The Lab Coffee - West Tampa — Restaurant in Tampa

The Lab was always my favorite coffee shop in Tampa. The employees were always really nice and friendly. However, the interaction that just took place between the owner (Jason) and I has forever changed my opinion on this place. Jason is extremely disrespectful, rude and beyond arrogant. From the second I walked in he had a major attitude and threw a mask at my friend who sat at the community table. Mind you nobody sitting at this table was wearing a mask. I gave the mask to my friend but he did not think he had to wear it because no one at the table was wearing one. Jason refused to take my order until he put it on so I told my friend to wait outside because clearly Jason had a problem, and he was making me feel extremely uncomfortable. Not to mention, Jason never personally asked him to put the mask on he was just mumbling things under his breathe so if he really wanted him to wear it all he had to do was open his mouth and ask. Instead, he continued to speak under his breathe the entire time, then proceeded to throw my coffee at me after making it wrong. He was so consumed in his ego that he couldn't even remember what I ordered. Customers who were inside of the place were staring because he was making such a scene. Jason did not even give me the chance to tell him that he made me the wrong coffee, he just threw it at me and ran away. One of his employees witnessed this encounter and came up to me to apologize for his behavior and re-made my coffee. The fact that your own employees are apologizing to customers because of your behavior is a seriously problem.The level of unprofessional was beyond anything I can explain. I was a loyal customer until today, I will never go back to this place. I don't know who he thinks he is treating someone like that, let alone a customer but he needs a...

After making my rounds through the coffee purveyors of the Tampa Bay area for nearly 20 years, I'm done. I've made my decision. The Lab gets the crown.

This unassuming, easy to miss location puts out the absolute highest quality product in a few distinct areas that are near and dear to my heart:

#1 - Dirty Chai Latte - This is always my beverage of choice, but nobody does it half as well as the Lab. I visited twice this week and there was no difference in the absolute deliciousness I got in this drink. Not just in Tampa, but probably the best dirty chai I've had in my travels around America. #2 - Espresso - In some ways this is a hard one to screw up, but at the Lab it's just a little bit better. They typically have at least a couple different varieties available, and the waitstaff is knowledgeable about the nuances in each. #3 - Food - The selections here are not very extensive (and I'd love to see the breakfast flatbread back on the menu!) but what they do, they do with precision quality and in just the right sized helping for my taste.

In terms of ambiance, this is an urban adjacent hideout with a low key industrial feel. There are cozier places in the city, but in my opinion they don't hold a candle to the...

I really like this place. The coffee is unique tasting and tasty. They have these tart shaped organic muffins. Also good. And a decent small selection of food. Reasonably priced. Initially it didn't impress me. With its minimalist interior I thought it would be another mediocre coffee shop. When I got my filter coffee it was served in a small coffee pot with a glass rather than a mug. That could be either pretentious or a good sign. The coffee itself had a dark watery appearance. Like a darker roast with too much water added. For me the traditional filter coffee taste when it's well made is best. This did not have that. It was more bitter and watery tasting. Which turned out too be good, not bad. It had a really good overall flavor balance. It was unique tasting which was an added bonus. It was clear the place prides itself on making good coffee and has mad skills for it. Truely a rare find. Once I started enjoying the coffee the experience of the whole place clicked for me. The friendly staff, the just right background music, etc. Might be the best coffee shop in...