Green Muse Café

STAY AWAY!
The most unprofessional encounter I have ever had in my entire life.
The proprietor was rude and yelling. And drove several customers out.
I am blown away by the amount of disrespect.

I LOVED this place.
Used to frequent The Green Muse last summer, as they were right around the corner from my work spot, 1^st and Oltorf.
Stepping through the door, I was met with cold air (which was WONDERFUL considering we don’t have a/​c at our studio,) subtle lighting and superb music floating through the atmosphere… ranging from crackling 1920s jazz records to heavy 60s psychedelic dirges to Kraftwerk to vintage french pop and beyond.
It was a great place to just drop into a pocket and hang out. The vibe was relaxed and classy, without being stuck up. The people hanging out were never talking loudly or making a scene when I was there, which is nice. Sometimes it can be very difficult to find a good balanced environment like that, one that seduces you into staying for a while.
I loved reading, writing, contemplating, meeting up with friends (etc,) on the shaded back patio next to the pond and wild sunflowers bobbing in the breeze.
Their coffee was delicious and strong, and service good.
I went there last year on my birthday morning, only to find the doors were locked and lights out.
I miss this south Austin gem.

It makes me oh-​so-​sad to leave this review now, as the last time I came by, I saw the doors were locked and closed up, and The Muse is no more. Makes me sad I’ve only just started Unilocaling!
The Green Muse was my favorite coffee shop in Austin, with so many to choose from, none ever compared for me. Super wonderful staff, my favorite mocha, no pretention and about the coolest interior ever. It breaks my heart because I feel that business probably suffered so much from when they had a fire on their beautiful patio, and they were never able to recover. I wish it wasn’t so.
Goodbye Green Muse, and thanks for all that you did. I’ll miss you!

I came to Green Muse wanting to grab a bite to eat and a tea (to go). Here’s how this went down:
Me: Do you all do to-​go orders?
Guy Behind the Counter: Meh (shrugs and looks around at everyone sitting), that just depends on what you want.
Me: How about a wrap and cup of tea?
Guy: We’re all out of wraps
Me: Okay, well then how about a ham panini?
Guy: We’re all out of paninis
Me: Gotcha. Bye!
Now why this man did not just tell me in the first place that he did not want to give me an order to-​go, I have no clue. This was at 6pm on a Tuesday, so it’s not like it was right at closing time! I agree with the other reviewer who said they walked in and the guy was being a douche, so they walked back out. That was my experience. I like to support local businesses, but this one is not representative of the friendly and helpful Austin local businesses I have patronized. I will not be returning.

Green Muse is a hit or a miss. Their tea, coffee, and snacks have never disappointed me, but everything else about this business is unpredictable.
On a good day GM offers a spacious work place and a pleasant atmosphere. The back patio is a cool space with comfortable chairs and a mini pond. If you are coming to GM to hang out with a friend that’s cool too, just use your «indoor voices» as to blend in. The baristas are competent and can sometimes be really friendly. The décor in GM is unique and provides some nice eye candy.
On a bad day, your barista will be hard to find. They operate with one barista, which makes sense because sometimes GM can be pretty empty. But whether it’s busy or slow, be prepared to wait to place your order. Their music can be conducive to working/​hanging out or it can be abrasive and distracting. I think it’s cool that the owner (s) allows the barista to chose the tunes, but there is no consistency here. Customers need to come prepared with earphones, which reflects poorly on GM’s customer service/​focus.
On a really bad day, GM will just be flat out closed. You’ll show up and there will be no sign on the door. Heck, they don’t post their hours on their door so they really aren’t setting any expectations. Their Facebook page says they are open from 10AM — 10PM, but Unilocal lists they are open from 8AM-​12AM. The tendency to randomly not be open at noon on a Tuesday is something they really need to address if they want to hold on to customers.
The truth is that South 1^st has tons of other coffee shops, so if you catch GM on a bad day you won’t be stranded. But with all the competition around the area I don’t see how GM will be successful unless management cleans up their act.

I heart the Muse.
Free WiFi, groovy tunes throughout the establishment, excellent brewed beverages and an amazing tea selection.
Eddie’s Perfect Morning: Grab The Chronicle, head to The Muse, order a Café Americano or a cup of Gunpowder tea, roll a cigarette and read on the patio.

