The Kookaburra Downtown — Restaurant in Saint Augustine

Recommendations: The Aussie (hot or cold), Cortado Price: $5-7 (depending) Pros: Really good unique drinks that still taste like coffee and not a desert in a cup, killer cordato Cons: Super tiny shop, the latte’s are a tad bit weak

Thoughts: There honestly isn’t a lot of great coffee in the Old City but Kookaburra is a shining star of coffee awesomeness. I’ve been coming here for years now, basically whenever we come to St Augustine, and I’ve never been disappointed. They use Bold Bean coffee beans for their drinks, so I know their beans are high quality and incredibly fresh. They also specialize in very unique drinks that maintain that distinct coffee flavor. The honey badger (honey and cinnamon) is one of my favorites, along with The Aussie. A lot of places sacrifice the quality of their espresso or the strength of their drink when they venture into “unique creations” but Kookaburra isn’t one of them.

The Kookaburra also severs small food items; pastries, Aussie pies (these are sort of along the lines of a pot pie, but with different “filling”), and breads. While I haven’t personally tried any of them they do look good and I’ve never heard any complaints from customers while I’ve been hanging out there.

Now for the downsides; the shop is insanely tiny. This is kind of understandable seeing as their shop is just 1 block south of St George street and everything around there is tiny. However, that doesn’t diminish the fact that it is still super small inside and so its not really a place that lends itself to hanging out with friends or trying to get any work done. Definitely more of a grab and go location. I also find their latte’s just a tad on the weaker side, which is odd because they make their coronado so strong 4 of them could kill you; not really but kinda :) .

I really do love Kookaburra and make it a point to go out of my way to pick up a drink or two…or 4 whenever I’m in the area. It makes any trip to St Augustine so much better, but if you want to sit for a while you may want to visit their...

I was visiting St. Augustine, and after having spent 5 months studying abroad in Australia in my college days, the Kookaburra caught my eye as I walked by. I never had an Aussie pie (that I recall, anyway), so I made a trip back to grab one. They were out of the breakfast ones that I really wanted (it was 12:30pm so can't blame them). The young lady at the counter recommended their special pie that they only have on Fridays and that isn't on the menu. It was perfect! It contained seasoned ground beef, boiled egg, bacon and cheese. The taste was absolutely delicious, perfectly seasoned, and the pastry was so flaky, tender, and satisfying to bite into.

Great, very kind and attentive staff there.

My only very minor constructive feedback is to wipe down tables more often. I know it's a busy area, but for instance there were cute tables outside that would have been nice to sit at, but there was leftover liquid of some kind, which attracted flies. This was not very inviting. They have another separate area for indoor seating.

I prefer black tea as my caffeinated beverage to start the day. They had a great black tea. The brand was Art of Tea. Since I sadly won't be back soon, I immediately ordered the tea online. I was glad they paid as much attention to their tea selection as they do to their coffees, and their selection of coffees and lattes etc. looked wonderful too.

A pie + a black tea cost me $12 and change.

They had at least one vegetarian option.

A real gem in St. Augustine! I highly recommend you...

For context, I have served as a barista at a 2nd wave coffee shop. I have traveled to Spain, Italy, and Portugal. I make pour overs at home. I enjoy 3rd wave coffee that focuses on the origin of the bean, the roasting, and the preparation of the coffee. Their flat white is at the level of hotel coffee with steamed milk. I don't normally go to Starbucks but I would choose Starbucks over this coffee shop. As I was leaving the coffee shop, a wife was apologizing to her husband for the poor quality of their coffee.

Coffee is an art like anything else in food and bev. I wouldn't return to this coffee shop for the quality of coffee or how management chose to respond to my initial review. A lot of people don't understand when I say 2nd wave or 3rd wave so I say "coffee snob." I wanted to accurately portray my perspective of my review.

Also, instead of assuming a reviewer doesnt know what they are talking about and being ugly in your reply. You could have first considered that I didn't have a pour over to accurately assess your bean and brew quality. I simply had an espresso beverage. You could have taken note that maybe your barista simply needs more training. Instead, you attacked someone that was expressing their opinion and concern. I take the time to review establishments because I depend on reviews to determine if I will try out a restaurant. I would have been open to trying out a different location depending on...