coffee Collective — Restaurant in Burlington

Went in the afternoon wanting an espresso. Haven't been so disappointed in a while from a coffee bar that should be able to do better. Nice atmosphere, place was pretty busy with what appeared to be students. No line at the cash register. Ordered an espresso. Now, when I ran coffeehouses I made sure my staff knew that if a customer came in and ordered an espresso (less than 2% of typical orders in the U.S.), take the extra time to make it as good as it can be because the customer is probably a discerning coffee lover and because you can't hide the quality of the espresso with milk and flavorings. Instead, the cashier took my $4.00 (including the 15% tip), went over to the Versys fully automatic espresso machine, put a 4oz paper cup underneath the spigot and pressed a button, then came back to the cash register to answer questions for the next customer. I was a little shocked, as I had seen a 2-group espresso machine further down the counter and just naturally expected that my espresso would be made on that. Anyway, I walked down the counter to the Versys where the coffee wash had been spit out into the paper cup, while the cashier's attention was already somewhere else. Another Kru team member, a little more conscious than the cashier came down the counter inquiringly, and I let her know that there was a drink that had been made for me and I pointed to the Versys. She and the cashier exchanged looks, and the cashier nodded, like "he's right, that's his drink", which the 2nd person than handed to me. Looking down in the cup, my disappointment grew as the pale yellow thin cream stared back at me from the paper cup. Fully automated machines do have the ability to make a good espresso if they are well maintained and tuned (grind, principally) consistently throughout the day. This was not that. I took one sip and wished I hadn't, as the flavor was awful - sour, bitter, no aroma, just bleak. I put the cup in the bus tray and walked out the door. Sorry, Kru Coffee, I will not bother walking down Church St ever again to darken your door. You obviously don't want a coffee lover's business. The only reason I gave 2 stars was because you do provide a nice place for people that love the environment to meet or study. For those people, I would just recommend you order a canned soda or something else other...

As someone who prefers other warm drinks to coffee, Kru is totally the place to go on Church St. Delicious hot chocolate (rich and dark, rivaled only by Lake Champlain Chocolates’ drinking chocolate but Kru’s is larger and cheaper!) and they have an AMAZING selection of teas (including a spectacular chai that I believe is made in-house if I recall correctly).

Their food is also great— somewhat limited selection of baked goods, but what they do have is done well and reasonably priced. I also highly recommend their breakfast sandwiches— eggs are perfect consistency (nonrubbery!) and the bacon is crispy!

Finally, because it matters for a coffee shop, this place has good ambiance. The decor is eclectic and fun. Natural lighting from the large windows overlooking Church St on one side and the eponymous Church on the other mean that it’s a nice place to work. Everyone always been relatively quiet and respectful when I’ve been in here, and there’s a wide variety of comfortable seating...

I've visited Kru twice since it opened and have been disappointed each time. My first visit was back in the summer when there was still seating inside. There was a long line but the workers were speedy and the wait wasn't long. My matcha was alright and my breakfast sandwich was small, but amazing. Pretty expensive for what you're getting, but so is everywhere on Church Street. My second visit was last week and it was much more disappointing than the first. They only had two workers in the front, so there was a long wait. My chai was not good and I couldn't even get a breakfast sandwich, which was the whole reason for going, because they stop serving them after 1pm. I don't drink coffee, but each time we went, my friend said her coffee was always disappointing as well. There are way better spots for drinks on Church Street, I'm not going to bother with...