Mountain Monk Coffee LLC — Restaurant in Taos

Mountain Monk Coffee of Taos is a delight! We locals already cherish the place, as it embodies the beautiful Taos vibe. Lacy has a genuinely warm, friendly, and upbeat staff who clearly love people and enjoy providing enjoyable, healthful food and drink. Their foods are made in house and delicious while also designed for nutrition. Everything is organic and GF while also yummy, even their wonderful quiche. They respect and appreciate vegetarians and vegans in creating menu items.

They don't roast coffee beans, but they do carry a variety of choices in beans, roasted right (according to this former Seattlite coffee aficionado, anyway). They offer oat and hemp milks as well as traditional dairy. You can get a huge variety of both hot and cold drinks: coffees, lattes, espressos, Americanos, etc. plus several cacao drinks, various herbal teas, including some with caffeine and some without. They offer numerous housemade sodas to order (even cacao soda)... Just too many drinks - cold and hot -to list here; even a "Dosha SOS" tea to recover balance if you're feeling a bit unwell.

The food menu varies at Mountain Monk. It usually offers 5 or more "meal type" foods plus several excellent smoothies and desserts (they taste fantastic yet are also nutritious). Everything I've eaten or drunk there so far has been great, including the "shepherd's pie" made with Lion's Mane mushrooms instead of meat. Their "Pachamama Smoothie" is delicious yet supportive to the body.

The decor is cheerful and inviting, soothing and light, with interesting art. The energy is laid back and friendly, inviting conversations with strangers if you're so inclined. In fact, Mountain Monk's goal is to be what sociologists term "a third place" beyond work and home, a place where people can meet our neighbors and friends, have conversations with Taos folks and visitors. Regenerative of humans, earth, and her beings.

Mountain Monk also offers a very special huge grassy courtyard with tall trees around it. The courtyard is behind an adobe wall and well back from the road, so it's beautiful and inviting. You can hang out there enjoying the food, drink, and company or do yoga or tai chi or meditate... Mountain Monk even hosts musical events sometimes in their large courtyard. (Recently they offered Salamander and Sanji, both in one evening! We had a fantastic dance party.)

During times they are closed to the general public, Mountain Monk also occasionally hosts classes and meetings which fit with their ethos of supporting people and improving life on earth. Lacy and her staff truly seek to be of meaningful service to the health and happiness of not just individuals but the community, the planet, and all our relations.

The people, the ambiance, the offerings, and the clientele together create, well, a soul-nurturing experience. I don't know what else to call it. Mountain Monk is much more than "just a coffee shop." You don't just get fed or caffeinated, all that together is synergistically supportive.

But even as a "third space" it's also place where you don't have to chat with anyone if you're not in the mood. Check it out even if all you want is to pick up a great cuppa and something to gnosh on, made by loving hands. You can be shy or withdrawn or just not feel like talking. Folks will leave you be if that's your thing. Just enjoy peace, rest in the decor, and relish your drink or food.

This is a place you don't want to miss if visiting Taos. For the yummy yet nutritious food and drink, yes, for the wonderful staff and the great decor and big grassy courtyard overhung with trees. But visitors should stop at Mountain Monk Coffee because it's so very, well, Taos. Even Hanuman, the devoted and loyal servant of goodness, has an image there; and Taos has a Hanuman Temple. Mountain Monks' values and energy beautifully embody those of Taos: genuine caring, for all beings including earth. It's a feeling and and experience not...

Pros: The atmosphere is lovely. The space is beautifully decorated, I enjoy the music and the vibe, there is dog friendly outdoor space available also. They have vegan and GF food options if that is your thing.

Cons: The service is slow. Generally there is only one person out front, so they have to alternate between taking orders and making drinks, neither of which happens quickly. The coffee is not particularly good - over roasted and bitter. If it were reasonably priced, that might be ok, but it isn't. They upcharge for dairy. They only have a few flavors of syrup. One barista (may have been the owner) commented on processed ingredients when I asked for white chocolate. I get living your ethos through your business practices, but I was there for an iced coffee, not a commentary on my lifestyle choices.

All of the pastries are gluten free and they taste like they are made of sand - plus expensive. If I pay $5 for a muffin, it better be the best muffin I've ever had in my life. Spoiler alert: it isn't. They don't have cups for iced drinks (I'm assuming because of the plastic aspect), so they put them in the cups for the hot drinks, which get flimsy.

So, to summarize...if you are an entitled, gluten free vegan with a lot of spare time and disposable income, and you don't care if your food is edible or your coffee tastes good, this is 100% the place for you.

If you, like me, are a dairy-drinking, gluten munching, single use plastic using sinner, I highly recommend Coffee Apothecary for outstandingly delicious coffee with rock solid sourcing practices & environmental ethics and considerate, competent local service. Or Koko for a great drink selection and many delicious food items, healthy or indulgent or both.

I don't think I'll be going back. But yeah, save the world by charging for cow's...

Update to review In response to Mountain Monk’s response, this last visit occurred Labor Day weekend, not a few days ago.

I’d like to preface this with the fact that I DO NOT like to give negative reviews. However, this is based on a few visits, and every visit was the same vibe. This is not a friendly place at all. We’ve given it two tries, my daughter has visited once. The first time, the owner was very stand offish, but we chalked it up to a quiet personality; I’m quiet, I get that. My daughter had the same experience, her’s more so on the verge of rudeness. This last time, the owner was flat out rude to my husband. Our drinks sitting on the counter, the owner walked over and my husband thought she was going to grab them, and so he told her those were ours (nicely), she replied with a snippy, annoyed, “yes?” The kicker is when you walk into the place, it’s obvious the owner is trying to project an air of positivity, peace, kindness, love one another, yada, yada, you get the picture; while all I get is a pretentious vibe from her. The one star is for the young girl that made our drinks, she was sweet, though the drinks weren’t that great. Oh, and she can keep her response to this to herself, as I noticed she only takes the time to respond to negative reviews. Why doesn’t she try taking some of that “gratitude” she projects and extend it to the positive reviews she has received instead. Needless to say,...