Java Junction — Restaurant in Kearney

Good morning, Kearney Nebraska! Let me just say that you have a hidden gem of a coffee shop in your just-east-of-center heart! I had to drive a bit to get there but it was worth every quarter mile even if I'd have had to crawl it!

What a delightful little oasis in a mostly aggro-industrial area. As I pulled into the drive-through lane, I had to proceed very slowly and very cautiously so as not to knock into anything or knock anything down as I gawked at the beautiful decorations and a zillion tiny details that go into the making of this coffee oasis. A delight for the eyes before you even sip the joe.

After my unfortunate experience yesterday morning, I was just hoping for good coffee before we hit the road, wheels pointed west. What I found was a sweet barista who was friendly and chatty, but not too much. When I asked about a flat white, she wasn't 100% sure so I explained that I just wanted two shots with about 4 - 6 oz of half and half. Of course she could make that.

Of course she could. Because there's no special knowledge required...just a willing heart.

It always makes my blood boil when I hear that a coffee show "can't" (read: won't) make a drink that literally has two ingredients in it. Ingredients that are easily at hand.

But I digress.

We waited a couple of moments while she made our drinks, a hot chocolate as well. Yes, whip cream, thank you!

As we drove away, beginning our journey home, we were buoyed by the deliciousness in our cups. If anything, the flat white was stronger than it had to be but it was so good that I just sipped...

I only go here for Dole Whip when the current flavor is decent.

The menu signage is SO OVERWHELMING that it cannot be understated. It is truly a laughable sight to behold and a severe trigger for those with selection/overload anxiety.

Luckily the line takes long enough to at least try to read all the scribbled white chalk and random drawings.

The agua fresca-type drink menu is an easier read at least, and the coffee options are organized nicely. But the coffee menu is AT the window. I assume this is why the line moves slowly sometimes as you have to choose and order at the window.

The food I can't comment on. There seems to be something... "special" (i definitely can't say "seasonal") that rotates at random and is posted on one of the smaller signs below the first window you see.

★ We asked about dairy in the whip and the girls just handed us the laminated page from Dole so we could be sure ourselves. This was HUGE for me as I have to ask everywhere for everything with dietary restrictions and they couldn't have done more for me than straight-up showing me the package to check for myself. Usually it's a hassle I feel bad about for the person I have to pester but they were cheerful and kind.

Love that you can buy pints and quarts of Dole Whip too! Although this is a bit dangerous for my love of the Whip 😄

Less passion fruit and pomegranate and more of that BIRTHDAY CAKE BATTER please! ohmyGOD that stuff is THE TRUTH 🙏 Pineapple and Lime are good too. Maybe blend the cherry &...

This is the cutest coffee shop, and everyone was super sweet. They also have a great selection for dairy free. They offered oat, coconut, and almond milk. The smoothies automatically came with non-dairy milks. They offered a non-dairy ice cream sandwich, but I wasn't able to try it.

However, I was disappointed with my drink. I ordered a blended chai. It was ok, but not great. It did not have a strong chai flavor. I also ordered a very berry smoothie. I only tasted the kale in the smoothie, but there was no berry flavor. It was really bad, and I ended up not eating it. My friend got a brown sugar shaken espresso, and she was also underwhelmed. On the plus side, another friend got a breakfast burrito and was a happy with it. The breakfast burritos are not able to be customized because they're pre-made (they look handmade, but probably just made in advance), which is fine, but it's something to be aware of.

I think this place could be great with a few adjustments, and I hate leaving bad reviews for cute independent places like this. I'm hoping it was just an off day...