With all the five star reviews for this place, I was expecting to walk into the Garden of Eden. Sad to say it, but I’d have to say that this place is only about average.
Like most of my reviews, the Green Muse is ranking points mostly for atmosphere and building technicalities. I’m not a coffee drinker so I just had iced tea here. So, just to be clear, YES, I am that a-​hole who spent $ 3.75 and four hours at a café only to give it a par review.
The bar dudes were SUPER friendly and seemed to know everybody who walked in, and vice versa.
I just had a black iced tea, but I swear it was so strong, I could taste the caffeine in it. If their coffee is anything like their tea, I suspect you will reach a whole new level of hyper and vigor even puppies can’t achieve. (Warning: Jazzy music + highly caffeinated human = strong urges to get up and lindy hop in seating area.)
A+ for atmosphere. Big tables with lots of outlets (they’re under the benches for those of you who are like me and thought that people were plugging their laptops into invisible outlets). Fun, wonderland-​like décor helps to take off the pressure of doing work at a place like this.
Complaint #1: I was sitting inside and there was not nearly enough air conditioning in there, and this is coming from a person who is ALWAYS freezing, even in summer. Yes, I know it’s 100 degrees out and it’s TX so it’s bound to be hot, but that’s my point exactly! How do you survive in TX without adequate air conditioning? I got a cold whiff in the hall on my way to the bathroom so the air was blowing but I was still roasting like a turkey.
Complaint #2: There were tiny flies, fruit flies perhaps, that would not leave me alone, making me doubt the cleanliness behind the scenes, and seriously paranoid about people thinking I smell/didn’t shower/​live in a dirt cloud, even though hygiene is #1 on my list.
So, despite all of the awesomeness, I left the Green Muse four hours and two pit stains later after developing a weary arm from swatting flies. I’ll give it another go in a few weeks when it starts cooling down and the outdoor patio is more appealing.

I agree with some of the reviews on here that point to the «douchey attitude» of the people working here. On occasion, the person behind the counter can be bothered to stop writing poetry in his moleskin notebook to take your drink order.
This joint attracts a lot of café-​sitters who spend hours nursing one cup of coffee and enjoying the free Wi-​Fi. (Better here than Starbucks, at least). I frankly don’t understand how this place stays in business.
They have like 5 things on the menu including absinthe.
If you’re writing your vampire novel on your MacBook Pro, this is the place for you!

I walked in, the man behind the counter who seemed to be the owner had a douchey attitude and gave the whole place a shitty vibe.
I ordered nothing and left.

Let’s say you wanted to listen to a bluegrass version of Metallica, meet a turtle and count a hundred rockets. This is your place.
GM has: caffeine, free wifi (solid), outlets, food is pressed sandwiches/​cookies/​bagels/​brownies, two unisex bathrooms, friendly baristas, huge covered patio (you’d be safe with a book in a rain storm out there), parking and they close pretty late
heads up: If you’re going there to study you should bring headphones. There are kiddo’s afoot.

There’s a palpable spirit of community here that makes it feel homey. The baristas are diligent in acknowledging your waiting at the counter if they’re busy in the back: ‘I’ll be right with you in a moment’ carries more positive weight than we admit. Being able to chat briefly about how the staff’s doing, the weather, subtle differences in coffee methods, the latest improv show to hit theaters or which wine is appropriate for what currently ails you. I’ve shared a picnic table with three others, resulting in one voluntarily buying my party a coffee, just for sharing. Sharing is caring here, and I like that.
MONICHA’S PRODUCTIVITY ASSESSMENT:
— PARKING: the business sharing a building with the Muse is pretty strict about reserving their spots for their own clients, but thankfully there were a few generously open from the neighboring Mango Money Center (which honest-​to-​God resembles a yogurt place). During busier times however, I fear spaces are scarce.
— TABLE BREADTH: most tables are large enough to spread out your work, at least in the front room. About 7 two-​seaters in the front, plus more in the patio, making for a good round number if you don’t mind sharing during busier times.
— LIGHTING: excellent inside, insufficient outside.
— MUSIC CHOICE: sometimes lends itself to my getting shit done. Heard a sometimes-​disruptive-​sometimes-​cute album from DJ Yoda on a Wed evening, followed by studious Django-​like gypsy jazz.
— FOOD: quality coffee, wine/​beer selection, sweet baked square things. Paninis are good, and fun to pronounce. Say it with me: /p’ni ni/​Now if they just made frittatas…

The Muse is my hang! I have been going to this place since it was the 503. The coffee is pretty good, not the best in town, but if you get a tall with a shot of espresso its perfect.
What i like the most about it is the décor, it was «steam punk» before some pretentious ass from the burning man «community» coined the word.
I also like the diverse music range of music the staff plays, I could care less if its loud or its Hungarian Folk music, or if its Gay Electronic or Communist Skinhead Reggae or fucking Perverted Country. I don’t go there to study, i don’t go there to «work» on a cornputer.

Torture. Seriously. I get that one of the few perks of a barista is to choose the music but 1+hours of 60’s and 70’s style Indian, middle-​eastern, and Romanian music? It’s HORRIBLE and honestly, I think it’s crap that screechy, dissonant music isn’t on the «unallowed» music list. I asked nicely if she’d consider changing music for us and got a negative. She said it was was what «she» was listening to right now. Well, as long as «she“s happy. I wrote that the service had gotten better here as of late — guess that’s not entirely true.
The other issue has been really slow wi-​fi and getting disconnected.
Okay, I’ve gotten this out of my system.

