Bravo Espresso & Gourmet — Restaurant in Rochester

If you want a good shot of espresso in Rochester MN, look no further.

After watching an inordinate amount of James Hoffmann on youtube, one fine day off, I set out to find a local cafe that could give me some decent espresso. I first tried the cafe in town I thought was most likely to give me a good espresso. I don’t like negative reviews. They sound so annoying. My first choice will remain nameless. However, needless to say at this point, I struck out. The shot was 9/10 sour. Incredibly sour. If it weren’t for James Hoffmann I would have just assumed, that that’s what good espresso must taste like, but he had opened my eyes a little, and I could see.

I went on to the next place in town that I thought would most likely deliver a good espresso, and once again no luck. At this point I was starting to doubt myself. I thought that I had had good espresso in the past. Deep in the recesses of my memory I was sure I could recall the taste of good espresso, and yet, maybe I was wrong. Maybe all espresso is crazy sour and you just have to get used to it. And maybe I would never get used to it, and maybe I’d never like the taste of pure espresso.

At this point I almost gave up and went home sad. “I guess I’m not an espresso kind of guy” I thought. “Maybe it’s an acquired taste that I don’t have. I’m going to get my fancy new grinder, and “Flaired” espresso maker in the mail, (which I impulse bought after hours of watching James Hoffman) and the espresso maker will be utterly wasted on me.” “What a travesty!!” “What a fool I have been!!” Hints of; anguish, despair, and regret flavored my already soured mental palate.

And yet….. and yet…… I pressed on. I retucked the bottoms of my hipster pants, hopped in my Tesla, checked on my blue heeler who was sitting patiently in the back seat and I soldiered on.

You see… I’ve come to believe in James Hoffmann the coffee youtuber. Not like I believe in Jesus or even like I believe in, or trust a good friend. Don’t be ridiculous. But when it comes to all things coffee, I believe in James Hoffmann. If he says that good espresso exists somewhere out there in the bright blue world, then darn it, even if I didn’t find it after the tenth try, I’d still believe.

I went back on my phone and this time, thinking of myself as being quite clever, I chose the cafe with espresso in the name. Long story shorter, Bravo Espresso came through in the end for me, and I am very grateful to Derek who was behind the counter. He made me two different shots of espresso, the second one being a little shorter than the first, and both shots were smooth and tasty.

I can’t say it was “great” or “the best ever”. From my limited experience, I don’t even know what those are. But, I can with confidence say that at Bravo Espresso, you can get a decent shot of espresso, and quite possibly, the only decent shot of espresso in the whole town of Rochester. I say “quite possibly” very intentionally because Derek told me I could also try Novios Cafe (which I will!!) and I might find a decent shot of espresso there also.

Thank you Bravo Espresso. Thank you. I write you this long review because I owe it to you. Today, You were there for me when no one else was. No one else except for Jesus, and perhaps...

Found this hidden gem of an espresso shop during my walk on the skyway. I always observed how great the service was so I wanted to give it a shot. It was totally worth it. It's a little bit of a walk for me to get to this place but I made an effort and ordered a Mocha. The barista was fantastic. Very friendly and personalized environment. Mocha was very well balanced. It was not overly sweet or bitter, it was just the perfect cup of coffee as it didn't feel like I was consuming 5000 calories in a sip like Caribou coffee. Prices are wayyyyyy more reasonable than Starbucks and Caribou. I highly recommend this place to support local business and have a great...

I didn’t get anything to eat, though definitely next time. Had a very nice latte, but what makes it even better was how nice the baristas were, how efficient they were at filling orders, and the prices in comparison to some other cafes nearby. Almost three dollars less than another place I frequent, wow! Definitely coming by again to support such a nice local place. Just wish they were open later on the weekends (when I usually get off work) but understandable given that downtown isn’t the most busy place on Saturdays...