Blu Cafe Bar & Lounge

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asn372

Joined 4 years ago

Worth a try!. I came here on a Saturday afternoon (slightly after 1 pm) and it was quiet: three other people, all on their laptops, and one man eating by himself at the bar.

It's a decent place for people to come with their laptop or book and grab coffee and food. While the entire place is not large, there are chic couches and single seats to lounge in. As long as it's not crowded, you should be comfortable. I don't seem to recall music, so the volume must have been really soft.

I had pizza and, afterward, dessert crepes. If you like thin-crusted pizza, slightly crispy, in a sort of minimalist style (my favorite)--with the sauce and single topping (chicken this time)--then I recommend you try it.

Although it was lunch time, they let my sister order off the breakfast section, which I thought was cool of them. She liked her crepes. To me, the crepe portion was a bit small, but then again I eat like a typical guy would. The portion actually was appropriate for breakfast, with a coffee.

Following my pizza, I ordered the dessert crepes, which had a chocolate-hazelnut filling and slices of fruit on the side. I really liked it.

Since it wasn't crowded, the atmosphere was really unrushed. The staff was relaxed, which I really liked. I'll try this place again for breakfast or lunch. When we were leaving at 2-ish, the place seemed to be picking up in numbers.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Editorial Review. Blu Cafe Bar & Lounge offers Downtown Austin much more than just coffee.

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rick2007

Joined 4 years ago

great spot!!. Everytime I am at the Austin Ballet I see the blue signs of Blu across the street. Finally, I decided to give it a try. I was not dissapointed. I really enjoyed the decor very much. My pizza was delicious. Def. thin crust like in Europe. I wasn't familiar with Lavazza but I think I'm in love with the brand! I had the espresso with Italian cream, and I have to say this is the best little coffee drink I've had. I will def. make this my hang out place.

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20082009

Joined 4 years ago

Amazing coffee and a great place to lounge.. The quality of the coffee is very good. You cannot go wrong with Lavazza, and better yet, I was very pleased to drink my coffee in an actual porcelain cup. The quality of the espresso was good and I would rate it as one of the top espresso cups in Austin. Lavazza eliminates that bitterness and unpleasant taste that some other coffee brands and grain-mixes offer in Austin.



In terms of food, I had the chicken Panino and the taste was much better than any Panino I had in Austin, especially considering the price.



Although, I did not have an opportunity to taste the wines, I was very surprised that all wines at Blu are offered by the split (half-bottle). The selection is not large; however, the selection is extremely good in terms of price and variety. Keep in mind that wine is not the drink of the rich, wine should be accessible to every soul in the planet. I was very pleased to find in the menu one of my favorite red wines from Spain "Marquez del Riscal." What's more, splits; on the contrary of most wine bars in Austin which serve by the glass, offer no wine residue, poor wine oxygenation, or long periods of time in the fridge. I found the prices extremely low considering a split equals approx. two glasses of wine. Range per split $12 - $25



A bonus, Blu offers the local beer 512. I find 512 to be one of the most promising local breweries in town.



As any European cafe, the selection of alcoholic beverages is extremely complete, and the list of Martini's is diverse, which I hope to have one in the future.



The owner mentioned that during the evenings Blu offers live jazz; therefore, the acoustics are currently being adjusted for a better resonance. There is nothing better that a good split or martini with jazz! During the weekends Blu offers live DJ's performances.



Overall, I believe the concept is extremely unique, pleasent and interesting, I hope we will have Blu for long since the place offers a little to everyone.