Austin Java

I was excited to see an Austin Java in the airport. I waited patiently in line, ordered my iced latte (I love Austin Java’s iced latte!!), and waited again for my drink. I think it took about 10 – 15 min to get my latte. But Austin Java’s iced lattes are worth the wait. I will drive across town to my fav Austin Java location (Victory Drive– the guys there are fabulous and make the best coffee drinks with a smile) so I don’t mind a little wait for coffee heaven.
However what I got was a drink that tasted like burnt cigarette butts. I drank a few sips and threw it out. I was so disappointed.

I know there was another Austin Java in a different location in the airport but this Austin Java in this review was located near gate 14. It wasn’t the big one as seen in the Unilocal picture. I ordered a Caramel Dream and it took maybe 5 minutes to prepare. There were a handful of people before so I had to wait for their orders to be made. The Caramel Dream was good but scolding hot. The cardboard cup sleeve wasn’t enough and I kept switching hands to hold my cup. The food they had was nothing special and I decided to not buy anything to eat. The staff were friendly and a good place to grab some coffee or food.

Good variety of fresh coffee and pastries. The cranberry scone and vanilla coffee was excellent There is a computer-​based ordering system that was confusing so gave up on it. Coffee condiment station was a little messy. Service was slow.

GET YOUR COFFEE SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE AIRPORT, AT LEAST YOUR SCONE! So, it’s early and you have to catch a flight and you need your caffiene fix. Move along lil partner becuase they are so rude here and your scone will taste like a rock with flour on it. Plus, pushy fellow travelers at the kiosk, thinking they are more important than you and need to elbow their way in to grab their half-​and-​half.
Austin Java is actually good in other loctions, but not this one.

My coffee was decent however I was completely confused with the kiosk that actually has the coffee and then the barista’s taking your order.
I also got caught in the middle of a small herd of angry business people swarming the kiosk — I hope they were on their way HOME from our amazing city (I’m talking to *you* pushy laydee hogging the milk).
A little too early and foggy for picking complicated drinks off the menu so I was quite satisfied with my coffee and a good book waiting for my flight.

This place deserves a top notch rating just for NOT being Starbucks. And I LOVE Starbucks. But I also love a little local flavor, and this place is that.
I got an iced — tea, yes, hard to go wrong, but also REAL BREWED iced-​tea, and a good flavor at that.
Tons of pastries, snacks, to go sandwiches, etc. Also, bottled drinks. Very good selection, very clean, and also a great place to sit and people watch.

Not a coffee fiend, but I do like a cup of java now and again. Stopping here on the way to Cali on NYE, needed a quick pick-​me-​up after drinking at BNA and on the plane.
The coffee quantity was generous for the price, and I had no issues with the flavor either. However, I note that the shop closed at 6pm though there were still quite a few people traveling and in the concourse. I wanted some water and was surprised to see the barista cleaning up. Oh well, it was NYE after all!

MMMMMM. I am a breakfast food FIEND! Any place that gives me mimosas, unlimited coffee choices, french toast, bacon, egg-​in-​the-​hole toast, and make your own breakfast tacos ranks #1 in my book.
This is the kind of dinner that has something for everyone. Where else can you get a breakfast taco with avocado, bacon, gouda, and egg? Though it is Austin (a foodie town providing something for all types), I am STILL impressed when I have soy available at the coffee bar to put in my coffee. Their make your own ingredient options are endless just like their coffee combinations. When I don’t want to cook and I want something homey, this is where I go :)

Such a landmark in town (and the reasons why are debatable), but a landmark that has just given up any pretense of providing quality to travelers. I stop by here on every morning flight simply because of a lack of anything else to grab for breakfast. And each time, the offerings are skimpier, staler, smaller, and more expensive. This morning’s muffins were ridiculously gross.
Oh, by the way — a few years ago, we were almost ripped off by an employee here. He overcharged the drawer, so he could skim cash off the top. Because we checked our bill before we left, we were able to correct the error and neither us nor the store were robbed. We wrote a letter to management about the incident.
Guess who waited on me this morning — same person. That’s how much they care about the customers here — crappy food, crappy service, and a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ chance of getting ripped off.

