Good Times Coffee House — Restaurant in Windham

I make a point never to review a food place poorly (cafe, restaurant, food truck, whatever) after only one visit. This usually results in me only giving good reviews to food places because either I keep going back because it's great or I never return.

I wanted to like Good Times, I really did. My first visit was the week that they opened. New places get cut a little slack, but I had to cut a lot of slack on my first visit. I had a cold brew and it was awful, so bad that I wrote a note to myself later: "cold brew bad." I don't remember anything else about it, having blocked it out of my memory. I also had an egg sandwich; premade eggs, dry bread, nearly unseasoned.

The atmosphere, I'm told I should remark upon, is unremarkable. There are tables and chairs. It is maybe a bit too bright. Somehow it's always felt crowdedly empty on each visit.

So you have a rough opening week. I love coffee shops, and I want one to love in northeastern Willimantic for when I'm in that area and don't feel like driving another mile down Main Street.

Fast forward months later; Good Times is still around--an encouraging sign!--and reviews are mostly positive. I guess they just had a rough first week. This time, I return with lovely wife, and we both order food and drinks.

The food did not improve. In fact, my egg sandwich was remarkably consistent in its blandness. Wife had a different non-egg food, some sort of baked item, and described it as "unfortunate." Or maybe she was referring to herself as unfortunate for having eaten it.

Surely with experience, the coffee has improved. Sadly, the cold brew was only marginally better--perhaps the entire basis for the extra star here--and wife's latte was not well made to the point of probably being made incorrectly. Unfortunately--for both her and the soon-to-be-discarded latte--it was a hot drink to-go and she didn't take her first sip until we were halfway home. Would she have said something were we still in Good Times? She says she'd like to think she would have.

Okay, two visits, the first during opening week. Let's just ignore opening week and say this one visit was a rare miss, given the otherwise glowing reviews.

A couple more months later, we're driving through Willimantic and I lean over and say, "Let's give them one more chance."

Just drinks this time; we weren't hungry. I order a cold brew, and then my wife orders a seasonal hot latte, both to go. I then correct my order when I notice a latte I don't think was on the menu before: a Tres Leches latte. Condensed, evaporated, and whole milk. I order mine cold; I drink cold coffee down to about zero degrees Kelvin. The barista was friendly enough and seemed attentive; also alone, so heaven forbid you arrive during a rush.

My drink comes out first, and quickly. I wait for wife's hot drink before touching mine, and it arrives soon enough and we're both off to the car.

I set my drink down in the cupholder next to hers, careful not to burn myself on... her cold... latte. "Wife," I say, but I use her name probably, "you ordered a hot latte. I know this because it is below 60 degrees and you will surely perish if you consume cold coffee now." She nodded and simply remarked that it was fine and she just wanted to leave and never return. Fair enough.

My drink was sad. Yes, that's the right word for it. Great theme, poor execution. Or maybe poor recipe. It did not taste like tres leche. Or coffee. It tasted like sad milk.

I took a sip of wife's drink, hoping it was at least a good cold drink. Strawberry Kiss Latte, it's called. "White or milk chocolate" (she was never prompted to choose), strawberry sauce, strawberry dust. Maybe it's better hot, but it was somehow sadder than mine cold and tasted generically sweet instead of like strawberry. Also, the milk was on the bottom which is not a latte. Sad Not-Hot Not-Strawberry Not-Latte.

The Good Times, for us at least, are over. The extra mile down Main Street to a far better cafe will be happily driven in the future. But don't take our word for it; try it yourself,...

Disclaimer: Everyone's entitled to an off day.

1st time trying this place. The shop is simple but has great seating. A large variety of specialty drinks and a good amount of baked goods

My wife and I got the Dr Pepper chocolate cake and the Million Dollar Short Bread. The cake was good, the shortbread was unbelievably good.

We also got 2 specialty coffees, the Chunky Monkey (Peanut Butter & Banana) As well as the Raspberry Mocha. Sadly both of these drinks were pretty bland. Each one features heavily on the fruit and nothing else, it was like having a cup of banana milk and a cup of raspberry milk.

Also nixed 1 star because there was no decaf option, maybe it's a personal thing but I think if your a coffee shop there needs to be a decaf option.

Would return for...

My favorite coffee shop in town!! The vibe is always so friendly and cozy. They have super unique panini choices and so far everything I’ve tried I’ve fallen in love with. Even the small pastry choices are made with such care. The banana bread and blueberry muffin have whole chunks of fruit all in it. The croissant cinnamon roll???? Buttery and sweet, flaky like a croissant 😫. So far my favorite menu items are the cold brew which is so strong (and the cream??? super fresh), and the turkey panini. It’s almost like thanksgiving in a sandwich. I’ve never tried apples on a sandwich and I’m not usually the type to make that combo but lordddd is it good. Will absolutely be trying the...