Barista Parlor - East Nashville — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

Apon entering the building, you get a very cool vibe from decor that showcases how beautiful the coffee making process can be.

About 2 minutes later you get the reality that doesn’t matter if the staff is completely uninviting. The baristas whom takes the orders seems to have an overall negative attitude. Which left myself, and the others in my group of 5, feeling unwelcome. To be completely honest I felt extremely uncomfortable. To start you day off like this is terrible. Even then a tip was still left to baristas. I think they should feel extremely lucky they don’t require tipping after experience.

This is the first time I’ve sat in barista parlor but have gotten coffee togo a dozen times. I already limit my frequency there because the coffee just isn’t as good as other upscale coffee shops in town. It’s just a convenience choices when I do go. Coffee and choice of oat milk just do not compare, in a very bad way.

Apon receiving coffees as they were made the barista serving the coffee had an obvious agitation to serving us whom had what. There’s always an awkward moment with a group when trying to hand out the correct items to each person. But there’s a way of doing it that is kind and not totally upset about it.

After not really enjoying anything from the establishment. From the environment to the taste of the coffee. We get up to leave feeling aggravated. We shuffle as we get up asking each other do we clean up our glasses or does someone else. Not seeing a cleaning area we start to leave.

As my entire party is out the door one of the baristas informed me in a very short and unkind way “ we have a bust tub in the back. we are not a full service restaurant “. Not an issue, the basic understanding of that. I have absolutely no issue cleaning up after myself. BUT the said bust station should be conveniently open for the public to view if your supposed to know and understand that. It’s unconventionally hidden under a table used for straws, napkins, syrup and milks. First of all gross. That has to be a health code issue? Also … it has a x shaped steal bar designed in front of bust tub. You have to turn and twist food plates to fit in th his full bus tub. I wish I could go back and ask the originally barista whom we ordered from if she was okay? The lingering bad attitude on these women have to be noticeable from everyone going there. Absolutely will never be back and will never bring family from out of town to this...

Worst breakfast experience in my memory. My wife wanted to treat me to breakfast on our tour of Nashville and Barista Parlor appeared promising in her online search. It was easy to place our order of 2 coffee drinks and 2 breakfast menu items with the attending server near the entrance. Coffee drinks came to us within 10 minutes and met expectations. But time rolled on and on and on waiting for breakfast food to arrive on this Sunday morning.

I did complain to one of 4 servers on the floor and she noted to me that we had been waiting 40 minutes for our food and she agreed that was too long. She said that the kitchen was handling a large number of online take-out orders and offered a refund. I took her up on her refund offer and my wife agreed to a partial refund of the money we had paid ( including upfront tip ).

We were among 10 customers in Barista Parlor at the time with 4 servers / baristas on the floor and 2 kitchen workers that I could see. I related this experience to another resident of Nashville and she said she had the same problem with a long delayed food order at Barista Parlor.

I will NEVER attempt to order food and coffee drinks here again.

On the positive side, the modern/hip atmosphere was engaging with Charlie Parker vinyl improvisational jazz playing through speakers set in antique radio boxes.

I believe that the automated electronic order system ( that asks customers for a tip before service is completed), and an understaffed kitchen may be key stumbling blocks here. A traditional server dedicated to attending to customers’ orders and increased kitchen staff may go a long way to fulfilling what is promised on the menu.

I hope MANAGEMENT sees this and takes note.

CUSTOMERS - enjoy the coffee and atmosphere for now and FORGET ABOUT THE FOOD!

If you do choose to go here it’s a bit off the main street. Look for the...

🎶It's hip to be square 🎶 The Huey Lewis and the News song was playing in my head by the end of my experience at Barista Parlor. This is indeed a hip place; waaay too cool for mere mortal humans like me. The baristas stay in their fortified area and woe betide a customer who enters their space ignorant of the rules. So, let me share the rules so you don't find out the hard way you're not hip enough to grace the place. First of all, line up. Look at all the name brand swag you can buy while you wait your turn to take a peek at the menu. Or, be like the hipsters and just tap on your phone while you wait your turn. Don't take too long reading the menu. You're holding up all those behind you. Give a generous tip before you've received any service because, hey! it's a hip place, the service is bound to awesome!! Well, at least the person giving service is awesome, even if the service itself is lacking. Don't order a sausage, cheese, and egg biscuit if you're hungry and actually want to eat it. It's really just for show. There won't be any cheese, the sausage will be an unnatural color and taste, the egg will be questionable as real, and the biscuit will be as dry as drywall. Definitely don't ask for salt or pepper because they don't have cellars or shakers and one of the hip baristas will have to go to the kitchen and bring you a wee bit in a plastic ramekin. This is definitely the place to have a coffee, be in the company of people who don't see others, and be in awe of the hip baristas doing their thing. It's interesting they have a turntable spinning LPs of rappers. I thought LPs had made way for CDs during the rapster time of the artist blaring, but hey, there it was! 🎶It's hip hip hip to...