Blacksmith — Restaurant in Houston

..... This place is everything you would expect an urban coffeehouse to be... Illuminated gently by the sun through darkened windows, non descript music in the background and the sound of an espresso machine in the background. No beanbags or gross couches everyone has rubbed their sticky fingers on... Just dark wood and a few pieces and shelving units that remind you that this is a classy nerd spot for the sophisticated customer with a job in a field that they didn't get their degree in but approachable enough that one could bring a date if they wanted to seem like they were in the know about all the secret gems that have graced our busy little city.

Everything here still feels new. No wobbly tables or broken things yet. I'll let y'all know what it is like in a few years. This is the place that Starbucks can never be but wants you to feel like you're in because it's too commercial. This place had a soul and that soul has tattoos and some interestingly placed piercings.

The most interesting things about this place are placed within steps of the door. A large portrait of Mr. Little Joe Washington and two cups on a shelf that also serves as a receptacle. One cup filled with spoons says "These spoons are clean and they are here for you". The other says dirty spoons.... It makes me wonder how many dirty spoons slip into the clean spoon cup and if so does that destroy the sanctity of all the other clean spoons?

Anyway, bring your debit card because a coffee and pastry is not cheap (but not crazy either). Enjoy yourself and if you are alone look like you are important and write a 3 pg long essay about this place like I'm doing.

See y'all at...

TL;DR – Get a Flat White, Biscuit and Viet Steak and Eggs. You will NOT be disappointed.

Pro’s Great Coffee Non-Dairy options Full Kitchen Menu with spectacular food selections Speedy Attentive Service (Always busy on weekends but line goes down quick) Baked goods that can cause multiple future visits (Biscuits and Croissants)

Con’s Seating can be an issue when busy Parking (Shared with Hay Merchant and Underbelly but can be troubling to find)

Now if you made it this far, that means I caught your attention.. aaannd I lost it. -_-‘

Once you enter, a rugged, industrialism architecture space with good amount of sunlight and a stray of money cat statues throughout, last I counted 17. The overall feel of the place is hip and trendy with high customer turnover rate so people watching is awesome here.

You get serviced by multi-tasking talented staff that are consistent, hard working while staying passionate about their work. I had a flat white (in between Cappuccino and Cortado) which was delicious. Pair the drink with the scratch made biscuit with crème fraiche and marmalade which is a game-winning slam dunk.

If you're in for a bigger Texas-sized dish then The Vietnamese Steak and Eggs is the go to selection. It comes with greens and French bread with pate. Nomnomnom

You will come back here for those dishes..

This establishment is one of the few Coffee shops that stepped up Houston’s Coffee game. It’s still young but already putting this town on the map.

As (a/an?) homage, the first customer to order coffee when a Queen song comes on will be free.

(Check out Blacksmith by Night, an afterhours culinary event by Houston’s...

I came to Blacksmith a few years ago. It was a nice little cozy spot tucked away on a corner. The front of the building seemed to be under construction. Parking was in the back.

The ambiance inside had the feel of a study hall. Hipster vibes. It was quiet and not a lot of conversations in the air. The wait in line was a bit long. After ordering I sat down. The seating felt a little awkward and tables felt really close. Not an issue but an observation nonetheless.

I sampled the Vietnamese Steak and Eggs, Smoked Salmon Dill Scramble, Biscuit with cream fraiche and jam and Silver Platter Chilaquiles. Of the four, I preferred the Smoked Salmon Dill Scramble. The salmon had a great smokey flavor and the eggs were fluffy. It was a good combination. The biscuit was delicious! The Vietnamese steak and eggs were not bad but if you've had bò né at a Vietnamese restaurant in Houston, then you know this is not the same. Very good but not great. Still not a bad dish. The chilaquiles did leave something to be desired. They tasted good but just not what I'd expect from chilaquiles in an authentic Mexican restaurant. It was probably my least favorite of everything I ate there. Everything tasted good for a neighborhood cafe.

The coffee was really good. Nice and strong! I enjoyed it.

If you're looking for a quiet place to chill or just relax while drinking coffee, this is a great...