The worst airport coffee anywhere. Period.
The airport Austin Java is an embarrassment to the city of Austin, and as another Unilocaler pointed out below, it makes you yearn for a Starbucks which is tragic in its own right.
If the city feels compelled to give exclusive airport monopolies to local businesses, the least they could do is an occasional quality check to see if these airport local businesses are actually satisfying their customers and putting out a decent product.
Austin Java at the airport has some of the weakest, nastiest, swill labeled as coffee I’ve ever consumed. And, to top it off, it’s usually served to you with indifference or a semi-​scowl.
Putting good local businesses in the airport is a decent idea, but lets put some in that make Austin look good to visitors, not bad. At the very least, allow some competition so that those of us who have to fly out of AUS early in the morning don’t leave town with a lack of coffee headache.

Oh how you differ from the other Austin Java’s in town. I’ve been a repeat customer for the d-​town and Barton Springs Austin Javas since I discovered them several years ago, and I’m a big advocate for supporting local businesses, however, this Austin Java airport location has a lot of opportunity for improvement in professionalism and customer service. They’re what we refer to as the «polar opposite».
I was excited to see Austin Java here, this one is located next to Gate 15. I check out their refrigerated options — — sure the prices are high, but I guess that comes w/​the territory — — no problem, I pick out a few things and get in line.
There’s 4 people in line patiently waiting, and there’s no one behind the counter (uh oh). So we all stand there and wait… and wait… and wait… and wait. Several minutes go by and someone finally asks «WTF is she?» Someone else responds: «I think she went to the back to get something, but I’m not sure». So we continue to wait…
By now about 10 minutes have passed (yup — I know), and 3 people in line have dropped out and left (lost business). Finally — she shows up, no explanation, no apology, no signage, and she starts to ring up the first person — then starts making their latte.
Now I’m all about efficency, multi-​tasking, and parallel tasks. So in other words, if the machine takes a while (i.e. to heat up the milk), don’t just stand there and play w/​your cell phone, but DO SOMETHING ELSE — — like bag up the order, or ring up the next person. Seriously, WTF? Another 3 – 4 minutes go by as I am starting to get impatient. She completes the order, bags up the rest of the items for the customer, and now it’s my turn.
She rings up my 3 items and my hands are full with a carry on and my laptop bag, and yet she doesn’t offer me a bag for my purchases (as she did to the person before me). «Can I have a bag, please?». She gets a bag and sets it on top of my stuff, and there’s no communication (i.e. «thank you» or «have a nice day»). Even though she bagged up the previous order she doesn’t follow suit with me. I am now irritated, there’s an obvious breakdown in training and standard work.
So as I bag up my things I tell her know how severely disappointed I am with the lack of customer service and professionalism, and that I will be letting Austin Java know. Her response? She *shrugs*. How conveeeeniant.
My hard earned money is not appreciated here, and that only motivates me to make the time to plan ahead and bring my own goodies into the airport from outside vendors w/​o having to pay premium prices, and — in return — receive below average customer service and ROI.
Methinks not.

Strap yourselves in folks. This is just the beginning of a string of reviews chronicling my long weekend with Jen L. in Palm Desert, CA. Keep in mind they can be read individually or as a series.
It’s 6 AM. The only thing I could think of was «So this is what 6 AM looks like… sober.» I had a 7:45 AM flight and I have now been up since 9 AM the day before. I figured if I had to wake up at 5:15, if I went to bed I’d never get up. So after an evening of endless YouTube loops, a diet Red Bull, and a totally random (stressful) viewing of «Not Without My Daughter» on the Netflix (don’t ask), I found myself at Bergstrom waiting to fly out.
I was surprised to see this Austin Java outpost at the airport. I had loved the NW restaurant 10 years ago as my favorite place to go eat while skipping class. Too bad it was shut down.
This line was longer than the ones at the other food places, so I figured it’d be good. It took a little while to get to the counter, and it was totally crowded with all the people waiting for their orders.
I noticed that there didn’t seem to be any iced drinks listed on the menu, nor a little message stating that anything could be poured over ice. So when I got up to the clerk I asked if I could get my caffe mocha on ice and she said yes, thank God.
Two people changed their orders to iced and the lady behind me ordered the same thing as me. I’m such a trendsetter.
The coffee tasted alright.
I also ordered a chocolate chip scone, which is what I suspect dried– out crumbling cardboard would taste like. Morning pastry FAIL.
I ate half of it reading an Us magazine before deciding two things: 1.) I was ready to throw it out; and 2.) Robert Pattinson is gay and Kristen Stewart is his hag.
Get me to California already.

