Oliver Gospel Roastery — Restaurant in Columbia

I stopped by Oliver Gospel Roastery with my son because we wanted to find and taste coffee from a local roastery for our coffee at home. The place is very clean and welcoming when you walk in, and the staff couldn’t have been nicer. We explained what we were there for, and they happily let us sample the two coffees they had brewed, along with their espresso blend. They answered all our questions without rushing us and even suggested another local spot to check out.

I bought a cup of coffee and a bag of their espresso beans, while my son decided he wanted to try the other place first. We drove the mile down the road, walked in, and instantly noticed the difference — it didn’t even smell like coffee. We bought two double espressos there and ended up tossing them because they tasted like burnt tar. My son turned right around and went back to Oliver’s to get his own bag of beans!

What stood out most at Oliver’s was how balanced the coffee tasted. Every roast we sampled — including the espresso blend — had great flavor without any bitterness or overpowering notes. The caramel macchiato I ordered was perfect. Normally, I have to ask for light caramel and an extra shot because most places make them too sweet, but this one was spot on — I could actually taste the coffee.

I’m looking forward to trying the espresso beans I bought at home in my Philips 5400 (it grinds beans fresh for every drink). If they taste as good as they did in the shop, I’ll definitely be buying my beans from Oliver’s instead of the grocery store or Amazon.

One last thing that really impressed me: while we were sitting there, a homeless man came in. Instead of being turned away, the employee greeted him by name, asked how he was doing, and made him a bagel — no hesitation, just kindness. You could tell it wasn’t a one-time thing; they really care about people here.

Great coffee, great atmosphere, and genuinely good people. This will definitely be our go-to spot...

Never ate here but the owner doesn’t tip delivery drivers but it’s a nonprofit that helps the homeless. Seems out of character for a nonprofit. Like cmon now I saw an order she placed today for 12 cases of 50 count water bottles & not a single dollar left for the driver. I’ve personally never delivered here but I see her orders sitting in the app everyday till a newbie takes it not realizing they’re allowed to decline offers without penalty. Online it says the CEO makes over $150k a year. Maybe a $3 tip per order for the delivery driver should come out of...

The good: clean place, fresh paint job, well organized, polite staff

As a person looking mostly for a traditional cappuccino, the product was unfortunately mediocre. Espresso was pulled to shot glasses before transferring to the cup, losing most of the crema. The milk was steamed without attention, a spoon (ack!!) was used to stir the milk into the espresso (good grief!) and then a blob of sudsy foam was put on top like a hat. Clearly there is minimal knowledge of proper...