Sweet Brew Cafe — Restaurant in Phoenixville

Very nice people, great service, but not much in the way of cafe or coffee shop ambiance. It seems to be more of just a take out place. Maybe they were having a bad day when I picked up my coffee but it was not good in any way. I roast my own coffee and am sort of a coffee freak, so I often look for the best coffee roasters, baristas and shops in the area. I had a latte with an extra shot of espresso. I could not even taste the espresso. It was essentially a cup of hot water with steamed milk. The milk was poorly steamed and I cold not detect any espresso. Extremely weak and tasteless. If you go to a good coffe shop that uses freshly roasted, correctly brewed coffee and pulled shots, the espresso and espresso drinks will be very rich with a lot of depth. Most drinks come by default with too few shots, so I always order an extra double shot. The drink should be dense, rich, creamy, flavorful and complex. Coffee by nature, when freshly roasted, is very flavorful and complex. There are over a thousand flavor compounds in coffee but coffe goes stale rapidly, which is why fresh roasted is key. I this case, I couldn't even taste the coffee to gauge the quality. With my latte, it was as if they forgot the espresso. I dumped the latte out and went to another shop. I hope this was a one time thing and that they typically have good brew because they are good people with great service. Maybe they truly aren't good at roasting, brewing and making espresso or this was only a bad day for them. I've heard others enjoy their shop so I will give it...

TLDR; 9/10, good bagel place for the area. Closest thing to NJ / NY bagels in this area by far. Definitely focused on more sweeter bagel creations. Basic coffee selection with some other goodies. Good location / small store.

Sweet Brew Cafe is a good addition to the Bridge St scene in Phoenixville. As someone who affectionately grew up on NYC / NJ bagels, it was unbeknownst to me how good I had it until I moved just a bit further south. Sweet Brew fills that gap until I periodically return home and can get a fix. I believe their bagels are shipped in from NYC. The cream cheese is made in shop. I prefer a plain bagel toasted with cream cheese or an everything bagel. I have also had a Jalapeño cream cheese from here that was good. I don't think they've nailed the toasting process as more times than not I get a bagel that is soft and not very warm. Nonetheless the bagel itself is good.

I explicitly go here for the bagels. The coffee is a nice added bonus, but lacks substance. They have tried to get a bit fancy and do have cappucinos, americanos, and you can get pictures printed on the foam (a neat trick). However, they aren't the best, but you might as well get it while you are there for convenience. There is not really anywhere to sit here as this storefront is not supposed to be a bagel shop -- however nearby there is a small park where you can sit.

Big kudos to their online presence and marketing online. Great posts online (Facebook) and tons of good press from the local news media. Very involved in the community and...

I hate to leave negative reviews; but I had about 4 negative things happen in my first trip. Good things: person at the front, Kate I think, was great. The store is also just nice. Moving on from there - ordered 3 bagels: one was missing, one was toasted maybe 2/10, the last 9/10. The missing bagel aside which I left a voicemail on, I don’t really understand how two items are toasted so differently - are the staff members winging it instead of using a standardized setting? Second - that sign up front that says ‘line starts here’ (going from right to left)? 3 people walked in in the time I was there. Not a one immediately understood what the sign wanted them to do, and sort of just meandered around til the counter opened up. I don’t know what the ideal way of getting the line set up is - but I do know the current situation is either not it or that sign needs to have under it “no seriously go right then wait over to the left after” or 80% of people walking in will have to ask those to the left “are you in line?” This place is expensive, which I’m fine with, but the increased price is going to go alongside increased expectations. Hope they address some of the above - overall seems they have a nice place and...