Smokey Row Coffee — Restaurant in Oskaloosa

I am from Washington State and I am spoiled by really good gourmet coffee, I ordered a iced chai with almond milk and single shot of espresso in a "for here" cup. I have experience working in a gourmet coffee house I wanted to taste their espresso. I asked what kind of chai they used, the barista answered "vanilla, spiced, caramel..." I clarified what brand? She said "pounder" which I never heard of but it disappointedly tasted like dried powder mix, like Big Train. Smoky Row, look into switching to Maya chai. It is a concentrate, it both looks and tastes delicious and is efficient to prepare.

The espresso was served in a paper cup and it was room temperature. The initial flavor was sharp but fell flat after the espresso hit the rest of my mouth. Maybe have a mid-day chore to dial in your grinder? I would of loved to have seen the layers of the crema on the espresso in a glass/for-here cup.

If you have a kitchen with a dishwasher may I recommend perhaps opting to serve drinks in reusable cups and glasses? It would be a good economical move as well as environmental. Also people like me who enjoy a specialty drink can sit down and enjoy the artistry of a well crafted cafe.

I understand that some coffee shops are more "fast coffee" which work to push orders out quickly and opt specialize large and sugary drinks. Your establishment gave me a different impression, I assumed it was a slow, gourmet coffee shop and diner. (Tables, food menu, next door book shop and ambient music) Whatever your goal is and whatever is working for you go for it and do it really well. Good...

Walked into get some ice cream this past Sat, went down and stood in front of the ice cream selections, was NEVER acknowledged by the young man that was working and passing right in front of me several times behind the counter, waited about 3-5 minutes, 3 other customers came in and went to the register, the young man employee was then done with the customers he had been waiting on and went to wait on them FIRST, I stood there in amazement right before I finally saw a sign that read "we will be happy to get your ice cream order for you if you go to the register." A female employee then came down where I was standing and I ask her if it was necessary to go to the register to order my ice cream, she replied was a half hazard answer "well, yes, but people don't often read the sign" to which I replied "why does it matter where I stand to order?" "I came in BEFORE the last 3 people and the male employee is waiting on them BEFORE me, can you please get my order?" she pretended to be nice in a fake way about me not following the rules. I ask you Smokey Row, why does it matter where you stand to get your ice cream, such a petty stupid sign? I should of been acknowledged when I was standing there, by the inexperienced male employee you hired and ask to please order by the cash register instead of completely ignored by him. He saw me, he could of cared less that I was there and made it very clear that I was being punished for not following the rules to order ice-cream. Shame on him. He obviously should not be working with the public. How petty of him and your...

I just wanted to start off by saying: if you treat workers poorly, you can’t expect good service. I’m from Texas but have family in Iowa so I visit SmokeyRow a few times a year. The staff here is very friendly, and most of them are young adults—college students and teenagers. I found them to be very helpful, and they worked as quickly as possible under the circumstances (it was extremely busy, and I learned that the baristas are also the cooks!). It honestly broke my heart to see a middle-aged woman yelling at a barista who was clearly stressed after waiting 15 minutes for her food. Shame on anyone who comes into a small-town coffee shop and complains about a wait time or pre-prepared food when it’s busy. I might understand frustration at a big chain restaurant, but this is not that. If you raise your voice at young staff over a $5 coffee, that says more about you than about them. There are also people talking about how the tables are dirty, yet there is a specific spot that the customer is expected to put their dishes at??? With that said, the food was great and the drinks were too! My favorite is definitely the iced Rasberry Chai + Cheesy Chicken Wrap. Always a favorite stop whenever I’m in Iowa. (FYI 80% of the bad reviews sound like Karen’s with no common sense) Keep it up...