Crema Bodega — Restaurant in Denver

Hmm... the service here surprised me. I love Central Market, and come here often. It's an awesome conglomerate of amazing eats! But, even more attractive than the great food, is the family friendly, positive atmosphere. Central Market is a vibe! Unfortunately, Crema Bodega is not.

When I approached, there wasn't anyone in line, but the young lady behind the counter wasn't at the register, so I hung back waiting for her to either greet me, or come to the register to take orders. I finally asked cheerfully, "Can I place an order?" Her sarcastic response: "Well, there's no one up here, so..."

I'm sorry, what? Usually in situations like this, I would say, "No thank you," and walk away (I am a stickler for amazing service. I work hard for the money I make, and I qualify where I spend it!) But, I gave her the benefit of the doubt. Strike one, though.

I, then, proceeded to order a Chai Latte with Oat Milk. I asked her how the Chai was sweetened? "It comes already sweetened." Um, with what? Is it a concentrate sweetened with sugar?

I had questions. I guess questions aren't allowed, and she doesn't care about what she's serving, so, annoyed, she gave me the concentrate container so I could look up the sugar content myself. Strike 2.

Finally, once I completed my order, she didn't say "thank you" or show any gratitude for my patronage. Strike 3.

Needless to say, I will not return to Crema Bodega because it was clear that either she didn't want to be there, or she didn't want me to be. The Chai was subpar - honestly Panera's is better, even from concentrate. At least there, I get a friendly welcome and a "thank you" - minus the sarcasm.

That's so unfortunate because they are in the...

Alright, I've been letting this stew all day. Because I generally give people the benefit of the doubt in social situations. But good lord do these reviews make me even more upset. I went here with my grandma to enjoy breakfast because she recommended this market fondly. Little did I know that it's run by poorly trained baristas with the most chronic nasty attitudes imaginable.

Thankfully my grandma did not hear when you all laughed at her for anything listed below. It would have broken my heart if she saw how you all looked at her. It broke mine.

So let me get this straight; y'all fill your cups so high that they spill all over customers, expect said customers to "wait for the drink to settle" while trying to take it across a busy dining hall so you're not in the way of other people getting drinks, and then laugh at the mess they make. I work in food service and can't even IMAGINE treating my customers like that. It's actually insufferable behavior, I expect better from people obviously quite a bit older than me. And who have clearly been warned by these reviews before.

Now let's get into your drink quality. Unsweetened matcha? Really? I enjoy unsweetened matcha in certain settings but if I order a latte and it tastes more like beans in water than matcha or coffee, you have a problem. Not to mention the grit of the whole drink and the fact that it was overflowing so much it turned my hands green. If you're going to be incompetent making expensive drinks maybe have the common decency to not laugh at a woman giving you service and recommending your business to her family members. Shame on you all, even those of you who did nothing when your coworker tried to...

Overall terrible experience. Much better coffee shops around town. Walked up, wasn't acknowledged because the THREE people behind the counter were too busy just personally chatting. Ordered a dirty chai. Paid on the iPad with a quick tap and moved to the side to wait. I saw that they didn't even look at the screen and the transaction wasn't placed. (they left the iPad with my transaction on it facing out so any random person could've easily put a tip on my card). Went through the entire ordering and paying process without them looking at me and just talking with each other. Ironically, the iPad was held up on the tip screen. I went back and added a tip because I know times are tough for some right now and figured they would be a bit more professional. Nope. Literally said nothing to me. Walked around to check the gelato place out. Went back to get my drink and of course they acted like I don't exist still. Asked for my name when I ordered, but didn't put it on my cup...so had to ask them if it was mine. I don't think they put espresso in it. Maybe a tablespoon of chai. It tasted like straight up warm milk....