Cafe Guse — Restaurant in Longview

This was a unexpected, delightful breakfast event. It’s 7:30-8 AM on Tuesday. The sun is still working its way through the fog on a killer pleasant summer day. The staff had the front and back doors open at this narrow, long comfortable coffee shop. This let the early morning summer flow through. Gentle classical background music was perfect. Parking is easy in the front or the back alley parking lot. The three piece avocado toast was gourmet and substantial.

… A couple years later. July 2024. There is a heat wave going on, so the air conditioning made my social visit very comfortable.

I love this coffee shop because of its unique character and good coffee, good service and all. Its uniqueness includes that it reeks of being in there forever in Longview. It also is a very long narrow front to back coffee shop. The parkingI love this coffee shop because of its unique character and good coffee, good service and all. It’s uniqueness includes that it reeks of being in there forever in Longview. It also is a very long narrow front to back coffee shop. The parking lot in back of the restaurant and across the alley has plenty of spaces if you’re not lucky enough to get a space in front on the street. NOTE: The alleyway is one way. You avocado toast can be a Filling meal...

I am trying to buy my whole bean coffee locally, and I truly enjoy the roasts and blends this cafe offers. But the problem with local, especially local things like coffee, is that the employees are undertrained.

I purchased two 1lb post-roast blends today. It seemed a safe choice. Provision of the order started with the barista placing a bare, unwashed hand into the bag. Rolling it around in there to get it open. However, I am somewhat germ-reckless so I decided to forge ahead unperturbed.

The blends consisted of roasted beans in different hoppers. However no scale or measurement device was used in combining those beans. The barista just eyeballed it, and then checked the net weight of sale. Still, I was hopeful that their experience precluded any need for such things. In this I was incorrect.

The bags were handed to me completely unmixed. They were a bottom layer of one coffee and a top layer of another. That is not a blend. That is a bag of coffee with a surprise flavor change coming at some point in your week. And, since the proportions are inconsistent, you never know when it will happen.

I got it home, dumped out the bags, and mixed it myself. It is fine coffee. There is just not enough...

Bad service. Arrived yesterday at 3:45 (15 minutes before closing) not realizing the time, although 15 minutes prior to closing shouldn't be a big deal in a coffee shop. The barista wouldn't even acknowledge us when we walked in. Then she claimed that she couldn't make a number of drinks because they didn't have the ingredients. So, I ordered one which she said she could make only to receive it with no whipped cream or cherries (these were two main ingredients listed for the drink). This was when she said she wasn't going to make any more whipped cream this late in the day. If closing at 4:00PM means it's drink ingredient roulette for the preceding 15 or so minutes, customers should be informed in advance or turned away. Or the place might as well close at 3:30PM. That being said, the menu looks great and the...