Espresso NEAT

As noted the coffee us expensive, but high quality — I thought the espresso here was good but it’s definitely on the sour side so I think it depends on personal preference in terms of whether you like it or not. Great outdoor seating area in the courtyard outside, where there is also a fountain.

To put it simply, this is hands down the best coffee shop in the entire county, and even rivals the best of the Manhattan coffee shops. This location is also great, comfortable inside, with outdoor seating and the fountain, tucked away off Rt. 1 in absolutely picture-​perfect Darien.

Love the place, hate the prices. I came here on a Saturday morning to grab some caffeine and get some studying in. It’s a very comfortable coffee shop and really great staff. I didn’t know what to order so I talked to one of the baristas and told her what I liked and didn’t like. We ultimately decided on a flat white. I’d have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed my drink, but in my opinion it was a little expensive for what I got.

Order consisted of a cortado, 2 Americano’s and a pour over. Cortado and pour over were above average. Americano’s were well BELOW average and we discarded them.

Perfect coffee. Delish tea. Items for kids and stuff for them to play with, yet a nice coffee shop atmosphere. I love the tap of sparkling water.

No doubt about this place deserves 5 stars. The staff here is amazing– attentive, knowledgeable, laid back and funny. The espresso and coffee here is absolutely perfect. The consistency is amazing and I have never been disappointed. I am more than willing to drive out of my way to come to Neat and prefer it over Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks any day. One of my favorite things about Neat is that they offer almond milk and it’s never bitter or burnt tasting. I wish there was one that was closer to where I live because I would undoubtedly be here every day. If you try Neat out be careful– you can easily become hooked!

I used to come here everyday for tea with almond milk. They recently changed their tea selection and now it costs $ 4.75 for a small cup of tea –around 8 oz (they don’t have medium or large cups). I thought $ 3.75 was steep before. Coming from NYC, I can’t believe it is more expensive in CT! They also take about 10 – 15 minutes to make the tea for a to-​go order so it was cold by the time I actually got it ! What happened to tea bags and letting the customer steep it to how they like it. Sadly they lost me as a really, regular customer. Not to mention the taste was nothing like a black tea, it tasted like potpourri.

Best coffee with in the area. Many people don’t know how to properly pull a shot of espresso. For those that say Starbucks is better, I hope to god they are kidding. Starbucks hasn’t made real coffee for a few years now. Only pumpkin spice chai soy bull crap. Neat takes the time to craft one cup at a time. I always recommend this place to friends looking for serious coffees.

What a great coffee shop! Try the espressos! I had the mocha one — it was life changing! The name lives up to the sleek, neat look.

I love trying new coffee spots. I don’t believe in limiting yourself to one. Anyway, I went here the other day and got my usual (I have to try this at every coffee shop) a dirty Chai latte and an iced Americano. The Americano was good because all it was was an espresso with water. Can’t mess that up. My dirty chai on the other hand, could have been made better. It tasted more like steamed milk with some coffee and chai than the other way around. The coffee is good but I don’t think the barista who made my coffee knew what they were doing.

Delicious. Somewhat snooty atmosphere. Be prepared to wait for your coffee to be carefully made — worth the wait. A touch on the pricey side. For me, not a spot for everyday coffee, but good for the occasional splurge.

The coffee was fine but for $ 4.30 I expected a lot more flavor. Seriously? $ 4.30 for a cup of regular coffee!

Great alternative to the major coffee chains. Limited seating, however, there are a few seats outside. Nothing like blue bottle quality but for CT coffee shops, this is probably the best so far. I tend to opt for a pour over but when in a rush, their premade drip is fine too.

Coffee is pricey, but that coffee be jammin good! I’ve only tried the regular coffee hot and iced so don’t have too much to share besides it is delicious.

Espresso Neat is expensive, but worth it for coffee lovers.
They have fabulous outdoor, courtyard seating when the weather is nice. This café is a hidden gem in Darien found on a side street off the noisy post road.
They have some generic, somewhat dry and overpriced pastry options. But the coffee, service, and atmosphere here really warrant 4 stars.
If you’re trying to cut down on your caffeine intake, try their Mexican Hot Chocolate made with Chipotle infused mocha and cinnamon. A luxurious treat that will warm you up on the winter.
The staff here are speedy, knowledgeable and efficient. Why bother with Starbucks or dunks down the street when you could enjoy a far superior beverage for the same price.

Was driving from nyc to Vermont and came here as a pit stop. Location is neat, nice walk thru street lined with boutiques. Fresh baguette sandwhiches, latte is up there a the best of em, and favorite part is that there is free unlimited sparkling water on tap

Good coffee and kick-​ass ginger snaps cookies. Hipster chick/​barista was actually friendly.

I was on my way to a long drive from NYC to RI and took the exit that took me into Darien. I found the place by luck and it was amazing. I love espresso coffee and their coffee was great. I had a macchiato, my husband a latte and my friend a hot chocolate with a carrot muffin. Everything was delicious. It might be a little pricey (everything came up to about$ 15) but it was so worth it. The service was great and the place look beautiful.

Sorry, not impressed.
Unreasonably overpriced and quite pretentious place.
The line was long but there were I think enough staff members. I really do not know what took them so long. I hoped good things just take more time. Sadly, not the case.
I had average coffee, worse than mediocre sandwich, and an old cookie.
I would give more stars for the pleasant outdoor seating, but I won’t because you cannot go there for the seating only. Right?

Pros:
Good artisanal coffee that could be great. Very friendly and skilled staff, in an interesting space. One of the very few good coffee shops in the area, period.
Cons:
Prices are particularly high and Darien can feel uncomfortably preppy and high class. The espresso could be better.
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Fairfield county is basically a coffee-​shop desert. So i welcome a «third-​wave» coffee joint like Espresso Neat. They undoubtedly do good coffee, but I think they would be a lot better with more competition, to push them.
The espresso isn’t bad, but for the particularly high price I think it falls a little short. I find it a bit too acidic and thin. It is consistent though, and never bad. The milk drinks are quite good in my opinion, although some may prefer the their cappuccino or macchiato to have frothier milk than how I’ve experienced it prepared.
I really hope that if Espresso Neat opens a third location it’s in South Norwalk or Blackrock, and not Westport or New Cannan. The not-​so ritzy cities in SWCT would do well by some good coffee too!