La Vita Coffee — Restaurant in Houston

I love this place although it has a conflicting dual personality. On the one hand it is a cozy/comfy coffee shop with good WiFi, excellent coffee drinks, good breakfast munchies and a chill environment to hang out and surf the Web.

On the other, it is an excellent specialty burger joint with a good selection of tasty burgers. The burgers are in need of the accompaniment of a good beer or cocktail which supposedly will soon be available at the place.

The place operates under two names: La Vita Coffee and Burger Vibe. However, I don’t get the sense that the hungry burger crowd mixes very well with those looking for a quiet place to enjoy a coffee beverage and check their social media or work on their internet based projects.

There is a good variety of comfortable seating inside the air conditioned interior. There is also a large selection of outdoor patio seating both in the shade and in the sunshine. There is a separate smoking section outside in the front of the restaurant. But there is only a small number of shaded seats and the traffic noise from nearby Washington Ave can be quite unpleasant at times

Periodically on Saturdays vendors with various artisan goods and wares set up shop in what they call the Black Rose Market. Some very neat merchandise is on offer for reasonable prices and it is fun to enjoy a coffee drink while browsing the offerings of the various merchants.

There are several parking spots on a dirt path to the side of the place as well as overflow parking in the adjacent parking lot for the Porch Swing Pub. But beware, the turn off of Washington to access the parking is midway between Yale and Heights Blvd and can...

I was extremely disappointed with the customer service. I love to support small businesses over larger chains (where I earn rewards) for their personalized service and warm hospitality. After seeing Grizzy's interview with the owner, it seemed like a great place to study or read while enjoying a coffee. When we arrived, the café was nearly empty, with just one person sitting and another in line ahead of us. The owner was chatting with that customer, and I was excited to mention that I had seen the interview and wanted to give the place a try. However, he didn’t acknowledge us at all—not even a simple "hello" or "welcome." While I understand he was engaged with another customer, a small gesture of recognition would have gone a long way. The cashier's attitude was even worse. She made no eye contact, didn’t offer any suggestions, and barely engaged—just stood there looking down at the register, making the interaction incredibly awkward. On a positive note, my hot chai was absolutely amazing. However, the Nutella-stuffed pastry was dry and lacked the soft, fluffy texture I was expecting. My sister and niece tried the Oreo frappe and, I believe, the birthday cake frappe, and they both really enjoyed them. As we sat outside on the patio, I couldn't help but think—this is a great corner location with plenty of traffic, so why is it so empty? It’s not the beverages, the location, or the establishment itself… it’s the customer service. That alone can make or break a business. Sadly, I wouldn’t recommend this place unless you don’t mind unwelcoming...

This place is rough. I'm honestly confused why the other reviews are so good.

Ordered two paninis and it took them 15 minutes to put the pre-made ingredients onto bread and in the sandwich press, and we were the only customers. The vegetables were fresh enough, but otherwise the paninis weren't good. Salami panini was mostly just mayo and the chicken pesto panini had something on it that looked like guac instead of pesto. The salami and cheese were greasy. They were also cold...I saw them put them in the sandwich press and not close it all the way...just enough to give the top of the bread some dark spots.

The place definitely still looks like a bar and run down. There are still beer signs all over.

When they had to refill the nitro coffee machine for our coffees they just poured stuff out of a commercial bag. It tasted fine enough but definitely doesn't give the sense of specialty coffee that they advertise.

Overall the biggest disappointment was that it took over 20 minutes for two iced coffees and two paninis, and the vibes and food quality is poor enough to not...