Mountain Brew — Restaurant in Truckee

The Mountain Brew brings a refreshing twist to the traditional coffee shop experience. At first glance, the building is a bit misleading—it resembles a mechanical shop more than a café, and the typical coffee shop aesthetic is thrown out the window. But don’t let the exterior fool you. Inside, it’s a beautiful and thoughtfully designed space, offering a much-needed fresh take—the Body-Coffee-Shop vibe is unique and inviting.

We stopped here while passing through Truckee at the end of a beautiful road trip, and it was the perfect ending. I had the white mocha, which had a great coffee balance—just a bit light on the sugar, but the oatmeal cookie made up for it, adding warmth and richness. Together, they made an unexpectedly great combo.

What really made the experience special was the atmosphere. A light evening rain had just started, and with the mountain view as our backdrop, it was one of those rare moments of peaceful perfection—sipping coffee, enjoying the cool breeze, and soaking in the beauty around us.

Customer service was great—staff were helpful and informative about their offerings. However, I would suggest that management or the owner speak with employees about being more welcoming when customers use familiar coffee terms. When I used the word Frappuccino, it seemed to trigger an unnecessarily dismissive reaction. Let’s be honest—Starbucks has been around for a long time and plays a big role in many people’s coffee experiences. There’s no need to act annoyed or confused when people use terms they’re familiar with. Embrace the learning opportunity; we’re here for a new experience, not to be judged or dismissed.

Also, a huge thank you for staying open past 6 pm—most places were already closed, and we were getting a little frustrated trying to find a spot. Your extended hours truly...

Truckee local here and I will unfortunately never be coming back here. I've tried this place several times hoping they would figure it out but they have to be the slowest coffee shop I've ever experienced. I went in today and my girlfriend and I had to tell the kid at the register at least 5 times what drink she wanted, which was just one of their specialty drinks, not some crazy mod coffee. I got a black coffee and we each got a bagel with cream cheese. Kid asked me 3 separate times if I wanted cream and sugar even though I said 'black' coffee several times. If you can't understand that working at a coffee shop, I dunno what to say.

We then waited at least 15 mins to get our two bagels, that came out at separate times for some reason and the lady that dropped them off told me that they usually come with more cream cheese, but for some reason decided to deliver it to me flawed anyways (by her own admission). There was also only 2 other guests in there so it's not like it was busy.

I would have let all this go but when we left, we let our dogs out of the truck to pee real quick and walk them just up the street. When we were loading our dogs back up, the owner of the shop accosted us at our truck asking if we were traveling. Confused, we replied no and she proceeded to hand us doggie bags and said here these are for the next time you need them and then self-righteously walked over to where our dog peed so she could pick up the dog poop that didn't exist.

Really glad I spent $30 to be chastised by the owner of this crappy coffee shop...

Pro tip - concern yourself with properly training your employees instead of sticking your nose in other...

If you’re camping nearby 🏕️ and desperately need a real cup of coffee that doesn’t taste like it’s been filtered through a sock 🧦, Mountain Brew is your salvation 🙌.

The Highlights 🌟: • Coffee game = elite ☕🔥 – Smooth, flavorful, and strong enough to make you forgive everything else in life (almost). Honestly, I’d come back just for the coffee. • Service with actual smiles 🤝😊 – The staff were warm, friendly, and didn’t make me feel like I was interrupting their day (looking at you, other places 👀). • Cozy, chill vibes 🪑🌿 – The kind of spot you want to linger in, pretending you’re working on your novel while really just people-watching. • Perfect location 📍🚶‍♀️ – Close enough to the campground to make it worth the “I-need-caffeine-now” panic walk. • Harry Styles on the speakers 🎶💜 – You can’t be in a bad mood when “Watermelon Sugar” is playing. Scientific fact.

The Not-So-Highlights 🙃: • The food 🍽️ – Let’s just say… “creative” combinations of ingredients. Like the chef said, “Why not?” and everyone went along with it. Edible? Yes. Michelin star? Let’s not push it.

Overall 📝: Mountain Brew isn’t just a coffee stop — it’s an oasis ☕🌄. Come for the caffeine, stay for the vibes, and if the food isn’t exactly what you pictured… well, at least Harry Styles will be there to sing you through it 🎤💜.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for coffee & service. ⭐⭐⭐ for food, but hey — it’s still better than...