RND Coffee Lounge — Restaurant in Roanoke

Order: Smoked Apple Cinnamon Latte, Pour Over, Coffee Jelly Price: $23 Positives: The flavors were incredible and they offer truly unique coffee “drinks”, Negatives: Seating wasn’t super comfortable. tldr: RND is one of the most creative coffee shops I’ve ever been to, and on top of that they are on point this with their basics. This is a must visit coffee shop no mater what you’re looking to get from your cafe.

Thoughts: My wife had said this place was fantastic because the owner does some insanely creative coffee stuff. She wasn’t joking. When we walked in one of the first things I noticed was the smoking device on the counter.

Given my insatiable curiosity one of the first questions I asked the barista, who also happened to be the owner, what he does with that smoking machine. When he told me he makes a smoked cinnamon apple latte I just threw money at him. Then my wife told me I also needed to try the coffee jelly. Wait, I thought, coffee jelly? Like what is going on in this shop shop? Coffey jelly and smoked lattes? This was either going to spectacular, or a disaster. But I trust my wife so we also ordered coffee jelly and then we got a pour over. The pour over was mostly just because I have been missing out on pour overs for days. To be fair it had only been one full day since I had a pour over but addiction am I right?

The pour over was very basic, simple, but really good. You could taste the depth and complexity of coffee. The coffee jelly was unlike anything else I’ve ever eaten. He explained it was coffee with a little bit of gelatin, just to make it solidified, and then served in a cup with condensed milk over it. My worry was that it would taste like bland Jell-O, flavored with coffee and that wasn’t even close to the case. The stuff was fantastic. It was like drinking coffee that you could also chew that had this wild texture in your mouth. It was so good that I ordered it without question the next time we walked in the door a few days later. It definitely wouldn’t be something that became my standard fare if I lived in the city but it is phenomenal and you definitely have to try it if you haven’t!

The smoked apple cinnamon latte was another mind blower. So he makes this apple cinnamon latte, which to be honest would probably be good all on its own because he’s hand making the syrup plus, as I found out later apparently the owner was a chef before becoming a coffee master and you can kind of tell the way he works on his drinks that there’s more going on in his head than just coffee. Anyway, so he makes this latte and then he smokes it and lets it sit inside the smoking glass for a good five minutes.

When I tell you that this thing showed up at our table smelling like warm apple pie being eaten around the campfire I’m not even sort of exaggerating! Just smelling this thing made me happy and tasting it was unreal! You tasted the wood, the apple, the cinnamon, and the coffee all in this glorious amalgamation of a drink. It did come off as a little bit sweet though I wasn’t exactly surprised because after all it’s a smoked apple cinnamon latte. If it wasn’t sweet it might be weird. I wish there was more espresso in it and if I ordered it again I would do it as a cappuccino not as a latte just to make that espresso pop a little bit more in the drink.

If you can’t tell by my absurdly long review of two coffee concoctions, I loved this place. We went back again as we were passing through the city to leave our vacation and I would 100% come here all the time if I lived nearby. Apparently he changes the espressos and the different drinks and I would love to just work my way through whatever this man came up with for years. If you live anywhere nearby (I’m literally clapping my hands while I say this that’s how serious I am) you owe it to yourself to get to RND Coffee. Not only will you get amazing coffee you will get coffee presented to you in a unique way that you will almost certainly have never encountered before. I just hope that we get to go back...

RND stands out as one of Roanoke's premier locations for 1:1 business meetings and general connections. Given the recent closing of our only local tea house, this is the single coffee location I've found that boasts a wide variety of worthwhile teas that soothe the soul. I love their Mint and Chai - the only place I go wherein I needn't add sugar :)

Despite its well-earned beast of reputation, I rate it four stars due to the location's size limitations—something beyond its control. It's pretty rare that I visit and find seating, which isn't very fun in wintry times, but the owners have tactfully addressed this concern by opening a larger space in Vinton (the owners deserve their own review: they're going places).

While RND caters to a niche crowd influenced by the area's culture & dynamics, it is a source of regional pride. The reasonable prices make it even more commendable. I look forward to their continued growth and the expanding legacy of this remarkable little coffee lounge. Be sure to snag a bag for your kitchen counter. You won't be...

Alright alright alright. Hear me out. So the coffee and atmosphere is chefs kiss amazing. Every time I visit Roanoke I HAVE to grab an oatmilk mocha. But if I may... whoever decided to put Italian seasoning inside of the vegan chocolate muffin AND the icing that comes with it needs to take a moment and think over this decision. I mean I sat down with my warm chocolatey muffin today, very excited to enjoy a vegan treat (which is oftentimes hard to come by at coffee shops) and then BOOM... is that oregano? no... I try it again... thyme? rosemary? What is happening?! Are my tastebuds messed up? Either they are or someone made a bold decision to put some kind of strong herb/spice in this muffin and icing. Needless to say... I will be back because I still love RND with all my heart, but I think I will go for a bagel next time or perhaps just stick with the oat milk mocha. Keep up the good work, everyone!... except for the person who made these muffins. You’re on...