Goosecup — Restaurant in Leesburg

Visited for my wife's birthday to try something new while we were out. Asthetically, it's very nice. Loved the outdoor seating area even though it was raining the day we visited. And the nearby covered pavilion is beautiful. Inside was sparse, but pleasant (maybe fill the shelves with something? Why have empty shelves?). But, it was very loud and echoes inside when moderately busy so we sat outside in the pavilion. Took us several minutes to figure out where to order as there were people standing around in different places around the counter. Definitely no place to stand out of the way while waiting for the order, signs for "order here" and "pick up here" would be helpful given the layout and multiple entrances. Most importantly though (and maybe it's my Americanized pallette) but the drinks were not good, not kid friendly, and overpriced. We love hot cocoa. Order it year round. We even asked about the staff before ordering and were told it wasn't very sweet, and boy were they right! Which is weird because it's also on the kid's menu. My kids decided to hedge their bets and order chocolate milk (pre-packaged) instead. My wife and I ordered the hot chocolates because we love trying new things and an Italian soda to back it up in case it wasn't good. It was pricey (about $20 for 3 adult drinks and 2 kids drinks with a $2 tip). There was NO sugar. None. Zip. Zero. The cocoa tasted like hot milk and straight, unsweetened, raw cocoa powder (not to be confused with hot cocoa powder). They even threw some extra, gritty cocoa powder on top for good measure, leaving the drink gritty. We disposed of them after trying a few sips, but we really WANTED to like them. Somehow, the kids chocolate milk was even worse. It tasted like unsweetened, slightly chocolately, sour milk. Date was fine, both packages were fine (it was clearly the brand). All of it went straight in the trash after we all taste tested each others to make sure we weren't crazy. The soda was what saved the day. It was good. I can't speak to the coffee (don't care for it, love tea though), but I wouldn't take kids there frankly because it seems aimed at a very specific (vegan? organic? health concious?) crowd. We didn't see pastries or very many food items on the menu or on display, so I'm not sure how expansive those options are. The wall-displayed menu was limited and only on a print out on the counter. It felt crowded in the order area, so we felt rushed to not look for too long. It'd be worthwhile, in my opinion, to add a few family-friendly and sweet options to the menu, make more of the menu available on the wall so people can look while waiting, set out some examples of your food items, pictures?, and better signage. We won't be visiting again, but best of...

Not Family Friend. Yesterday my family went to Goosecup for coffee and muffins with my young children. When grandpa asked whether they had highchairs for our two toddlers, one of the baristas said "No" but told him there was a kid's sized table and 4 chairs at the front of the cafe near the front door where the line to order food ended. Grandpa moved the miniature plastic lightweight table and 2 of the chairs next to our table on the patio so my children had somewhere to sit directly next to our table. It was similar to what you would do if a party of 5 sat at a table with 4 chairs- you would move 1 chair to your table to accommodate the entire party. After we had gotten our drinks, an employee came outside and told our entire table that the kid's chairs and table were for "sharing" and for "everyone to use". It took a second to register what he was saying or asking because 1) how are kids going to "share a chair" at the same time and 2) the original location of the kids chairs/table was in a location that many parents might find odd given that they were near the front door where the line of customers is located, and away from other tables that would accommodate other family members. After we just kind of stared at him with probably a confused expression, the employee then indicated that if we were going to "be there all day" we needed to return the table/chairs to where they were originally located. Unfortunately, the uncomfortable interaction ruined the experience for our family - had he asked us to return the kid's table/chairs to the front of the cafe when we left we would have of course agreed. Or, had he said “these are meant to remain indoors” we would have obliged and probably suggested that they should put up a sign indicating as such or, have highchairs for younger patrons. I should also point out there were no other young children in the cafe during our entire visit there which just added to the confusion regarding the employee's tone and word choice. Bottom line - for families with young children, this is not the...

UPDATE: The argumentative and dismissive response I received from this review shows the true colors of the owner of this company, which is so unfortunate. I asked the company over email to update their signs to show that they will tow your car after hours, as I mentioned my negative experience in the parking lot. The signs in the parking lot do NOT state that parking is prohibited at certain times and I think it is a fair and equitable piece of information to share with the public so they do not end up with a towed vehicle. A sign update is all I have asked and I was talked down to for that feedback as the signs are very misleading. Especially when attending trivia which ends after hours, you are putting yourself at risk when parking there. The owners keep saying they wouldn’t tow a trivia players vehicle however based on their parking policy (not stated anywhere accessible) they can in fact have the car towed and feel justified in doing so.

This place used to be a favorite, pricy but my friends and I would treat ourselves when we went. I previously attended trivia here regularly and love the staff and David of Barton Smart Trivia. However the company’s owners have a secretive parking policy that’s not stated on the signs in front of their parking spaces. My friends and I all almost got our cars towed as parking is prohibited after hours, something their signage does not indicate. If you go don’t risk parking your car in their reserved parking spaces, as $200 is a lot to get your car back. Not to mention if you’ve had too much to drink and don’t feel comfortable driving and get a ride share home, you’ll be penalized with a towed vehicle. Best not to risk it there are other great options...