Java House (Midtown) — Restaurant in Carmel

Java House in downtown Carmel is an upscale coffee bar with rich interior decor and fancy cold brew coffee offerings. The ambiance feels like an old school bar with warm wood finishing and updated industrial finishing.

The coffee is all 'cold brewed' for best flavor. I had a basic black cold 'cold brew' and it was perfect. Dark smooth flavor, not as bitter and strong as Starbucks, but still with a rich and bold flavor.

The ambiance and service is the downside, I visited on a Wednesday morning just after 8 am.

While the location is beautiful and can be relatively easily accessed with parking via the parking garage attached or street parking, it was busy!

FULL of yuppie 'Carmelites' on their early morning business power meetings, and 'Carmel yoga Mom's' meeting up for their coffee dates. Their was also surprisingly (maybe not so surprisingly) a possibly homeless person hanging out at a table eating leftover fries from what appeared to be a takeout order from the previous evening...a sign that homelessness is and will be a new and upcoming issue for downtown Carmel in the future.

There only seemed to be two workers, one taking orders and one barista... so service seemed a bit slow. The workers seemed a bit overwhelmed and slightly unpleasant. I don't criticize them as the place seemed understaffed or perhaps mismanaged, a common situation at this period in time where all service industries seem to be struggling to adequately staff.

Finally, it is a super noisy environment. Tall open ceilings, industrial finishes, busy meetings etc. all lead to an echoey and loud setting. I honestly would prefer a Starbucks, as one can usually find a secluded spot, or move around more freely.

The coffee is good. I will give this place a try again, just not at coffee house rush hour at 8...

Very disappointing. I tried to give this shop quite a few chances since it is so close to my work but the same issues happened repeatedly. The coffee isn't great for starters; or at least is woefully inconsistent. Tastes stale most of the time and even burnt at others, regardless of the variety chosen. The baristas, though usually very kind, always seemed to be scrambling and either unprepared for the volume of customers or simply the complexity of some of the orders. I often sit around the bar and have often seen cold drinks be made hot or vice versa, or just general confusion about some of the orders being taken. I actually don't think most of that is down to individual error but rather just poor training. There also rarely seems to be anyone of any managerial rank or authority in the shop and it is often teenagers and young adults seemingly fending for themselves. The shop was also dirty and cluttered fairly often. Overall just very disappointing as I have always felt that this coffee shop had potential, just...

Java House on Elm Street is the greatest coffee shop in Carmel, IN. (Possibly the world... just my personal bias) Each barista that I have encountered in my weekly routine of book-reading there has maintained the perfect balance of professionalism and heart-warming/friendly personality. I am never disappointed with the way I am treated. They remember my name and they make me feel valued as a customer. I know baristas at many coffee shops and I know that the work-day can be exhausting and the customers come in a wide variety that be demanding at times. These employees here have handled all the curve balls I've seen that have been thrown at them. They continue to make Java House an extremely comforting environment where anyone can come get some great high quality beverages and regather themselves. Way...