Lazy Daze Coffee House

Great little coffee shop! Coffee is always brewed perfectly and staff is friendly.
UPDATE: Lazy Daze is now closed. :(

First of all, I am impressed with this coffee shop’s hours. You can always count on them to be open! Especially in a neighborhood where everything closes early, even on the weekend.
Second, LOVE their options. The menu is expansive, but it doesn’t stop there. The employees are knowledgeable and can usually make anything you want. And, if you are struggling with your decision, they are quick to jump in with helpful suggestions! Love that. Service is always quick and super friendly.
OK, the atmosphere. This is the quintessential coffee shop. Laid back, old comfy furniture, soft music. Great to chat with friends, read a book, or hop on the wifi (cannot remember if it is free or not). There is also outside seating.
I have also grabbed a baked good from here, and it was good. They also have ice cream!
Finally, the shop hosts live music some days, and local artwork is always up. Overall, great drinks and a great place to chill!

Oh, how it hurts me to give a 1 star review to a locally owned, non chain, restaurant.
I’ve been to Lazy Daze a few times, and my experiences have all been pretty sub par. Slow employees, wrong orders, and the like. My last experience there will be… my last experience there.
I had a meeting with a fellow who lives on the South side of Indy. I live on the north side. This seemed like a good place to sit, sip some coffee, and attended to our business that was ½ in between for us.
I arrived slightly before our 9 AM meeting and couldn’t find an employee. I stood at the counter and waited. And waited. Then I waited some more. I stepped outside, looked around, and he finally came walking up the sidewalk.
I got my drink, and it was OK. It wasn’t terribly good, it wasn’t terribly bad. The fellow I was meeting with arrived, ordered his drink, and we went to the side room and started chatting. Suddenly, the stereo came on loud with 80’s hair metal. I’ve got nothing against 80’s hair metal… it’s not my favorite, but I can deal with it. What I could NOT deal with was the extreme loudness of it. Seriously. It was louder than most bands I’ve seen live. Like «the speakers are rattling» loud. It was impossible to carry on a conversation.
And, I did something I NEVER do. I went to the employee and asked him if he could turn the music down just a bit, and he said «I have no control over the volume».
Seriously? Is the volume control knob locked with a some sort of chasity belt? WTF, dude?
My friend and I wandered outside to finish our meeting, but that was difficult, because as soon as we sat down, the employee and a few of his friends sat next to us and lit up, RIGHT next to the front door.
Lazy Daze, I want to like you. I really do. I’ve given you a half a dozen chances or so. But… we’re through.

Well… I had been stopping in here for a long time to grab a cup to go. I’d had a couple good experiences here. The last two times I was here were pretty terrible.
If you want to stay for awhile, be prepared to be annoyed by teenagers sitting on each other’s laps, being loud, playing with each other’s hair and horsing around. This includes the barista, running back and forth to the counter to help customers.
Twice within the past couple weeks, the shop closed at 9 or 9:30 instead of 10, and one of those times, the lights were turned off on me while the barista and a couple friends started cleaning.
I’ll still stop in to get coffee to go; however, I won’t come here to work on anything or meet up with friends.
If you need to work on something or focus, you’d have as good of luck at the zoo.

By far, my favorite little coffeehouse in Indianapolis. The friendly atmosphere is by far one fo the main attractions, and there is always something interesting happening. From open mic to poetry readings to more, this little gem in the heart of Irvington is a winner. For someone with barrista experience, their staff make some fantastic drinks –lattes, caps and more. Good, quality, oftentimes organic and/​or fair trade, Lazy Daze is all win. With a long list of regulars, neighborhood folks of all ages and Saturday morning artists and musicians, it’s a veritable Bohemia, a cornucopia of culture. If you stop by this quaint little place, filled with vintage chairs, tables and couches, don’t leave without trying their Bright Eyes. My fave! :)

Love the atmosphere and location

Lazy Daze is an Irvington Treasure. I miss Ma and Pa coffee shops, and must say that I love this quaint little place. Attached is a reading room and there is plenty of outdoor seating available. I have even been there when there was live music playing outside. The baristas are always friendly and helpful, and I have always been served a quality cup of joe.

There you have it, ladies and gentlemen – Indy’s dive coffeeshop.
More than two years passed between my two visits, so I had every reason to hope the atmosphere would have improved. Nope. It’s worse.
I hate to knock any indie coffeeshop, especially when most big cities offer smoke-​free bars, making it harder than ever for coffeehouses to compete as a gathering place. But even the things Lazy Daze does well (prices, wifi, friendliness, available plug outlets) don’t make up for the fact that this place seems to be dependent on the complacent ethos that it’s THE non-​corporate coffeeshop for Irvington. However, the coffee is nothing special. The appearance would improve immensely with a good scrubbing. Or maybe the low level of lighting (even with the curtains drawn) helps to hide the grit.
But the behavior of the clientele that the baristas tolerate (if not outright encourage) is the final straw for me. Children throwing temper tantrums are beyond most people’s control, and I hate to fault a place for this, but it’s certainly not pleasant, and based on other Unilocalers, out-​of-​control children seem to be a common occurrence at Lazy Daze. No functioning bathroom while I was there either. And good luck if you don’t like being around smoke. Ashtrays for smokers sit at the tables immediately to the left and right of the door, so it’s always blowing in (the door is often open, so you get flies AND secondhand smoke with your coffee). The baristas themselves stand less than the required 8 feet from the door too when they smoke. And, this time around, a customer actually lit up in the second room – no one batted an eyelash, no doubt, because the place already smelled like ciggies from all the smoking that clearly takes place here after hours.
I suppose I’m an elitist snob for saying this, but I’m also a paying customer: if I wanted the sort of ambience that Lazy Daze provides, I’d go right across the street… to the plasma donation center. Next time I’ll visit Irvington’s Starbucks.

