361 Coffee & Espresso Bar — Restaurant in Provincetown

Would not recommend. Carelessness with service, product quality, & safety standards permeates company culture.

DECAF? Previously we had a "decaf" cortado here. When Barista 1 placed the portafilter in the grinder, Barista 2 whipped her head around, indicating there was something wrong with the sound, indicating to me this wasn't actually decaf (there wasn't anything that sounded "wrong" to my ears, so it wasn't likely a malfunction). Barista 2 addressed Barista 1 in a hushed voice with a sort of fear in her eyes, but ultimately neither of them re-ground the espresso, making sure it was decaf. This could be very bad for someone who is caffeine-sensitive or has heart issues.

LET IT SCREAM After that Barista 1 steamed the milk, and made it scream. This means there was too little air (probably none0 added to the milk by the barista as he steamed.

SOME POSITIVES Ultimately, to our surprise, the cortado tasted good. Also, on another positive note, the space was/is attractive, both outside and in, and well laid-out. The setup outside with the wood looks tremendously alluring and cozy.

THE DIRTY TRUTH Back to the negative...unfortunately, neither the staff nor the owner were attentive or hospitable. In fact, the opposite was the case, especially with the owner.

Today, I observed something which will prevent us ever returning. In fact, it was so bad I had to report the violation to the health department.

A gentleman had a 12oz-ish hot latte. He drank some and said he'd like it hotter. Had an accent. Maybe a native-Russian speaker? He wasn't angry, just asking if there was a way it could be heated up.

The owner said sure, and the customer asked the owner how he'd do it. "A microwave?" The owner said "I'll just steam it," with a playful smile on his face. He then proceeded to unlid the cup, pour the contents into a milk pitcher, and steam it with the right-hand-side steam wand of the espresso machine.

This wasn't some dedicated "re-heat wand," if there ever was one. It was one of the only two steam wands used to steam milk for every latte, cappuccino, cortado, flat white, etc. Once it was hot enough, the owner playfully pretended to be burnt by the contents of the milk pitcher - "Ow!" The customer was appreciative. I simply walked out. No way I'm getting a latte there, today or any day, ever again. I didn't stick around long enough to see what he did with the milk pitcher, but I'm sure he didn't send it to the dish pit to be washed, rinsed, and sanitized, nor put in a dish washer, if he's displaying this kind of behavior. He probably just rinsed it, if that.

This wasn't just a risk of cross contamination. It was blatant cross contamination, with a complete disregard for any sense of food service safety standards.

CONCLUSION This man has no business running a coffee shop, or any shop in the food service industry for that matter. Hire a manager who cares about quality and is trained in food service standards.

Would prefer not to leave a negative review, nor report to the health department, but something had to be done to prevent this sort of thing from happening again. This kind of behavior is unacceptable, and who do you report it to if it's the owner...

This is a charity five star because it's a coffee shop that opens at 7 am in ptown. Many of the coffee shops do not open till 8 am here which is not serious, sorry. The eastern European staff do not inspire confidence in their espresso pulling capacity. The iced coffee/cold brew is mediocre (sorry, I mean that in the nicest possible way). The pastries they sell are not good and arguable stale (sorry, I again mean that in the nicest possible way). As long as they are going to 7 am i will go every morning, especially if my Airbnb has a keurig(?!?) with no courtesy pods. You are telling me I need to go to the store to buy pods? Not a serious idea.

Might try a drip...

Great coffee, space and location. The service staff behind the bar is wonderful, which is why I’m still giving 5 stars. The only thing noted was the aloofness by either the owner, manager or handyman (he had keys dangling). There was a line of customers waiting for orders to be taken, he walks in, cuts the line, and requests a coffee from the staff - interrupting the staff with customers. He then hands the staff a tray of dirty cups to the staff in front on the customers waiting to place orders. Customers first! Get your coffee yourself or wait for the paying customers to be served. Never pass dirty dishes before a guest. Little things that can make the entire...