The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

Came here for the first time and their coffee is amazing. Cookie butter latte was recommended and it was yummy! Really great service from Isaac and Liv! They were excellent. I will definitely come back to this location because of Isaac and Liv!

I stop by this Coffee Bean almost every day on my way to work. The coffee is very good, I believe it is better than Starbucks.

Ok, I’m a little bummed out.
Ordered a café latte as I do just about everyday here, through the drive-​thru and on this particular occasion it was almost like the coffee or espresso used was too strong or «burnt» tasting that I had to throw it out.
I went in the next morning and mentioned it to the barista thinking she would be kind enough to apologize and comp my drink but did neither and made it seem like it was my fault for not ordering it with «extra powder». I thought café latte was just espresso and milk.
Anyway, I feel kind of ripped off and probably won’t come back anymore out of principle, luckily Austin Java is just as close to my home and has a rewards program.

Great if you love horrendously overpriced drinks and snacks! Yet it’s (maybe?) local, very nice staff, good environment. I wont come back due to everything costing 2 to 3 times as much as at Starbucks or… Anywhere else for that matter.

The hazelnut coffee is perfect! Also Jessica is the reason I keep coming here, such a sweet girl!
CBTL is wayyyy better than STARBUCKS!

I like coming here to unwind after work. Their white mocha is delicious, especially in a glass mug. I’ve been homesick lately so the familiarity of Coffee Bean helps me feel closer to home.

They are way too busy to serve you coffee or even look at you even when you are standing for 10 mins. I felt invisible. I will get my coffee else where.

Winter Dream Tea is back for the holidays. I love it. I wish Coffee Bean would open a store in Westlake/​Bee Cave and Lakeway. They offer so many more choices than Starbucks and have more sugar free options. All the locations I’ve been to have had super friendly staff and they are always willing to wait patiently while I decide what I want. The store is clean, bathrooms are nice. Keep up the good work Coffee Bean.

Good coffee but unhappy attendant. Maybe it was 9:45 at night the day after Thanksgiving but I was the only customer and got the impression they would have rather had no customers at this time. They were open and not doing anything and could have at least tried to be kind. Maybe the owner just doesn’t expect much from
his staff since other reviews reflect similar experiences. There are other places to get good coffee.

AMAZING COFFE!!! The latte flavors are to die for!!!
Every morning I am in a horrible mood until I get my coffee. Yes, I am one of those. The baristas are so nice and so helpful! You know it always helps when you are greeted with a big smile.
Also, they serve TACO DELI breakfast tacos!!! If you are gluten free, like me, the cinnamon pecan streusel muffin is delish!!!
A+ Coffee
A+ Service

Love this place. Great staff, great drinks. Nice ambiance for working, reading & other «coffee shop activities». Very welcoming staff. Clean store, well kept bathrooms and seating area. The outdoor patio is awesome and has a fire pit for cold weather! Love it.

This location is new and looks super nice on the inside and it has an amazing patio. The restrooms are spotless and the staff is awesome they are friendly and pleasant. Its a shame that I cannot drink anything in the place it has espresso in EVERYTHING but if you choose to have something to drink they have a speciality blended drink that taste awesome. This was my first experience with this coffee spot and I enjoyed it.

Staff is extremely friendly and my gosh I swear their skinny vanilla lattes beat Starbucks any day! The vanilla they use is completely different… and heck they definitely aren’t as crazy crowded as Starbucks! Completely worth it and in such a convenient spot (unless it’s rush hour…)