Last evening I made my annual trip to Lazy Daze to kick off the fall season and the beginning of the Irvington Halloween Festival. Every time I’ve been to Lazy Daze, the wait has been ridiculous and the coffee was less than good but I love the area so I keep going back, hoping things have gotten better. They haven’t.
Last night was the straw that broke the camel’s back. When I entered the establishment there was only one barista behind the counter and there were 9 people in line. After about 15 minutes, a guy who was sitting out front chatting with some people, finally meandered in and started helping out… slowly.
While we were all waiting for our drinks, 3 little girls (youngest was tiny, maybe age 4?) were running about, dodging in front of people and crashing into those of us standing in line. From the things the kids were hollering out, it appeared they belonged to the barista on duty. Occasionally, a guy from out front would come tell the girls to settle down and then he’d walk back out, accomplishing nothing. One woman actually left the line and said she’d had enough.
After I finally got my coffee, which had a decidedly burnt taste and very little of the flavoring I requested, I tried to sit outside near the deck and give a listen to a speaker who was doing readings from Edgar Allen Poe. No dice. The 3 little girls were now outside making so much racket that it was impossible to pay attention to what was going on. I tossed my half consumed coffee in the trash and left in disgust.
I’m not anti-​kid if they are well behaved but these kids were obviously bored and more than a little hard to control. It’s bad enough to have to wait forever for the totally apathetic employees to get around to making a mediocre cup of coffee for me but coupled with getting run into and screeched at by rugrats was more than I bargained for. I won’t be back.

This place is pretty decent. It is certainly a down to earth casual atmosphere. I went in the middle of the day and there were a few people hanging out outside and not really anyone inside. I like that it is a ma and pa type place as I am a big fan of non commercialized type places. Its a little dark inside so it takes a little time to adjust. It was a nice day so I wanted something cold. I ordered a frappé. It was ok. I think it could have used a little more flavor syrup as it lacked the taste i was expecting. I am no barista nor a coffee expert hot or cold, but I saw the barista make the frappé with ice cream which I didn’t know was done. To me it was more of a milkshake but I sucked it right down anyway. I respect this place and will go back again, maybe if they have live music going on or something.

What’s the point of self-​service coffee if you have to wait in line behind other people who want fancy espresso drinks? The coffee was fine, but I’d prefer not to wait in line for ten minutes with only two people in front of me for a plain black coffee. this is an easy thing to fix.
I’ve visited prior and it’s a fairly comfortable spot to hang out if you want to read or get some work done on your laptop.

I want this place to be awesome, but it really isn’t. I live in Irvington and would love to have a great locally-​owned shop in town rather than depending on Starbucks
I suppose this review is more of a recap of my last experience, but it pretty much sums it up.
When I arrived the barista was sitting out front by the door smoking and talking on her phone. It took a few minutes for her to finish the smoke and then she came in and asked what I’d like. Without washing her hands or even pretending to, she got to work. She made me a 16 oz iced americano with about 1 teaspoon of espresso in it… which tasted like dirty water.
As I mentioned above, I REALLY want to love this place. Every drink I’ve ever bought there was poorly made – and the customer service is never anything to write home to mother about. I’ve been going here off and on for years, but our relationship is officially over.

Just when I was complaining about how Indy wasn’t a real city and didn’t have any decent neighborhoods, I discover Irvington. With a grocery, a theater, a couple of restaurants, a brand new brewpub and this little coffee shop, all with quaint, walkable streets flanked by beautiful, winding streets (contrasted with the unflattering grid nature of much of the city), this may be my favorite part of Indy.
Lazy Daze compliments this area well by being the least pretentious coffee shop I’ve been to in Indianapolis. Mismatched chairs, older furniture, and ambiguously-​named wifi all just add to this. The coffee is okay. $ 1.80 for a medium mug and then $ 1 for a refill. There’s a great, shaded deck area, a small sidewalk patio and a few places to sit inside. A sandwich shop sits adjacent (as in they share a door), but they offer a few baked items.
With Starbuck’s down the street, I don’t know that that’s necessarily a bad thing. If this place had a lot more traffic, there would never be a place to sit. It’s tight but it’s mostly comfortable.
My only complaint would be about the music, which was mostly 80’s and early 90’s hard rock. But that’s what headphones are for.

