Rivertown Coffee — Restaurant in Florence

This place had a really cool vibe and the food smelled great (though I didn't order any). We were there over what would have been considered the college's Christmas break, but the place was still packed with people. In various Alabama towns, it's hard for me to actually find decent coffee - so it's nice to see a good, independently owned shop in Florence. The decor is eclectic. The staff are friendly.

But there is one "complaint" that prohibits me from adding an extra star to "love it." I bought a pour-over coffee (also, very difficult to find in/around Alabama). The "barista" ground the coffee, put it in a nice pour-over setup, and then just started dumping water on it. There really wasn't any time or appropriate water to allow the coffee to bloom before finishing the pour-process. I kind of cringed when I saw it, especially because the pour-over costs a little more than the regular brew. But honestly, if I would have known that he was going to pour this way, I would have gone with the regular brew. My pour-over was OK, but I wouldn't say that it was great.

Other than that, I'd definitely come back again - it's not a deal breaker, just a bit of...

This may genuinely have been a moment of user error so I won't make this review too negative but I went in there for the first time today and I was genuinely disappointed because I've heard such good things about the place. I went in, the menu just has a list of items but I wasn't (and still am not) sure what exactly or how exactly you customize or add things or anything. I just got a cold brew just out of analysis paralysis. It was just a plain cold brew (which makes sense, I didn't tell the cashier anything) but she asked if I wanted to leave room for cream. I figured they'd add cream, but they didn't and it was just a bit unfilled. I tried to figure out how to put sugar and cream but I eventually just gave up and drank my plain cold brew. Again, I'm sure it's a fine place but for someone like me who's not a coffee-nut and just casually likes going in coffeehouses, I was...

I was sceptical of the quality of food and coffee at this shop because of the grungy, artistic vibe and decor, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the unique flavor of the espresso in the cortado my husband got. We decided to get lunch as well, and the sandwiches we ordered were interesting combinations of ingredients and packed with flavor. The sourdough bread for the sandwiches was a fantastic choice. We ended up coming back later in the day and ordering mango smoothies, which were so refreshing and natural-tasting (just frozen mango and your choice of juice - we chose pineapple-orange) perfect for a hot day in Alabama.

One note though: don't get the fruit salad on the side if you are expecting fresh fruit. I think it had been frozen and was still partially so, along with being kind of soggy...