Haven Cafe — Restaurant in Cincinnati

I want to start off by saying that the drinks here are amazingly crafted. They have great flavors, quality ingredients, I love it. Because of that, I go here frequently, but this last time that I went there, I was severely disappointed by the service. Let me start off by saying I work in the service industry, so I understand what it's like to be behind the counter. However, every time I have gone here, I have not felt welcomed by the staff. This last time I went, the lady at the counter had an extremely hostile disposition towards us upon arrival. That was already enough to bring me and my friends off, as it was apparent in her demeanor. I'm not sure if she was having a bad day, as she has been okay to me before, but I found the service entirely unacceptable. I was thinking, okay, I guess I came here for the drinks and not the service. However, when our drinks came out, they were not the usual delicious drinks I am used to receiving, they were not filled to the top, weak in syrup flavor, and had one puff of their topping. For the cost of the drinks, I do not think that this kind of quality is acceptable. I am extremely disappointed in their service, and discouraged from...

The pastries are good. The coffee leaves much to be desired. Everything about this place is expensive. They appear to only have one espresso maker that causes a bottleneck for espresso drinks. This results in drinks being made with all components except espresso as they wait for it to be made, at least when it is busy. This may be fine for hot drinks, but it is awful for iced drinks. It melts ice faster and leaves the espresso at the top. Espresso should go before ice for the overwhelming majority of drinks. It is a watery, expensive drink. This is not a go-to cafe.

The lack of easily accessible menus is another thing. There are no menus anywhere until you get to the register. How long can someone reasonably be up there deciding? I watched multiple people spend multiple minutes at the register trying to decide what drinks and food to order because there is no menu board. Customers also shouldn't have to check Instagram for pastry offerings for the day/week. I understand the menu changes frequently, but a TV menu board could really help people see all their options and not potentially panic order or holding up the line....

I had previously left a good review for this place, but after my most recent visit I won’t be coming back. The drinks are great, but highly overpriced. The staff themselves were polite, but the overall vibe of the café is just off. The rules are weird: no laptops on weekends, yet everyone can sit glued to their phones. I’ve never seen a place with a rule like this. It makes no sense for a coffee shop and feels like nothing more than a money grab to force quicker turnover. On top of that, seating is already very limited, which only makes the rule feel even more unnecessary. If there were more places to sit, restrictions like this wouldn’t even be needed. To make it worse, the rules aren’t clearly posted anywhere on the door or in plain sight — just a small sign behind the counter. I was told to put away my laptop (not knowing this rule) while quietly sitting in the corner with a friend, drinking the coffee I had just paid for, not disturbing anyone. I will be choosing other coffee shops...