Epoch Coffee

07/01/2008 Posted by ErynJ

Word on the street is that this place is owned by the men who originally owned Mojo's Daily Grind, which used to be on Guadalupe. This was my college haunt, where I drank far too many Iced Mojos and penned some god-awful poetry about post-adolescent crushes. So it's safe to say I miss it dearly. When I walked into Epoch, I recognized the mutated Starbuck's sign, the wacky steel sculptures and the portrait of Mama Mojo, and the place smelled like strong coffee brewing, and they were playing Iggy Pop. I liked it instantly. The bathroom has epic graffiti with a Hell theme, the baristas are as nice as one can reasonably expect baristas to be, and they still have Iced Mojo on the menu. It was also surprisingly spacious- on the inside. The patio was pretty crammed. Advice for people thinking about opening a coffeehouse in Austin: anytime you put a cafe 10 minutes from UT and style it to attract hippies and art kids, expect smokers and plan accordingly; put in a large patio, and expect to have to put space heaters in that puppy come December. All in all, it was a very comfortable, pleasant experience, and I anticipate many happy returns.

Pros: Great coffee, hipsters to gawk at, interesting art for sale, decent tunes the staff will change if requested

Cons: cramped patio, sketchy location

06/23/2008 Posted by Omnipeace

I really dig their location and their choice of decor, but everything else about this place is just lacking or deserves a description full of four letter words. You walk in and immediately you notice there are no prices listed any where, no price board, no signs, no priced menu. If this was some sort of high-society establishment located downtown I could maybe see the point in not listing prices, but let's be honest, their coffee is horrible... bad... disgusting even... Do not waste your time on a complicated order, this place can't get the basics right. Their smoothies come out of a paper carton and the pastries are few in number and of very poor quality, they look like something a school cafeteria would order from Sysco foods. So, hey, you know, despite all of this, if they had friendly staff it would be a fun place to go, well, unfortunately for Epoch that's not the case. The impression I got over the 4 or 5 times I visited was that if you're not part of their "in-crowd" you're pretty much a second class citizen. So unless you're there alone on a laptop and/or smelling of BO, it's not really the kind of place to waste your time/money.

Pros: Great location

Cons: Everything else

06/02/2008 Posted by contrasttx

I love epoch, it's my favorite coffee house in Austin. The feel in Austin-y pre anything called SoCo. The music is edgy. I can study there or just hang out. The food is great, especially the pizza. The people there are amazing and interesting.

Pros: people

Cons: sometimes, during finals, it may be hard to find a seat

11/20/2007 Posted by bigearth

There's nothing that Epoch offers that another nearby coffee house like the Flightpath doesn't, except maybe a view of the graveyard. The coffee is fine, but nothing special. The atmosphere is fine, but nothing special. The artwork is so-so. The service is awful. And it isn't awful in a way where everyone laughs that the waitress just called you "hun" while making fun of your car. It was awful in the way that the first time I went to Epoch, the guy at the counter overcharged me and made my drink wrong. It was awful the secod time I went when the woman at the counter asked me to bus someone else's table before I sat down. Of course, they may have already fired those employees, but I will always recommend the more established and all around better Flightpath just down the street.

04/16/2007 Posted by macscruff

I overheard the owner, whom I think may actually be a Hobbit, say he hoped that it would not become the kind of coffee shop full of students with laptops. Well, thats what you can expect here. but the staff is great, great set up and overall a really cool place to hang with friends. The coffee is good, even though they dont seem to roast it themselves. But one thing is really awful, the MoJo, dont try it.

Pros: good coffee

Cons: students with laptops