Kaldi’s Coffee

Wyatt rocks! Great day down on the plaza and super friendly baristas that made me a great cuppa Kaldi! Say hello to Ben and be sure to say thanks!

This is the only place I’ve found that had a hot matcha latte. HALLELUJAH! Lots of other places have told me matcha can only be served as a blended drink. They are so wrong :)

Love this coffee shop and coffee here is so good
The environment is good too
The shop is not big but it create some moment to make you relax here.
Here has free wifi too which is very convenient

I got a smoothie from here once and it was SO good but so expensive but I want to get it again so badly but like the moneyyyy ahhhh stressful first world problems. I’ll probably crack soon and get it again.
I also tried a macaroon from here once and it was melt-​in-​your-​mouth fabulous!

This is a review from a former Barista:
Price is cheap. The baristas were not willing to provide a stellar service for the customer. Most of the pics uploaded here show latté art, but mine and my friend’s look like piece of crap. The trainee barista whispered to the ‘better and wiser’ barista about failing to make latté art and she just told him to forget about it and served us over-​extracted latté that don’t have the perfect balance between sweet nutty feel of espresso.
As a tourist in KC, I was hoping to grab a photo that could make me remember about the place but the Barista SHUT me off completely. Every time I meet Barista, they will be a moment which I will have a Barista-​to-​Barista talk but at that moment, I felt belittle and ashamed on how these Baristas treat their customers. This experience makes the coffee felt astoundingly below average.

What’s not to like about this coffee joint located in the chic Country Club Plaza? They brew up tasty Kaldi brand coffee, offer assorted pastries and treats, and have a great location for people watching along Jefferson Street.
Kaldi’s corporate entity took over this Latte Land location about a year ago but not much has changed from the former local chain. Latte Land had been brewing the Kaldi brand for years and the coffee still tastes the same.
I’d like to see this location add more food to their menu. On a recent trip to St. Louis, we visited a Kaldi’s location that had a great breakfast and lunch menu served hot to order from their kitchen. Though this location is lacking in space to accommodate a kitchen, adding a larger food menu would be a welcomed addition.

Do you want good customer service and a good cup of coffee/​tea/​whatever? Go to Kaldi’s. I stopped in twice on our recent trip to Kansas City (we were staying in the Plaza so it was very convenient) and both times I encountered extremely pleasant and helpful staff as well as delicious coffee and iced tea. They also have unique flavor combinations if you’re looking to try something different.
Definitely grab a cup o’ something and then cruise the Plaza or hang out at one of their many inside or outside tables.

Nice oasis from the touristy-​ness of the plaza. Had an excellent iced coffee – great cold brewed coffee – and will definitely return!

This is definitely my favorite place to come for coffee in my neighborhood, if I overlook the fact that they don’t do brew bar stuff… but their espresso is on point and they have an eclectic menu.
I usually get an Americano, because (like I said) their espresso is AMAZING. It has a nice cherry flavor which makes it stand out against others like Crow’s or the Roasterie.
They also have a drink special almost always, that’s usually some interesting flavor. They have their version of frappucinos called Iced Toddy, never had it because I avoid drinking my sugars… but I’ve had friends get it who’ve loved it! They get their pastries from Le Monde bakery (last time I checked) so they’re excellent, too!
As I said I don’t drink sugar, I especially love that their cold case has SEVEN flavors of La Croix!!! La Croix is the best, and I love a coffee shop to offers it.
Today I got an iced Americano, but I’ve also tried the Gibraltar. It was so good, and served as it should be: on a wooden tray with a cup of soda water, a spoon, and a few chocolate covered espresso beans. I appreciate their personal touches to the drinks.
Their retail options seem pretty awesome. Cool looking merchandise and I love their cups and bottles. Saw a sign that on Wednesdays, all the bags of single-​origin coffees are $ 2 off! I will probably be back to try the Tazmanian.
The café area is nice, with dark wooden tables and chairs in colors that pop and unique lighting décor. The outside patio is pretty swell, too, if you can get a seat!
I highly recommend you give this place a shot! (No pun intended)

Getting my morning coffee is one of my favorite parts of the day. Some nights, I’m literally excited to go to bed because I’m going to wake up and get a warm, strong cup of coffee. I build it up in my mind, and want to get the perfect cup which often times makes it more elusive.
Kaldi was always sort of a backup spot for me — a place to have a meeting, a nearby spot to pop into because there aren’t many other local places on the Plaza. I almost didn’t realize that the nine times I had tried their black coffee that it was literally one of the best cups I’ve had in a while.
It crept up on me so slowly that I’m just now realizing how much I enjoy it. This specific location, the «Ben Franklin» location, has a great little patio and a smaller interior. They make some mean wedding cake cookies — rich as hell, buttery and delicious.
They do pourovers and do them well, but while pourovers are a good, pure measure, I feel like drip coffee is even more so. If you can fast brew a batch and have it come out tasting amazing, that reflects well on your quality of coffee and that is my favorite drink here.
Just like when this spot was Latteland, they have a sister shop over on the main drag of 47^th, and also have one on 11^th Main that I really enjoy.

I’m a huge fan!
I went from an occasional stop (couldn’t even remember how to spell it) to a daily habit in a few short weeks.
Kaldi’s West has the best bunch of baristas I’ve ever known. They remember my name and they know my drink. That’s worth so much more than money!
Plus, they make perfect drinks! Tricky stuff and beautiful foam art. I love that.
I’m very fortunate to live close by and I really enjoy my perfect hot chocolate at the end of the day. When I’ve finished my daily plans, I take a walk that always seems to go by Kaldi’s. Lucky me!
I’d like to publicly say Thank You!!!
And please give a big gold star to everyone that works there.

