Bongo Java East — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

Never really had a bad experience overall, but this is the second time this has happened...

My friend and I came in for coffee and to play a game or 2. We ordered, girl with red hair was on register with another and 2 guys were standing off to the side waiting for orders or what not. Idk. Regardless, we ordered, found a game, and sat back down to wait for 2 coffees. 15 minutes pass with no indication that it had been made, nor were they moving to get anything made. I know it was a slow day and can get boring or whatever, but seeing everyone chittering to each other and the guys on their phones and no one moving was really frustrating. I looked over at the girl who checked us out but she just blankly stared back then went to fiddle with the trash on the other side of the Cafe. So I looked over at the guys who glanced up from the phone every so often but never made the connection of how long we were waiting.

Sadly, my non confrontational self really got fed up and was forced to go to the counter to see what happened. All we got was oh... sorry we forgot... and then they finally moved to finish.

I blurred out the faces as this seems more like a staffing issue more than anything else as this has been the second time this has happened to this extent... with most likely different people, but no one moved to do anything nor notify each other that it still needed to be done in...

Coffee, bagels, board games. What's not to like? They run excellent seasonal specials on coffee drinks, along with your standard espresso latte and cappuccino offerings. Service on these has always been very quick for me so this is a good spot to grab and go if you are in a hurry. If you are not feeling that they also offer some kamboucha chai tea and green or black teas. If you are here for the varied selection of board games you may also prefer one of the rotating beers on tap. Speaking of board games they offer a curated shelf of classics like Monopoly, Battleship and Scrabble along with tons of modern board organized by type and level of difficulty. Seating is pretty ample but because of folks playing longer games it can get crowded. If two of you are at a larger table expect people to ask to sit with you. To be honest if you want to sit and drink coffee or mess around solo on your laptop I'd strongly recommend a different location. This place is the definition of "Good for Groups" If you need food they offer several bagel sandwiches and a few panini style. I'm a particular fan of the Greatfull Bomb and The Adult Grilled Cheese. Both come with a sun-dried tomato cream cheese that is tangy with a deeper umani hit than plain cream cheese. Also there is no patio per se but there are a few chairs right out the door you can grab to enjoy your boardgames and coffee...

does 8oz of drip coffee really need to be more than $3? seems slimy to me.

edited to respond to owner feedback:

pricing alone is enough of a qualifier for a review. that’s what stood out. not the quality of the coffee or the service. if there was a review field for amount of free-to-play board games you would get 5 stars.

slimy was the word i used because 12oz is the standard for a small size at most coffee shops, or at least the dozens i’ve been to. maybe not the most reasonable word choice, but in the moment that’s how i felt. i wasn’t the only one that thought it was strange; the person who i bought the coffee for was chuckling at the small size of the cup before even said a word, asking if i got them an espresso or cortado instead by mistake.

i’ve adjusted my review to be a little more forgiving as this is a local business. i admit i was feeling aghast when i originally reviewed. i stand by the fact that i think the price for an 8oz coffee should be a bit lower, as other coffee shops in the area who also roast their own coffee or serve a premium product charge the...