Rockaway Roasters — Restaurant in New York

Seven second version: Good aesthetic and music Unknowledgeable baristas Weak and under drawn espresso Frustrating and exploitive pricing scales Clearly not Earth conscious

Long version: Almost gave this spot one star, but as the above review states, it does have a great aesthetic.

As far as I can tell, however, that's all this place has going for it. Visited a few times and have been let down in some form on each occasion. I'll describe my latest attempt at a second chance for this place below.

I'm a huge fan of the Americano. The smallest size a place offers so as not to simply have a HUGE glass of water with a relatively very small amount of espresso. However I refuse to order that small Americano without confirming with the barista that it comes with two shots not one (Because if it doesn't, why pay two sometimes three dollars for a single shot and some water, especially when a single shot on the menu is .75-.95, after that your just paying for water.

Before ordering my Small Americano, I asked my usual question. The response: "Our standard shot is a double." Fair enough - except the coffee bar is wide open and the view to espresso machine unhindered. The shot that was pulled was short single... No where near a double - unmistakable I suppose is what I'm saying.

Adding to the issue is the fact that I've never been at a place where the baristas so consistently pull poor shots (I'll give them credit, they seem to simply not know the details of how to pull espresso shots - and that falls on the leadership and their training practices). Today's draw was painfully slow... Barely dripping through. I almost think the barista cut the shot short (possibly less than a single shot instead of double) simply because it was taking SO long.

Now for the worst part: Rockaway Roasters refuses to make a drink directly into a mug that a patron brings in with them. I'm not a diehard environmentalist but I care about the Earth and try to do what I can to treat it well. I often carry a travel coffee mug with me (one that has 12oz stamped on the bottom of it!), and when I brought it into Rockaway Roasters I was told they would still make the drink in a paper/plastic cup of the size I was ordering, and than pour it into my mug! When I asked, "Isn't the point to not waste the cup?" I was answered, "We don't know what size your mug is, you could order a small and give me mug this big (gestures a mug the size of a big gulp)." I'll let you infer the kind of thinking (or lack there of) that such a mindset exposes in the ownership and employees.

Oh I almost forgot! Hot Amaricano: $2.45, Iced Americano: $2.85... .40 cents for a few ice cubes!?!?

Rockaway Roasters: I tried, and tried again. Until I feel like you care more about people and coffee than a bottom line (PS: those wasted cups are costing you more than a few ounces of extra coffee going into a 20oz travel mug), I think I'll find another place in the area to get my...

I used to eat at this location all the time and was sorta enjoying it. I’m new to far Rockaway so getting to know all the hot spots to eat here has been a challenge because most places are overcharging because they claim it’s all “FRESH” ingredients. I think it’s just a play on the convenience and not having many options out here. Neither here or there. . . One day they messed up my order and I was also having a really bad day. I called to let them know it was messed up and they refunded me right away. The following visit after I went in person to show them a photo to prove I was being honest and I wasn’t lying but they didn’t really seem to care and even had a bit of an attitude when serving me. I also would call before hand to place my order and I noticed after the incident they stopped answering my call for take out. I know this to be true because I would call from any number but mine other days just to confirm my suspicion and turns out I was right because they picked up every number BUT mine. One day I went to ask them about it and the guy (Louis) who’s usually real chill told me word for word “ We don’t always have time to answer the phone especially if we’re busy” as if he didn't hear me say I called from other numbers to confirm my suspicion and it seems like it’s just my number that’s not getting answered. I let it go and remained friendly. I wanted to write a review about my experience but wanted to see if this weird energy would just go away but it never did. I decided to stop doing business there because it seemed like I was being punished for my order being made incorrectly. Not to worry I can just make a waffle at home instead of paying $15...

The shop was empty on a Tuesday morning, my husband and I were the only customers at the shop. The young lady behind the counter did not greet us as we entered or approached the counter. We were standing at the cash register while the barista walked back and forth cleaning her station and prepping for the next customer. This was my initial thought, I figured she would smile and ask us to wait briefly, but she didn't even acknowledge we were standing at the cash register. I gave her another couple of minutes and unfortunately, she never asked to take our order.

I left the shop and a lady standing out front asked if we had been helped since we were walking out empty-handed. I explained the situation she said I'm the cook, I'll make your order, please come back inside I will help you. She did not allow us to walk away, she held the door open and ushered us back inside. She took our order and was very courteous at which point the barista prepared our drinks and charged our card. If it were not for the cook being so insistent and courteous, I probably would have not made a purchase.

The coffee was rich, the latte was prepared perfectly, no sugar was required, great tasting coffee. The waffles were hot, fluffy, and topped with fresh fruit. The shop is quiet and clean, and their coffee is delicious but unfortunately, customer service is not their forte. The only words the barista exchanged with us included the total amount...