If a coffee shop gives you the option between bee house and V60 for your pour over, chances are they know their way around a coffee been. Kaldi’s does indeed make a strong and well-​balanced coffee or cappuccino, plus the small selection of baked goods is good to grab for a morning breakfast stop. I agree with many others that the cramped space is pretty limiting, but if you’re just coming here for the coffee, you’re going to be pretty satisfied.

I’m a coffee snob. That’s no surprise to anyone. At least it shouldn’t be. I was in KC for the holidays and stayed at the Holiday Inn in the KU Med area. I had tried another coffee shop that someone recommended and that was closer days before my visit to Kaldi’s. I was underwhelmed so I decided to be adventurous and cruise the Plaza looking for my morning brew. I landed at Kaldi’s. I was underwhelmed with the customer service. Not friendly at all. I liked the prices. My latte was just ok. I prefer strong espresso in my lattes and this one was sort of light. The location and décor are nice, but if you want a strong, delicious latte, this is not the place for you

My family stopped here to get some quick coffee and it was DELICIOUS! We got the rosemary brown sugar latte which was a wonderfully unique drink to try. It had an earthy undertone yet sweet with the delectable bitter coffee flavor. We also had a cappuccino with quality foam and milk. And we also got a iced Moroccan mint tea which was amazing. They have wonderful espresso and what makes is even better is the latte art. They even have a cortado on the menu but they call it a Gibraltar here. The baked goods and granola looked like they would be amazing as well. I highly recommend this to any coffee lover!

Oh, Kaldi’s. I’m so conflicted.
From my earliest days as a transplant to KC in 2007, the coffee shop at this location just off 48^th and Jefferson was my jam… I have spent a LOT of time in this coffee shop over the years, and have an admittedly sentimental attachment to it (my husband and I met here, and it’s where he later went on to propose). When they made the switch from LatteLand to Kaldi’s, I figured the product would remain good as ever, since they’d been serving Kaldi’s coffee there for some time leading up to the switch, anyway. And the product seems largely what I’m accustomed to at least as far as the stuff I usually get… they still have the London Fog tea lattes, special seasonal offerings that are well-​flavored, etc. They still have the same pastries… the chocolate croissants, the wedding cake cookies… all good things.
The coffee is still great, as one would expect. Smooth, non-​bitter, a good flavor. The service, at least in my experience, has been a tad better more pleasant than it sometimes was when it was LatteLand.
My issue comes with the overall ambience. They couldn’t do much, remodeling-​wise, with such a small space, but what minor tweaks they have managed, I’m sorry to say don’t really work for me. It’s never been a spacious shop, and in the warm portion of the year, leans heavily on its sidewalk café for crowd overflow, which is pretty much a non-​option in these winter months… it is what it is.
I feel really nitpicky, but I don’t care for the lighting at all. This doesn’t seem like it should be a big deal, but I mostly go there after dark, where it’s very noticeable. The aesthetic choice to go with the more bare, industrial exposed bulbs removes the warm glow the previous lighting had, and makes things feel way too austere and sterile, less cozy. I’m sure they’re trying to make it seem more spacious, but it’s just a place that’s never going to feel spacious. It’s also rather chilly this time of year, which is surprising, given that it shouldn’t be that tough to comfortably heat such a small space… the minimalist metal chairs don’t help with either the literal or figurative warmth… they seem more like chairs that belong on the patio. Also, people are rude and take up the limited counter seating along the window by placing their laptop bags on the stools they aren’t using. Not the establishment’s fault, but maybe something could be said, given the close quarters?
As it turns out, I apparently require more coziness in my coffee shops than is currently offered up, here. Overall, I still like their coffee, but the atmosphere is no longer my cup of tea (or latte), which bums me out a bit.

Tried to enjoy my coffee outside but the patio and tabletops were filthy. Looked like the sidewalk in front of a bar. The landscaping was trashed right down to the half smoked cigars that who knows how long had been laying there.

The rosemary brown sugar latte was delicious! It was a bit pricey since it was $ 4 for an 8oz latte, but it was so worth it!
My friend’s baked pumpkin latte was delicious too. They take real pumpkin, bake it, purée it, and then magically mix it into this delightful latte. You can taste the little bits of pumpkin as you drink it, so if you are one of those people who gets weirded out by textures, this might not be the drink for you.
Between the outdoor patio and the inside, there is plenty of space to enjoy your coffee, study, or chill with friends.
It’s too bad they don’t have one of these where I live, otherwise I would be here all the time!

Damn good espresso. And I love my coffee and espresso!
Ordered a macchiato type drink (not the Starbucks kind) with a shot of seltzer water to cleanse my pallet. Delish.

What kills a coffee shop for me? No electrical outlets.
I like Kaldi’s, and this is a nice upgrade from the Latte Land that was here before, but this location just doesn’t do it for me. Not when there’s a vastly superior Kaldi’s just down the street.
The coffee is good and the staff is friendly, but the layout just kills it for me. Sure, there’s a nice patio, but this has to be one of the least worker-​friendly coffee shops in the area. The tables off to the side are nice and all, but if you can’t plug in a laptop or whatnot, it’s useless space, at least to me.
A nice place to get a coffee to go, but if I need to buckle down and work, I’ll walk the few blocks to their much more worker-​friendly 47^th street location.

Great coffee and a super friendly staff! Stop in for a jolt on the go, or bring your laptop, book, or paper and just enjoy the environment.