Fuel Pump — Restaurant in Richmond

A few months back, I tried Fuel Pump Coffee for the first time, and I was hopeful because the barista was friendly and prompt. I was excited to order my favorite, a refreshing iced mocha latte. The barista did offer me my choice of milk, which was a first for me at the time, and I appreciated it. Now, Fuel Pump also offers wine by the glass, and I guess they were trying to lean into that “bar vibe,” but I didn’t really enjoy how poorly lit the place was. We also ordered a fresh cherry turnover, for which I apologize that I have no photo.

My husband and I shared the cherry turnover, covered in sugar crystals, on the patio outside, under the afternoon sun. We did very much enjoy the ambiance on the patio, as it was spacious, and there were umbrellas shading us while we ate. The cherry turnover was scrumptious!

I enjoyed my first few sips of my iced mocha latte, although I was surprised that it was steaming when it was handed to me. But it was cold throughout and hit me with a fairly robust flavor profile of bitterness, sweetness, and chocolate flavor. However, I noticed as I was enjoying my latte that the mocha had started to gather along the bottom of the cup, and swirling the drink didn’t seem to keep the chocolate mixed in properly to give me that consistent fudgy flavor I was craving. As you can see from the photos, there was a mess of chocolate leftover in my cup after I finished the latte. I was pretty disappointed, as I’ve tried several other mochas from area coffee shops and I’ve not had this experience of undissolved chocolate. I truly hope that Fuel Pump reconsiders its ingredients or preparation, whichever needs a tweak, to design a mocha latte with a stable consistency over time. However, with so many great options in the area, I’m not sure if I’ll chance another trip to see if that’s the case...

The service here is EXTREMELY friendly and welcoming. A week after moving to Richmond and not knowing anyone yet, I wandered in here for a hot drink after getting caught in the rain because it was the closest coffee shop near me. I had no idea what to order, but the barista was so enthusiastic and happy to make recommendations. I had to come back the very next day because I loved my experience and it was just as great- friendly, bubbly, and excited to create any drink you could come up with. It's been a long time since I've seen a coffee shop serve drinks in real mugs instead of flimsy cardboard/paper cups; even for dine-in, it seems like places have stopped going the mug route, which is really sad. And which is why I was SO pleasantly surprised to receive such a beautifully presented drink! (I'm not sure if it's intentional, but both times I've been, the color of my mugs have matched the aesthetic of my order and I think that's a really fun touch, lol. A purple mug for a purple rain latte, and an orange mug for an apple cider latte!)

One of my favorite things to do now is sit at the bar in front of the window, reading a book and watching people walk by with their dogs. If you're looking for a welcoming environment to relax in with a good drink and a healthy dose of cute animal watching, I totally...

Found a new spot y’all! So I’m randomly walking down Cary St while texting because that’s safe to do 😂 and I see two dog bowls with water. So I look up to see where I am and it’s a coffee house. So I gotta go in because this place is CUTE AND QUAINT! I speak with the barista for a while and she asks me what type of flavor profile I like. She suggests the “monet”. I said “let me try it”. Oh this drink is NICE! I have no clue what it is 😂 but it has a hint of sweet, some lavender, and mint - I can taste all of those. Then this cinnamon roll - oh is AMAZING! It’s soft through and through. The flavors are evenly distributed so you don’t get one overpowered spot and the next is bland. The patio area is giving me LYFE! It’s super shaded but has spots where the sun peaks through so you can pick your exposure. It’s right on a cute lil corner so even though you are slam in the middle of Carytown you feel like you are tucked away on your back porch. This is a GREAT FIND and I can’t wait to try more items on the menu. She also advised they have alcohol offerings but they are not for right now (it’s 8am so I will keep that in mind for 8pm 😜) I say check this place out. You won’t be...