Listening to some local music and drinking the best coffee in Indy!
LDCH is a fantastic departure from the Big Bux. Bring your MacBook or iPad and get lost here. Drink one of several fresh regionals until you are visiting the bathroom every 20 minutes.
LDCH is the pride of Irvington and you are guaranteed to meet some interesting people, and if lucky, hear some original tunes played up close and personal.
Stay Lazy, Indianapolis!

Lazy Daze is an Irvington institution. Some folks were worried when Starbucks moved in a few blocks away. But that potential competition only steeled Lazy Daze’s base. They are not budging. And why would they? They have great coffee here. The barista’s are very friendly and helpful. There’s plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Some of the chairs are pretty beat up and not that comfortable and the lighting is not that great. You can work here for hours on your computer, but if you want to read, there are only a few seats that will work. They do have live music, comedy and poetry readings most nights, so be on the look out for that. The hours are pretty good, open until 10pm most nights and open by 8am in the morning.
Oh and the best part! They have ice cream!

I think Lazy Daze has the nicest baristas in town. That, alone, encourages me to make repeat visits.
The coffee is pretty alright — nothing out of this world amazing, but it can hold it’s own.
The inside is a little dark and dingy, even on a sunny day — not saying I mind. I like a dark coffee house that feels shut off from the world.
I highly suggest making the effort to get to Lazy Daze when you’re in Irvington.

There are three (count ‘em, three) active transvestite drag queen magicians in America, and I met one of them at Lazy Daze. Now… I don’t know if this coffee house cares whether they’re associated with this meeting, or if they want to be associated with it… but I bet they do – at least in regards to its absolute HISTORIC NATURE. (Note: this statistic is based upon said magician’s word — I have not fact checked this, and I almost dare not because it might tilt me toward not going on a Too Wong Foo road trip to find all three of them and meet Jim Jarmusch along the way.)
Having said all that…
*Cheap coffee that’s nothing to complain nor anything to write Dear John letters about.
*Coffee served graciously by worker who I would ask advice on theoretical essays.
*Coffee served in funky clay homemade cup.
*Sporadic seating of dusty couches around shelves with local art on walls take me straight back to college.
*Located in Irvington, in the Irving theatre building
*Ample parking
*Next door to a Ghost Hunters Business
*I could spend all day here (especially if I’m meeting characters like mentioned above).

I’d give it 3.5 stars if I could. Funky grungie vibe. The Archie bunker chair in the front room kills me. The fact that it’s haunted is cool, but that it’s the microscopically tiny bathroom that’s haunted just kills me. Evidently it’s a transsexual ghost, that whispers in your ear. Men hear a female whisper, and women hear a male whisper… now that even I can’t make up.
Big points for supporting local artists & neighborhood interests!
Great outdoor deck & seating area, with one problem. They have a fireplace on the deck that I’ve never seen them use??? Why not? Who doesn’t want to sip a hot drink on a chilly night outside near a fire?
Only other drawback, their baristas are slow and rude. One young raven haired beauty made it very clear to me with her body language, that my ordering a frappé & a milkshake was asking way tooooo much of her! Not Cool!
Great place to while away an afternoon and take the neighborhood pulse.

I went to Lazy Daze for the first time this evening. I’d driven past a time or two and was curious to find out what it was like, so I’m glad that the opportunity to visit finally presented itself. My friend’s husband, a jazz musician, was playing there tonight so we went to check it out.
The atmosphere is cozy and perfectly shabby. There’s quite a long list of coffees, espressos, loose leaf organic teas, frappes, lattes, etc displayed on the chalkboard menu. I’d normally go for a coffee, but it was little late in the evening for that, so I opted for the hot apple cider with mulling spices and caramel. Mmmm… the perfect nightcap for a lazy Sunday! It had the perfect amount of spice and fall comfort. Next time I’d like to try the pumpkin chai or vanilla pumpkin chai tea. I was really tempted tonight, but it was just too late for even a little bit of caffeine. Lazy Daze also offers ice cream and a few pastries– muffins, mini loaves of banana & pumpkin bread, scones, cookies, etc.
As I noted, the coffeehouse does support local musicians, and it’s a quaint little venue to check out a performance by independent artists. There’s also a nice mix of photographs and stained glass artwork for sale, and you can also schedule a session with a pastel portrait artist at Lazy Daze. I’d recommend this place to anyone who’s looking for a cozy alternative to the Starbucks down the street!

Lazy Daze lives up to its name, and I mean that only in the best way. I don’t often have an excuse to come down to Irvington, and growing up on the North side, I’m not all that familiar with the area. But I’d happily invent a pretext to visit Lazy Daze again. This cheerful, cozy little coffeehouse is the perfect backdrop for a lazy day of chatting with friends, interneting (they have wireless) or enjoying the local acts that sometimes perform on the deck outside.
Since I can no longer have caffeine due to health issues (ah, the pain is still so fresh – how I miss my gunpowder green tea!), I wish they had a slightly larger selection of herbal teas. This personal quibble is the only reason I gave this café four stars instead of five. If you don’t suffer from my tragic affliction, I’m sure you’ll find delicious coffees and teas here. And, if you’re an artist, musician or arts organization, feel free to come here to hang flyers or leave brochures. The place is full up with ‘em. Double thumbs up!