Lamppost Coffee — Restaurant in Round Rock

I come to visit from Houston 2-3 times a month and usually come to this coffee shop to do work since it’s out of the way, and I usually keep to myself and don’t leave reviews, even if it was the worst experience of my life, but the way the owner/manager handled an incident with one of the high schoolers in front of me rubbed me the wrong way. I get it—the high schoolers sometimes don’t pay and just hang around causing trouble. But, this group of five came in respectfully and one of them happened to be the ONLY black person in there, he clearly had his wallet out and sat down looking at the menu, so did one of his friends, and another went in line to buy something, but for some odd reason the owner/manager specifically came and targeted him (keep in mind, there was also other groups of high schoolers & they weren’t paying) and was being sort of aggressive for no reason, saying he “has to pay blah blah blah. Do you understand me? Is there a problem?” To which, the kid kindly and calmly (better than I would have) reassured he would, he understood everything, he clearly had his wallet out, and he even offered to pay for 2 other people with him that clearly had no intention of buying anything. Maybe it’s because I’m not from Round Rock/Austin, but you can’t and shouldn’t treat people like that, those high schoolers may even be big future customers. I also overheard an employee complaining about the high schoolers not tipping too. So, you’re not only racist but you’ve also managed to convince these young, impressionable 18-22 year olds that it’s not your fault you choose to pay poorly, but it’s because of high schoolers not tipping?.. Wow. And the male staff is rude, but I couldn’t care less about that. It was that incident with the kid that bothered me.

You ever heard of the millennial burger shop memes? This is the coffee shop version, only there’s no manbuns, just...

In the past I've had some great experiences at Lamppost with good coffee and staff that were knowledgable and at least mostly proficient/trained/skilled with the making of craft coffee. While I know it's a bit of an investment to train someone to be good at doing a pour over with a Chemex or V60 (or whatever the choice may be), it's expected of any really good coffee shop, let alone one that claims to be 'obsessed' with coffee. In the past, there was alway someone at Lamppost that could make a decent pour over. However, I don't know if there's a new owner, or if they just decided that actually training employees to be baristas was too hard, because while 'Pour Over' is still on the menu, they have given up the practice all together.

I ordered a pour over, and the girl behind the counter grabbed a cup and went to go put it under a machine. Woah, woah, woah, what's with the machine? I ordered a pour over! Well, it's a pour over machine. Well, I would rather not have the machine, I would like the 20 oz Chemex pour over. Oh sure, no problem. She gets the other guy who apparently was trained to use the Chemex. Except, he wasn't. I go away for a bit and come back in time to watch him holding the Chemex wedged underneath the pour over machine. Just straight from the machine into the Chemex as if it's just a fancy carafe. Then, well, there was more headache inducing policy discussion, but I eventually got not-chemex-pour-over coffee. I drank it. It was fine, but I find this switch to be immensely disappointing and I'm afraid I won't be returning unless they decide to go back to being...

Lamppost Coffee--the savior for the suburb coffee struggles. Ever since stumbling across this coffee shop when needing a pick-me-up after eating at another incredible establishment in this shopping center, this is my must-have shop if I'm getting coffee in the area. Every time I've entered, the staff has been nothing but friendly, and the GM (Edward) and I have built a great rapport over the last couple visits--down to him remembering who I bring to the shop and what we ordered which is elite-level customer service. The [iced] Lamba latte is incredible and unique to Lamppost, offering a creamy caramel-like solution without feeling like you're overloaded with sugar or sweetness. The bakery items I've gotten over the year have been satisfying as well. This shop is also work-friendly with two different sections that allow you to focus or make calls if necessary.

I'd recommend also checking out the Hutto Location since it has the most unique aesthetic in an original downtown building, but you can't go wrong with any of them. Lamppost offers a great reprieve with high quality drinks which can be elusive when you're aren't in...