Cups Coffee and Tea

Although the original Cups had its up’s and downs I still found it more inviting. The new staff is just awful. No experience aka my coffee was burnt and they were just flat out unhelpful. The young man with long hair seemed like he had no time to wait on us and was in a rush to go sit out front with his friends and smoke cigarettes. Meanwhile having customers in the establishment and not one person working behind the counter. Cups has become amateur hour at best, with high schoolers that don’t know what nor care what they are doing. I will give it another whirl if you ever decide to get real Barista’s in there that know how to make a coffee.

Its nice to see that it is cleaned up and I like red rooster coffee so think the coffee tastes better! The atmosphere in terms of environment still needs some work. It just isn’t inviting. I wish Roanoke could get a urban style coffee shop that is inviting to hang out, yet this isn’t it yet… the combination of all the interior elements from the neon to the plants to the furniture to the ceiling tiles is all a mismatch of items that just don’t say hang out here and enjoy the coffee! Every time I go there, there is no one sitting in the middle seats and all the others are full of people camped out so there is nowhere to sit. The orange and brown colors are a bit weird as they are the colors used in fast food joints to encourage you to leave. Would love to see the baked goods be promoted, described, displayed better, and not a fan of the styrofoam cups. I really hope it comes together. I am rooting for the new CUPS!

For awhile I avoided this place because of all the poor reviews on it (the power of Unilocal!) but I finally caved and was very pleasantly surprised. This places is great! I don’t know if it’s under new management but this is going to be my new study hangout. Great coffee. Great young baristas. Lots of great seating and giant sunny windows. I love it here.

Gave it several trys. Overpriced. Coffee was ok — not great. Rude staff! There’s absolutely no excuse for treating customers as though they are bothering you with questions. Like a previous reviewer I also felt that other patrons were staring (not sure what that’s about).

Decided to give this place another go since they have come under new ownership. It still isn’t my cup of tea. I can’t really put my finger on why, perhaps I don’t feel welcome? Maybe I will give it another shot sometime.
My tea was really good, the cookie not so much as it tasted stale. The guys working the counter were nice enough. I did find that I was sort of stared down by a few of the patrons and that is what made me feel weird.

Was a barista trained by Tullys in Seattle for 5 yrs. and family owned a coffee stand in which I developed and worked while in college… So coffee quality is important to me. So… cups has some quality control and consistency issues to work on. Staff need to make sure a 12oz has 2 – 3 pumps if syrup… Every time. 16oz 3 – 4 etc and the espresso shot should pull at a certain time interval every time. It should have a golden crème appearance and should be discarded if its running too long. I have been charged a lot for a subpar latte. The art and ambiance are awesome and I love that so so much. I also love the cups that our local residents keep there. Hopefully it will improve.

Medicare coffee at best. The service was good but the coffee itself didn’t have a strong «coffee taste» like one of the bigger corporate companies from Washington. The scene and atmosphere is pretty cool with gluten free items to purchase, bring your own mugs, and board games for patrons. But for me, coffee has to taste good.

Was a bit worried coming here after reading some of the recent negative reviews… First impression was how fun and unique the shop was. My friend and I took a few minutes to peruse the menu before ordering at the front counter. Ended up also getting a savory chive and cheddar scone which was very good after I warmed it up in their toaster oven. Regarding customer service aspects, the woman behind the counter didn’t come off as friendly at the beginning, but by the end of our order/​me asking her a few questions she seemed to warm up a bit.
My friend and I got a game from the shelf and enjoyed a half hour of reminiscing while playing sorry! Great touch with the board games, atmosphere, and food. If I lived in Roanoke, I could definitely see myself coming here on a regular basis.

Transplant to the area and cups was the best thing about grandin, a huge cups fan. You either get the vibe and attitude here or you don’t, luckily I get it & love it! Coffee is solid & while the espresso drinks aren’t always the hottest in temperature, the flavors are totally inventive. Love cups, Michelle and her staff & trivia night especially!

Gave it another try since I didn’t go back in after a bad exp a few years ago. Where I met with a reporter for a local newspaper. We had just sat down and was reprimanded for not ordering. We had just gotten there and preferred to put our things down before we went to counter for our hot coffee. We were amazed that anyone could act that way. I didn’t go back for years. But here we go again. Didn’t even get in the door, and was told if you are ordering you cant sit. If not go away. I didn’t even have a purse with me nor did I go near a chair to sit. NEVER AGAIN~~~ Not sure what clique you need to be in for this lady, but I don’t want in it at all~~

Really it was too cold for a winter day and the barista was far from friendly. The day time staff seems more friendly and not bothered they are offering service.