1. The teenager who was texting on her cell and couldn’t get off to help customers.
2. The teenager who says «WTF» while trying to run my credit card since she was not sliding it right.
3. The manager who was gossiping with another worker and not paying attention at all.
4. The stocking person who made my iced coffee in 20 mins and put whip cream on it despite my saying not to.
These are the reasons for the 1 star!

The airport favors local businesses so there isn’t a Starbucks at every gate like at most airports in the US. Actually, you won’t even find one Starbucks here.
Instead there is this local java stop which has all the standard fixings for an airport caffee/​pastry shop.
The day I visited there was a live musician performing on the stage right behind the coffee stand. I charged my laptop and enjoyed the music while waiting for my flight and sipping my coffee.
I’m giving this place a 5 star mainly because they are the only alternative at the Austin Airport. So yeah, compared to no coffee, I’d have theirs any day!

This review is about the chocolate chip scones ONLY. I took one bite, while standing in line for my flight, and internally screamed ‘YECHHH!” What was that? Did I just eat a bar of baking soda? Did they actually bake this and intend on feeding it to people? Guh-​ross! It literally tasted like something they cooked with flour, baking soda and salt, devoid of any flavor that resembled what I consider a scone (and I am quite the scone aficionado if I do say so myself). I sadly threw the rest of the scone in the trash and boarded my flight.
I did not have the coffee, but did have the fruit cup, which was edible. I guess they can’t screw up on something some other company made right?

This coffee establishment makes me wish Starbucks was in the airport… I might even be willing to drink Mcdonalds coffee over this.
I hate this place so much I wait to get on the plane to drink crappy Southwest Coffee. Yum.
Both locations are horribly run, slow, dirty, and have crappy service. Being the only coffee establishment in the airport they must make millions but I think if they ran this place properly they could make billions.
My issues with these locations are numerous.
–The baked goods are horrible. usually ½ frozen. how do you mess up a blueberry muffin?
–numerous times the espresso machine has been broken and they are only serving drip coffee
–It usually looks like they are going out of business…
–they only have two sizes of coffee. huge and double big gulp… I’m getting on an a plane… I don’t need 60oz of coffee.
Maybe you could close this place down and give someone else a chance to run a quality coffee business?

The coffee is good at the airport AJ’s, but the pastries are heavy, lacking in flavor, and not a good use of your calories. If my plane was not leaving like THAT SECOND, I would have gone over to satiate my love affair with Waterloo breakfast tacos.
I ordered a blueberry scone, and the counterman was nice enough to ask me if I was sure because most of the ones that were left were all broken. I went for the muffin instead, and, well… eh.
At least there was not a twist tie in my food like last time. That’s good, right?

This is for the Austin Java near gate 14…
They have eggnog lattes, which makes my tired head happy while I sit here typing away… I know it’s not the «real» Austin Java, but I don’t really care. It’s not starbucks and its in an airport. They also have seatting for people who buy a latte behind the store, along the window… which is where I am typing from right now, waiting on my delayed flight… de de do…

Ok, this is not Austin Java. It is not fun, the employees are airport employees, and the store gives no Austin feel. To me, it makes you feel like you are ordering coffee from a gas station. The only thing I like about the shop in the Airport is the Austin Java logo.
I can make this comparison because Amy’s Ice Cream is also in the airport and remains hip and true to it’s other Austin locations.
I will gladly update my comments when I see improvement as I travel through the airport weekly.

I really like the full-​sized Austin Java restaurants all over Austin. The two in the airport… not so much.
These carry a standard panoply of coffee house drinks (including chai — so yay for that), baked goods, fruit, and some pre-​made salads and wraps. The wraps cost between $ 7 and $ 8 and are completely unremarkable. They also carry «smoothies,» but these aren’t like any smoothie I’ve ever had. There are only two flavors — strawberry banana and mocha — and I think they are pre-​made, as I didn’t see any blending going on after I ordered one. And they taste basically like a glorified slushie drink to me. The Odwalla smoothie line tastes much more like a traditional smoothie than these.
There are actually two Austin Java locations in the airport — one between gates 9 and 10, and one near gate 15. The one near gate 15 is FAR superior. The service at the gate ⁹⁄₁₀ location always seems to be pretty sullen and unhelpful, not to mention painfully slow. And the line always seems to be longer there to begin with, probably due to its more central location. If you’re going to go to one of these — which you may well want to, since I believe it’s the only place in ABIA where you can get a coffee drink that isn’t just plain coffee — go to the one near gate 15. It’s worth trekking the extra few gates.