Donkey Coffee & Espresso

Nice atmosphere, lots of room, lots of tables and furniture, great wifi. The coffee, both espresso and drip are kind of middle of the road. The baristas have no qualms about serving you bad espresso but the service is usually good. The sweet flavored drinks could probably use some help. Sometimes the line is pretty long. But, for the space to study and work, it’s worth enduring the menu. Sometimes you actually end up with something tasty depending on the barista!

Donkey is your typical college coffee shop. It’s calm, cool, and casual with a funky, artsy atmosphere.
I adored it.
The front room is more coffee shop-​like while the back room brings you to more tables, armchairs, and a place for performers to perform. It’s a great spot to get some work done, play a board game with friends, or enjoy some conversation. If I went to Ohio University, I would have been here all the time.
I highly doubt I’ll be in this town again (who knows), but if I ever am, I’m heading straight here for a chai tea latte. Sooo good.

Great coffee, ambiance, and the best baristas in town. They are open early as well as catering to the late night crowd.

I absolutely love donkey coffee. It has a cozy and unique atmosphere different than any coffee shop I’ve been to. The service is friendly and fast, even with a very long line. It’s a great place to do homework or just relax with a cup of coffee. Probably one of my favorite coffee shops I’ve ever been to

Lovely service, personalized and caring workers. Really went the extra mile to ascertain my satisfaction. Fun coffeeshop flavors/​inventions, cool place for an out of towner to explore.

Loved this place when I first moved here… now I don’t feel comfortable going in. All of the drinks are INCREDIBLE but some of the baristas are so sarcastic and rude. Great coffee, pretty expensive, but definitely not worth feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed by the baristas.

I hate this place’s name, but that’s irrelevant I guess. The soy latte I get is STRONG, which I don’t like, but it was good. Really cool atmosphere with almost hidden rooms in the back. Pretty small like everywhere else around here. Employees are often pretentious, e.g. If you don’t know what a certain thing on their menu is, but if you ask for their suggestions they are more than helpful.

I want to like Donkey, but it’s just middling — at least on my two visits. The last visit was last Sunday and the line was so very slow. I do coffee places everywhere and I understand the art of making a good cup, but they are just slow here. We ended up with two Americanos which were undrinkable. Nice space.

My husband owns a coffee shop, so we often check out other shops when traveling. Donkey Coffee (we haven’t figured out the story behind the name) is the quintessential college coffee shop. The interior is dark, and has successive rooms that draw you in. The front area seems to be for chatting/​socializing, the middle room for board games, music or other social activities, and the huge back room (with its little tables, comfy sofas, and mismatched lamps) for quiet studying — I seem to recall a sign directing visitors to mute the cell phone. Throw in a barista who was heavily pierced, bearded, tatted, AND wearing a kilt, and you know you are in a college town. The power chai was really good, and the brownie was as advertised — dense and a little dry. I didn’t see food other than baked goods, but I think they might carry a little more. I did, however, see a customer come back into the study room with a tea tray: teapot, cup and creamer. Impressive.
Donkey is a well-​rounded shop, providing space for musicians, poetry slams, and other entertainment activities. They also have a strong social justice focus, according to their web page. Overall, it is easy to understand how they were voted best coffee shop in Ohio. definitely worth another visit.

I can’t even explain how much I love this place. Not only is it my favorite coffee shop of all time, it’s probably one of my favorite places to be.
Donkey is the ultimate coffeehouse. Great prices, amazing drinks, and a friendly, calm atmosphere that goes unmatched by any other shop. The staff is ultra-​friendly and will always help you decide on the best drink for your current tastes.
It’s a staple in the collective Athens consciousness and it breathes granola-​flavored DIY vibes with its bulletin boards, collaborative bathroom chalkboards, and frequent evening gatherings.
There isn’t a square foot of Donkey that doesn’t feel like home.

I’m in love: What the #coffeeshop used to be in the days of my #90skid youth before the big corporate take-​overs.
Minus the smoke clouds and teen angst.
(And they have almond milk.)
#Delicious.

Apparently the best coffeehouse in Athens, and possibly the best chai latte in Ohio. I like the fact that they offer soy and almond milk for free, for us lactose-​intolerants.
Nice space for students to work at, with plenty of couches and tables with power strips to charge their electronics.
—- DRINKS —-
Vanilla Chai Latte: 5 stars
Tasty, fragrant, slightly sweet.
Spiced Chai Latte: 4 stars
Not as aromatic as the vanilla, and not particularly spicy (see Tiger Spice Chai at Coupa Café in Palo Alto). More like a regular (flat) chai latte.
Latte: 3.5 stars

Best coffee shop in Athens hands-​down. Friendly staff and owners. Very eclectic design and great place to study if you can deal with some background noise (usually some good music). Owners are socially conscious and active community members. Plus the coffee is great especially with the all-​day refill option.

Great atmosphere and very friendly, enthusiastic staff. They know how to make a good drink. My only complaint is that the roast they use for espresso is a burnt one. Espresso should be sweet.

Snowville Latte. Perfectly steamed, mildly sweet, comforting, awesome. This place is fantastic and a great place to hang out. There is ample seating and you can even pick up a board game downstairs to pass the time.

Go to Donkey! You won’t be disappointed. We turned off of 33 into the charming town of Athens where we found high octane coffee drinks at Donkey. The staff was friendly and funny. I will always make it a point to stop at Donkey when traveling through this part of the country. No goats, just great coffee! Stay wired, stay weird!

This is my second time here. I love the feel of this coffee shop. The white chocolate latte was real tasty. It is a good place for collage students to hang out who are under 21!

Employees are rude. They constantly talk about customers behind their back. Coffee used to be ok, but in the last year or two it has really gone down hill. Prices remain high. This is a place for desperate college students who have no idea what good coffee is. If you are looking for decent coffee head down to the corner of court and union. It’s not great, but it is the best in town.

Who knew that Athens had hipsters? If you’re looking for them, you can find them working at Donkey. For years I have heard my cousin tell me about how good Donkey is. I finally got to try the coffee when I headed down to Athens for a couple days.
I got my go to espresso drink a Americano. It was decent and the price was good. I loved the vibe of the place. It seemed like the type of coffee shop that I would frequent in my hipsterish neighborhood in Chicago.

One of my favorite coffee shops, and I have only been here once. I spent about 3 hours, so this is a fair evaluation. I love the atmosphere with local and organic fair trade coffee. They have gluten and lactose free options for those with restricted diets. I tried the Power Chai, so very delicious. The strawberry mango smoothie was fantastic too! I took the plunge on their large crumble cake. I could not put it down until I finished the entire thing.
There are couches and tables that fit any study mode you are in. The music is pleasant and only barely audible to block out the quiet moments. I hear that they have interesting live performances on weekends. The shop is much larger than it looks on the outside. It is two floors plus a patio.
Definitely recommended, for those in the area.