El Barrista cafe — Restaurant in New York

I would like to request a refund for an unfortunate incident that occurred at El Barrista Café on Monday, June 26, 2023, around 3:40 pm. My friend and I had a disappointing customer experience due to safety concerns and poor service.

Upon entering the café, we noticed that there was no one at the counter initially. However, after a few minutes, a staff member, who appeared disinterested in her work, arrived to take our order. It was evident from her attitude and behavior that she was not motivated to provide good customer service. She was preoccupied with her nails and made incoherent complaints about us or something else unrelated.

When my friend attempted to place his drink order from the menu, the staff member responded rudely, stating that they don't offer that particular drink. He then decided to order a Frappe instead, to which she reluctantly agreed but continued to display a negative attitude. Subsequently, I placed an order for an iced coffee, and her demeanor seemed to worsen.

As I proceeded to pay for both orders, I noticed the staff member acting suspiciously, as if she had ill intentions towards our drinks. She insisted that we go sit down and wait, instead of waiting at the counter. Due to our growing distrust, we chose to remain at the counter. To my astonishment, she poured my coffee and milk onto the counter, displaying a complete lack of professionalism. She then started preparing the Frappe in a disorganized manner and proceeded to leave the counter area with the half-filled blender container, heading towards the bathroom. This confirmed our suspicions that she might have been tampering with our drinks.

Feeling alarmed and concerned for our safety, I decided not to consume my coffee and immediately left it on the counter. Consequently, my friend and I chose to leave El Barrista Café without receiving either the coffee or the Frappe. This experience has left us deeply dissatisfied and apprehensive about the establishment's overall quality and safety standards.

I strongly urge El Barrista Café to improve their training programs and hire more competent and customer-oriented individuals. It is essential for the establishment to prioritize customer safety and ensure that all staff members adhere to professional standards of conduct. I hope that this feedback will contribute to positive changes within the café and prevent such incidents from occurring...

I love this place. Great snacks and pastries, the decor is wonderful and there's a large seating area in the back. These features make the place inviting and theoretically, it's a great cafe. What isn't so great is the pricing and wifi.

To start, they are way overpriced. The pricing doesn't reflect the average income of the neighborhood. I paid around $14 for two cortados. To specify, a cortado is a double shot of espresso and a little bit of milk. Not even a full coffee. I noticed that their cookies are $4. My wife ended paying $6 for one bread pudding. I understand that inflation is rule of the land currently, but these prices are outrageously high. A nearby cafe has $2 cookies.

The second issue mentioned is the internet. The only place that has decent internet is the barista counter with bar stools near the front. In the back area with the most seating, it's impossible to get good internet. I once moved around everywhere in the back and couldn't get signal. If the seating is occupied in the front, then working here is pointless if you need to access internet. I would suggest installing a wireless extender so patrons can use the space for remote work.

I would suggest fixing these two issues. For pricing, maybe do some competitive analysis against other cafes in the area and price your items accordingly. For wifi issues, that's an easy fix. A wireless router extender can be purchased anywhere from $20-$150. This is a relatively cheap solution for piece of mind that you won't be driving...

You can just ask what the price is, it’s really not a big deal. But if you really don’t want to ask, large cup of coffee is $5.(which is criminal in my opinion - this place and “super nice coffee”, same owner. Are the only place in a 2 mile radius charging above $3 for drip lol) Minus 1 star for upcharging $1 for oat milk. It’s just oatley… maybe if you were hand pressing your own oats, or almonds, or whatever. But that’s pretty greedy.

Enjoyed the ambiance in what would be a fairly bad neighborhood at the moment. The food was okay, it didn’t blow me away but it was good. I had the Harlem breakfast sandwich and the bread was maybe a little dry.(croissant) Probably the only gripe. Service was very nice, friendly, and formal. Nice ambiance and atmosphere. Little warm in the front room, but the back has AC. The main gripe on reviews seems to be the prices. Understandable, but you’re paying for the fresh man food, ingredients, atmosphere, and vibe. Not really any other spot like this in the area. For those saying “Starbucks is cheaper” yea sure lol. They’ve got supply lines all over the world. Amazon is cheaper than buying a hand crafted desk too. BUT, every cafe and deli nearby is cheaper, and there’s some nice cafes a couple blocks away. I do wish they had prices displayed. Really don’t like how the owner is currently doing business for both their places. Review won’t change until they start responding to...