Stopped in to Cups on my trip to Roanoke for a wedding I was photographing and it was a really great place. Best mocha I have had in a long time. And the granola cookie was a sweet surprise. My new river valley friends definitely need to stop by here. It a small quite place but big on personality, hospitality and, of course, COFFEE! Oh and did I mention that you can bring in your OWN cup and leave it here to use any time? And they will wash it and keep it safe? How awesome is that?!

This place is over-​rated! The coffee is not good at all. The staff can be very rude and not welcoming if you’re not one of the regulars. The only thing positive about this place is that it is in a good location in Grandin Village. There is a better coffee shop that is not too far from Cups called Sweet Donkey. I highly recommend going to Sweet Donkey instead.

This place is head and shoulders above Mill Mtn Coffee & Tea for a number of reasons:
1)Robustly flavored coffee that doesn’t taste burnt
2)Great prices — $ 2 for a medium iced coffee! $ 3.50 for a large pot of any tea!
3)Quieter, more comfortable, better lit place to study
I live downtown and would gladly hike up to Grandin (which is an awesome place to be anyways) to study and sip here than Mill Mountain! Totally hooked.

Loved the Iced Salted Carmel Coffee and the pastry I had was amazing, Almond Croissant with Marzipan. Not usually in this area but will definitely be back for more! Loved the wall of games I saw on the way out, for patrons both big and small!

Since I’m typically downtown, I grew accustomed to just hitting up Mill Mountain. Luckily, we stuck our heads in one day to grab whoopie pies since my father-​in-​law had some for us to enjoy at his place, we figured we’d pick up a few to replace the ones we devoured (sadly, these whoopie pies are no longer being made by the lady who was making them which is why they’re no longer found at Cups). We decided we’d give their chai a try, since we pretty much do that in any coffee house, especially independent local ones. The chais (regular for me, soy for my husband) were delicious.
The practical stuff: There are a lot of quirky pop culture trinkets around this place. There are plenty of places to either sit back, relax, enjoy your drink, play games, knock out some work, or host a small meeting. The atmosphere and the people are just too much fun. The staff behind the counter are always pleasant and fun to joke around with.
The fun stuff: There are a lot of pop culture trinkets around this place. The bobble head collection in the shop has a lot of great humor (look for the D**k in the Box bobble head). I always enjoy browsing the collection of mugs the regulars leave on the shelves near the counter. The sizes of the drinks are by cup size — A, B, C and a pot is a double D.

Hey, so I’m a Cups convert.
Yeah, sure, it wasn’t a great first impression. But recent visits and interactions with staff has definitely changed my mind. The coffee’s great, the service is solid, and I’ve even come to enjoy the occasionally snarky barista.

I had a great chai latte though it was a bit pricey. The ambiance was relaxed, and I liked the old wooden booths. The barista obviously took her job (too) seriously and corrected me for ordering a medium instead of a «B» cup. She also chastised some high school aged kids when they asked if Cups had milkshakes. Overall, I would probably go back if I visit Roanoke again.

A friend and I stumbled across this little coffee shop while out for lunch and decided to check it out. If I could rate the drinks themselves separate from the service, I would. The iced latte’s themselves were not bad (i’ve had better but still not bad), and I would give the drinks and prices 3.4−4 stars. But the service brings this down to two.
The woman at the counter was pleasant enough helping the people in front of us, all chatty. When I stepped up to order, I asked about the specialty drinks and got a snotty answer in return, with the woman looking down her nose at me like I was an idiot. Ok? So I ordered, then my friend walked up and had the misfortune of asking the same question I had asked, as she hadn’t been paying attention. The woman proceeds to LECTURE her on what drinks can be iced. And then told her there was no such thing as an iced cappuccino (she gets them all the time, pretty sure she just didn’t want to take the time to make one).
I don’t understand why the owner of a coffee shop would want to be rude to customers. Do you not realize that there is HUGE competition out there when it comes to coffee places? If you want people to come back (which I will NOT be doing) don’t be rude!

I like Cups a lot! It’s a newer café so it’s not a busy as Mill Mountain or Starbucks. The baristas here a super nice, funny and helpful. The other night some of my friends and I met there to play a board game. We weren’t bothered by anyone else and we even met someone new to join in our game! It’s a real neighborhood place that has a fun vibe.
The real draw of Cups, though, is the fact you can bring in your own cup and leave it there. You get one free refill and a discount on your next cup. A great deal and environmentally friendly!
I can’t leave this review without mentioning my bathroom test. Though it is kind of dim in there, I didn’t find anything gross or dirty.