Several weeks ago we discovered the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on Slaughter. We aren’t regular coffee drinkers, but after visiting the Slaughter location and having some of the BEST customer service I’ve ever found, we declared no more Starbucks– EVER!
Last week we discovered this location, closer to our home. We were thrilled! Our first experience there was a little disappointing. The cashier didn’t seem very happy to be there and at 8:30 in the morning, they were already out of their only vegan taco option. We didn’t hold a grudge– we went somewhere else that morning, eager to come back one day and give this location a shot. Today was that day.
We were greeted by a SUPER awesome, wonderfully nice cashier. She had a warm smile and genuine enthusiasm to be there. Since Unilocal forces us to choose 1 star when we’d really like to go into the negative ones, I dedicate that single start to her. And, if this review was for her– which I’d have loved to have been the highlight of my experience, I’d be giving her all 5! Thank you nice person who I didn’t get the name of– especially for your sympathy and kindness for our experience. We drove away with my sisters saying it’s people like you who should run these places– you really made a difference. Thank you.
Here’s the really gross part of our experience that brought me here to write one of few negative Unilocal reviews (if you notice, I usually tend to understand how hard customer service jobs are and choose to Unilocal about fantastic experiences instead). My sisters and I order the exact same drinks and more than once, I’ve heard baristas say «you can bump that one» and assume they don’t actually have to make 3 of the same thing and one of our drinks never comes out. It’s no big deal– we’ve always understood and happily reminded them there were 3 and they’ve happily made another. Today was not the same. Again, only 2 of our 3 were made. What was not the same, was that the sour-​faced man who was pacing around with his hands tucked into the breast of his apron, between his apron and shirt– then making beverages (ew), reacted like a total jerk. My sister (who’s a sweet, gentle thing) approached him to tell him my drink wasn’t made. This was after we ate our tacos (which they again ran out of while we were there) and waited because we didn’t want to bug the barista if he was busy. THOR (we would come to find out) wasn’t busy, truthfully. So when the hands-​in-​apron-​pace began again, that’s when she asked. He then yelled to us from the barista nook out over the dining area that we needed to get back in line and pay for our drink. What TOTALLY baffled me and made me write this was that he just kept going on about it, across the restaurant! Again, my sister tried to explain and as her point was becoming increasingly hard to deny, he cut her off and said he’d just make the new drink and in a huff said, «it’s not a big deal!» Well, THOR, no kidding– but it was for you– which is why this whole thing escalated. He offered to print the receipt off to show we didn’t pay for it and printed the wrong receipt. We showed him it wasn’t ours, asked him for a new one which he did print– looked over and then DISAPPEARED IN THE BACK. We waited. Nothing. Thor wasn’t right and wasn’t willing to make it right. We didn’t want free coffee, we didn’t want refunds, we’d just hoped he’d say something to the effect of… «sorry.»
The nice cashier– who had just walked someone out to her car– happened to be next to our car when we finally gave up on THOR and left. She apologized profusely and validated that yes, we had payed for all 3. She also took the intitiative to ask us to please come back and not let this experience ruin our feelings for the whole place.
I called shortly after we left and spoke to THOR and told him how I felt. In the middle of it he said, «I’m not going to argue with you.» He said it in the same snide tone he spoke to my sister in and it was in the middle of me making more sense than he could handle. Since his rudeness continued I asked for a manager and here’s where the nail in the coffin comes in– he tells me he is the manager and as if our entire conversation never happened today says, «What can I help you with today?» THOR isn’t a manager. He’s a shift supervisor. Nice try, THOR.
I can’t remember ever having been spoken to in such a demeaning way by someone who represents SOMEONE ELSE’S COMPANY. I felt bullied, belittled and dismissed. I am still totally aghast thinking about it! I asked for someone above him and he offered me only an email address for customer comments. He’s misrepresenting his position with that company and intentionally steering me away from the people I’m asking to talk to. As a customer, that is the one part of this I felt authentically entitled to.
I put in a call for a real manager. Hopefully someone calls me back and helps THOR with some basic customer service tips. It’d be a shame for someone else to have this experience.

This location always has the friendliest people working… never have I met a cranky barista here. If you get any of the «ice blended» drinks, be sure to try them «extreme» style… extra coffee!

I love the dark chocolate latte! Always speedy service, free wifi, and the usual coffee shop shenanigans.

If you have been getting mediocre coffee at the large chain that over-​roasts its beans, it’s time you get real good coffee. On my last visit I got a Guatemala single origin that was extraordinaire. The baristas are helpful and they offer all kinds of flavorings to fix your coffee any way you want it from non-​fat vanilla to cayenne. Recommended.

I grew up in Santa Barbara, where Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf was all about frothy sweet concoctions that put the Frappuchino to shame. I was curious how they would (of if they would) adapt to the Austin vibe. This new location, conveniently close to my home, is quite pleasant. The parking is always a little nutty in that lot, but I didn’t have too much trouble securing a spot. The décor is sort of «global beat» and fairly innocuous.
I was happy to see that mixed in with the store branded items were lots of local treats. A nice selection of Taco Deli tacos, Thunderbird Bars, and other little goodies. I got a carafe of the dark roast to go, so I don’t know about the espresso drinks, but the coffee had a nice, deep, non-​acidic flavor. They brewed it right then, so the extra wait was worth the fresh flavor. I’m glad I tried this new spot. While I prefer to support local businesses when possible, second best is supporting a chain that uses many local vendors.

Looks like they’re busy since their recent opening to post a photo… no biggie.
Well, they’re all EAGER and JACKED UP that’s for sure when you walk in. Breakfast tacos, danish and all sorts of coffee and a cool drive through too. The also have a patio area that looks cozy and comfortable. LOVE the coffee selection and the attention to detail.

Oh my gato! Talk about super nice baristas: D My husband had boycotted Coffee Bean simply because he wasn’t offered a job when he applied two years ago (then again, he tends to hold silly grudges). Today, I managed to stop his boycott and sweet-​talked him into checking out the newest location that opened just near our home. Needless to say, their customer service won him (and me!) over.
We pulled up into the drive-​thru, and normally when we visit a drive-​thru we feel rushed like «OHMYGAWDHURRYUPANDPLACEYOURPORDER», but the wonderful lady that greeted us made us feel like we had all freaking day to order (thumbs up for that!). She even beautifully explained their drinks (due to the fact I was seeking something similar to Starbucks’ hazelnut macchiato). I ended up ordering the Dark Chocolate iced latte (they did have a hazelnut ice latte, but I saw ‘dark chocolate’ and knew I had to try it).
As we were waiting for our drinks, I noticed they offer Tacodeli breakfast tacos! Um, yes please! Awesome lady told us the tacos are available by 7:30 a.m. and they’re normally out around 10 a.m. You can bet your bottom dollar that I’ll be having breakfast here Sunday morning ;)
It may be that we only received awesome customer service because they’re a brand-​new location, or because the baristas are actually cool people (oh and the coffee is outstanding for a chain, IMO). Time will tell, but I have no doubt in my mind that this is a fantastic location worth checking out!