Cup of Joe — Restaurant in Cedar Falls

3/6/2020

The place: Some coffee shops have an uncertain identity. Such is not the case with Cup of Joe. They know exactly who they are and they commit. Cup of Joe loves their color and they're not afraid to use it. From the walls with the 80s inspired polka dot blobs to the orange statement couch up front and the colorful table lamps. The cheery yellow walls were a welcome sight on a chilly morning.

The furniture looks like it would be at home in a vintage shop, but collected as they are in Cup of Joe, you're welcome to use the coffee table with the hairpin legs. Marvel at the avocado chair and the diner chairs.

From my cozy seat, I count 5 mannequin torsos used as decoration and avoiding the creepy factor by not making eye contact with me.

The menu is 4 chalkboards wide featuring coffee, espresso drinks, and tea. There's fresh bakery which I was assured were all baked this morning upstairs.

Did I mention the disco on the sound system? There's disco on the sound system.

The location: Downtown Cedar Falls. Right on a corner, you can't miss it. On a Friday morning, parking around the corner was super easy. It looks like street parking is either 2 or 3 hours limited.

The food/drink: Cup of Joe has 3 sizes (8, 12, and 16oz) of in-house coffee mugs. Thank you for that! I only needed a dribble of cream for my coffee, the dark toasty flavor was perfect for me.

There's plenty of bakery available. I spied danish, scones, and croissants as well as cookies and bars. I had a slice of frittata, warmed up, and it was scrumptious. It looks like there are vegan and gluten free options available!

The service: An utter delight. I was greeted warmly and helped quickly. I appreciated the hospitality! I've been here for thirty minutes and the cheer from the baristas hasn't waned. In fact, I've noticed people being greeted by name, which I love.

Next time: I should probably try an espresso drink. It looks like they have a good amount and some of them look seasonal, so perhaps there's something...

This is a tried and true spot for a coffee and hanging out or getting work done in the Cedar Valley.

Personally, I don't particularly like many of their coffees and really don't like their cold brew, but I suppose you can't please everyone, and I just happen to be "that guy" this time around. I don't come here for the best cup of coffee in the area, so it's no big deal.

The staff is fine, for all intents and purposes. Some are more gregarious and friendly, some are more checked out or just seem to be going through the motions - I think that's probably par for the course with any coffee spot, though, so again no big deal really.

However, I would say that if this were not the ONLY place of its kind in the area, a spot with REALLY consistently friendly staff across the board would absolutely potentially pull business away because one of the main reasons someone makes a connection to a "place" is the staff serving the product. I think that is something that could be improved upon, but again no...

Very pricey. I saw the amazing reviews on Yelp and wanted to give it a try. There was a queue till the doorway when we entered. I ordered the cappuccino with double espresso. I was asked which size of cup I wanted among the small, medium and large. The small was way too small, so I picked the medium. Guess what the price was - $5+ . For a cup that was the size of a small cup in Starbucks. First disappointment. As soon as picked the cup up in my hands, I felt like it was half full. When I opened the lid to mix in sugar, I realised the top 1/4th was foam. I guess when I ordered cappuccino I should have expected that, but I felt cheated. Second disappointment. The staff was definitely friendly, coffee was just okay, nothing extraordinary. The ambience was decent. I didn't feel like it was as good...