Blanchard's Coffee Broad Street — Restaurant in Richmond

I really hate giving Blanchards one star because the coffee is amazing and lives up to specialty standards. But the customer service is just bad. You walk in - to any of the three locations - and are immediately greeted with a glum, what can I get you, no matter what day and location. Rather than a hi how are you? What can I get you? When you ask questions such as what they have on espresso and such it’s quickly answered and dismissed rather than seen as a point of conversation. It’s almost like any point of contact with the customer is seen as a chore instead of a privelege. Not to mention, their sign that you cannot take pictures if there’s others in it is so small and Ill-placed that anyone is going to miss it. And why would you not take pictures of the beautiful space. But if you do, you’ll be asked - aggressively- to not take pictures and to see their policy. Which I’ve spoken with dozens and dozens of people who all disagree and find it pointless. It’s impossible to take pictures of a space without people in it. And bothering them for “permission” is interrupting their workflow. All around it’s a great space but the service is below subpar. For specialty coffee we all know connection is the first step and Blanchards starkly misses that unfortunately. Which drastically affects drink quality more than we think. I revisit for the quality of coffee but always end up regretting it due to not feeling welcome even when we give a warm smile and welcome to...

On my world tour to find my favorite matcha, I happened upon Blanchard’s Coffee as it came recommended by my Aunt who is neighbors with the owners.

This place did not disappoint—my iced matcha latte with oat milk and a dollop of honey was superb.

My drink had a smooth texture, an expected vibrant green hue & an aroma that brings a sweet green vision to mind, with a silky mouthfeel.

I was really impressed with the layout of the coffee shop as it had a central area that was brightly lit with spacious tables for people to meet and work.

To my pleasant surprise, they had an additional area that had people quietly toiling away on their laptops, and in fact when I entered while chatting on my cell phone, everyone looked up stunned to hear someone speaking—in response I awkwardly backed out of the room to leave them to silence. It was definitely a quiet room, which I would imagine would be good for studying, reading or working.

As I returned to my car, I observed outdoor seating which provided an alternate location for people to take a sip study read or work on their laptops.

I loved the drink, the cool the super model appearing barista that took my order, and the several seating venue options.

I will definitely stop in again on my next...

Blanchard’s has always had the best beans in the Richmond region, known for roasting the best coffee on the Eastern Seaboard. As good community steward, they held informative free educational coffee brewing classes at their roastary which appeals to both the amateur coffee user to devout coffee enthusiasts. Now, they have the best coffee shop in town. The Blanchard’s coffee shop has a effortlessly cool design which embodied Blanchard’s emphasis on the details. Their baristas are trained by the Director of Education, bringing full-circle to what they do in their lab to what they offer the customer at their new shop. I wanted to indulged from my regular Americano, so I purchased a mocha. The flavors were rich and was held together nicely with the oat milk I choose to substitute for milk. What made this drink perfect was that the mocha was not sweet at all, which is how it should me. It reminded me of the mocha I got in the coco growing region in the Philippines at a 5-star restaurant. This will definitely not be my last...