Milk Road Coffee — Restaurant in Jacksonville

Update: forgot it was closed on Mondays. My mom came from out of state to visit for Mother's Day so I wanted her to experience Milk Road!

We parked and as soon as we exited the car, heard screaming from inside followed by the sounds of things being thrown around. As we approached we saw a woman inside making the ruckus. There's no doubt that some sort of serious drama was happening inside.

I tried to open the door but since they're closed Mondays it was locked. She looked up, made a slash motion across her throat, and rudely said, "we're closed."

I get it, they were closed, but how's that the face you want to present to the world and your customers? The luster of this place is definitely wearing off over time. This was not the experience I wanted for my mom.

Original review: Love this place. Location, while out of the way, is actually kind of convenient. The staff is super friendly and seem to enjoy what they do. The coffee is delicious and so are the waffles - I go several times per month. It's comfortable inside and out on the deck and the prices are fair for what you get (but definitely not inexpensive).

Now that it's been open for a while, there's a couple things that keep it from getting 5 stars. They seem to constantly have trouble with their internet, which means that sometimes they can't take payments and it takes 5-10 minutes for me to pay. This has happened numerous times. Also, when it's busy, they get overwhelmed quickly and fall behind and it can take 20-30 minutes to get a waffle, even if it's not full. This has prevented me from leaving with a waffle more than once when I stopped by on my way to work because I ran out of time. It seems like the management could be helping expedite orders but they're always doing other stuff. They also run out of stuff a lot and there's been a few times that it's obvious they didn't prepare enough waffle mix before opening.

But don't get me wrong, this place is legit. Still need to iron out some of the details, but once they do,...

The Milk Road looks a bit like a small, privately owned auto body shop from the road. So much so that it wasn't until a friend invited me that I actually went. First impressions? A hipster version of Starbucks with similar prices and fewer selections. My first impressions were right but it's so much more than that. The employees are absolutely stellar! They're down to earth and knowledgeable. Even with fewer selections if you tell them what you like they'll steer you in the right direction. They have delicious homemade waffles and other sweet treats if you're hungry and they've got the best chi I've ever had which is just as good without sugar. They have a large seating area out back and allow you to smoke which is refreshing as I despise being treated like a social pariah for my chosen vice. It's utterly disgusting when the world forces their opinions down your throat "for your own good", no matter how or why the forcing manifests. The decor is something close to industrial meets Soho. The walls are decorated with art for sale from local artists which I have all the respect for. Many months later I'm still going and I intend to continue. I now refer to The Milk Road as one of Jacksonville's best kept secrets. I adore this place and I hope their take us or leave us attitude stays put! I will happily take you as you are, you beautiful, unapologetic place of coffee refuge! Twenty...

I have been a handful of times just to keep giving it another shot, and I have only had a good experience once. This time will be my last time going…. The girl acted as if she couldn’t wait for us to get back out of her way… was on her laptop when we came in which obviously was more important than us because she was truly acting like she couldn’t wait to get back to whatever she was doing besides being a barista. My husband ended up settling on a tea that ended up tasting like sugar water with fruit juice in it, I got a latte I knew I’d probably like because I like it everywhere else I go and the espresso was SOUR, as a former barista myself this was the worst espresso I have ever put in my mouth, I narrowed it down that it wasn’t the oat milk, it was the actual espresso that was SO SOUR and the lavender (or honey idk which one) made the latte also taste like dirt…. I was incredibly unimpressed and threw it away once I got home after trying to make it work. The Liege was also not its normal crispy, light but chewy self…. It was hard and tough… so sad this place just has never been able to fully get it together. I hope the Emerald Isle location excels because the jacksonville...