I went here twice in one day. Seriously. Who knew that there lived a little garden oasis on Oltof and South First?
The inside of this place has lots of great space, outlets and stained concrete. Its cool, clean with a decent menu and coffee written on this huge blackboard. The back is a zen, tiered area with big tables, a garden pool, turtles and folks chillin’ with laptops. We had an incredible proscuitto sammy and an iced coffee.
It;s just a nice spot to grab a snack and some wifi. I’ll be back to try the Mediterranean plate — gotta keep populating that hummus list!

While I would normally award The Green Muse with a bitchin review because it is my hangout spot at night where I can get some work done i recently had a rather cocky run in with the guy behind the counter.
I went in for my refill of coffee to find no one behind the bar and other customers waiting; I poked my head around and into the back and saw no one; the girl sitting down near the counter said «he left» so I gathered a dollar for my refill and helped myself to a fresh refill of coffee only to be interrupted as he rushed out of the bathroom to belittle me and tell me «to never do that again» and tell me how «not cool» it was that I was grabbing a cup of coffee.
It would be one thing if he apologized and said he was sorry for not being there because he was taking a shit but to grab the dollar out of my hand, throw it in the register and shake his head at me kind of put me over the top.
I attempted to explain myself and he ignored me; what a prick!
So screw you Green Muse, enjoy your dollar!

I’m not sure how many times I’ve been here, but it’s definitely been more than once and all visits have been great experiences.
The dining partner wanted to grab coffee after our meal tonight and being that we were right down the street, I couldn’t resist insisting that we venture on down to the Green Muse.
The employees all look like too-​cool-​for-​school kids, but they’re some of the most engaging people you could ever encounter. They have a great patio. You might end up having a pretty great conversation about the Jersey shore with someone at the next table, or perhaps the topic of the night would be D.B. Cooper, or maybe what is oddly attractive about one of the event posters inside. It’s probably my favorite coffee shop in town and whenever I am there again, I always have the feeling like it’s been too long since I’ve been back.
It’s been nice, Green Muse. See you soon.

I usually go here if I want something different from my usual coffee hangout. (Guess which one?) Anyway, I enter and it is quiet with the inside being dark in terms of the dark wooden panels which reminds you of being in a pub.
I go to the counter and no one is there but someone usually comes in a minute or two. There’s not much on the menu with the exception of obviously coffee, espresso drinks, panini’s and a few pastries. Plenty of seating in the inside and the outside.
The patio on the outside is pretty cool. The back of the patio is almost like a stage area where there is plenty of tables and in the front there is a garden. The patio is protected with a tarp. Though I don’t know if you really want to rely on it when it really rains.
The coffee is strong. So that’s a plus. The panini’s are good. I find myself going to the patio and working. Hey why not take advantage of a good patio space.

You know, this is another of those «half star» moments. I think the Muse deserves more than three but less than four.
There’s a beautiful tiered patio with tons of outlets out back, and the nifty little gardens and fountains make it really peaceful. The music is properly volumed; I don’t know what Karen B is referring to, since my biggest complaint with the Muse is that it’s TOO quiet.
When I want to write, study, read, or otherwise be left alone, the Muse makes a great choice. The problem is that if I do want to have a conversation with someone, I feel like that ass being loud in a library; it’s almost EERILY quiet. I suppose that whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing entirely depends on you and your mood.
The interior is cool — retro in a strangely steampunk theme — and I like it. I’ve already commented on the beautiful patio, and the inside seating, which limited, is very comfortable and well-​arranged.
The coffee is tasty, and the baked goods are acceptably good. I haven’t tried the sandwiches, but I’ve heard good things. The beer selection is actually pretty impressive for a coffee shop.
I wouldn’t take a big group, but it’s cool for two or three people to hang out quietly. I guess I like the place, it’s just that I’m not a quiet kind of person, so it rarely fits my vibe, ya dig?

After ½ day of flying and getting stuck with crappy airport food choices, I felt right at home at the Green Muse. Conveniently located near my friend’s house in South Austin area, this café has a warm, inviting vibe with a relaxing outside patio to boot.
Since it was muggy outside, I opted for a mint flavored Italian soda and paired it with a prosciutto panini. Warm toasted focaccia with thin slices of salty prosciutto, creamy mozzarella, sweet red onions and fresh sliced tomatoes served with a pickle on the side. The perfect panini to grub on while reconnecting with an old friend and meeting new ones.
Their paninis range from $ 4.50 to $ 8 and includes a few vegetarian options. Their adorable latte art will surely put a smile to your face. Be patient when ordering, the day I came in, this café was running on a one-​man operation.

When CC’s Coffee House left The Drag I cried a little inside because I thought I’d have to say goodbye to my Chai soy latte addiction. And then I met the Green Muse and the crackie inside me was happy once again.
The muse also has an interesting beer selection that I’ve gotten to enjoy while sitting on their spacious back patio. On a brisk fall evening, it’s nice to chat it up with friends out there where you won’t get scowled at for being too loud (not the case on the inside). And my friend liked their panini.
No Absinthe offerrings, though. So you don’t have to worry about hallucinating café dwellers when visiting. I’d say that’s a plus!