Theo’s Java Club

Delicious coffee, awesome staff, yummy sandwiches!

I was visiting from out of town and wandered in here looking for a sandwich and was just so pleased with what I found. Great, fast, and friendly service. A really good sandwich, made with fresh ingredients. If I lived nearby, I’d be there all the time.

Found this gem while killing time before a show last night. It was great that a downtown coffee shop stays open late for the evening crowd. I ordered a breve Irish cream latte. It was perfect. Served at the temperature so I could immediately drink it. The espresso was not at all burnt tasting or bitter. I can’t believe it took me this long to find this place but I promise I’ll be back.

Fantastic!
I’m in town for work and staying across the street from this gem. I travel from Vancouver to NYC to LA and Miami and all over in wren. Maybe I had super low expectations for this place based on the location but this is fantastic! House made everything (banana bread, soups and sandwiches) and great, I mean amazing friendly service. The special treat is they knew how to make a Cuban latte– hard to find anywhere outside of Miami. And it was perfect!!! That gets the 5 stars!!! Hate that I’m leaving tomorrow. Try this place out– great local shop!

Stopped in for an awesome breakfast sandwich (ham, egg and smoked gouda on ciabatta bread) and tasty cappuccino while visiting the Quads. Great little place to spend the morning, priced right and the staff was awesome.

Great coffee, sandwiches and staff. Best place to work or meet up for anything. They even have a stage room on the other side that is great for big presentations or bands.

The coffee drinks here aren’t really that good. Usually the coffee drinks are too sweet. The staff is great and they do try, though my advice is to get a plain coffee and add just a little half and half.
Some of the customers who frequent this place are loud. Oh yeah, the place is loaded with hipsters. It seems like the same ones every time I go in, no matter what time of day. Don’t you people have homes?

I have gone to Theo’s since I was an emo little 15 year old smoking my clove cigarettes. Theo’s has always been a great place to meet for a cup of coffee and listen to music with friends. Theo’s was hipster before I even know what a hipster was. The staff are always super friendly and don’t act like jerks when you ask about certain drink ingredients.

I keep coming back. The Reuben is up to $ 6.80 now. Still a great value. A couple of weeks ago I hosted a business meeting, and ordered a bunch of sandwiches. They had them ready just in time — so they weren’t sitting around getting soggy. Everyone enjoyed their sack lunch.
Still haven’t seen anyone that works here that isn’t super friendly and helpful. I can tell the staff care about each other. It is my favorite place for lunch.

The white chocolate caramel was sooooo good!
Wish they were open on Sunday though. :(

Definitely love this java joint!
My husband stopped in first one morning and raved about it so much that I had to try it!
Great coffee, tons of choices…
I had the veggie burrito! Yum! Great salsa!
Hubs had the cinnamon roll!
They also have breakfast and lunch. I saw paninis and soup on the board, need to try it out!
Great local feel!

My first visit to Theo’s was to enjoy an open mic nite. I typically attend at least one per week in the Quad CIties. I was surprised at how large the dining areas were, the place seemed comfortable enough and the stage area nice. However, the music… not impressive. In fact more like offensive. I am more inclined to the singer/​songwriter type of open mic. The open mic last night started at 7pm and ran til 10pm and seemed to brag of «punk». Many of the «performers» sang and played out of tune. They (the punkier ones) talked alot about being hung over or on drugs, and the use of the Devil’s lettuce?
The worst of the bunch came when a trio of middle aged men plugged in and made some insane noise. It included profanity and directed it toward America? One guy had a sax, now I did not say he played it, I said he had one on stage and blew into it. The guitar player? The same, I don’t think he had a clue what a guitar is for, really. Don’t know what the other dude onstage was supposed to be doing. Im all for rebellion and chaos, but that? That was just horrible noise. There were only a handful of decent performers for the whole night, definitely not worth hanging out at this establishment all evening for that. We wont be back to this open mic-​and will leave any open mic if we see that awful «trio» attempting to get onstage.

Theo’s has been a cornerstone of the District for a couple of a decades. They have great coffee and lots of seating. I do wish they still did live music shows and that they were open later, but the District itself seems to be dying a slow death. It’s unfortunate that this seems to have caused a dip in Theo’s patronage, as it has stayed a great place to relax, socialize, and enjoy some good food and drink. It’s as comfortable as your own living room.

Love this place! Great coffee drinks, sandwiches. Very comfy homey atmosphere. The iced or hot toddies are delicious! Also had a great grilled cheese with tomTo sandwich and a BLT.

Great atmosphere and super friendly service! The coffee was pretty good but was not very hot, and the orange muffin I had was also pretty tasty (although not impressive.) I would definitely recommend Theo’s to anyone who really wants to find a chill and cozy hang out spot. I’ll be back here for sure, possibly for studying or just for killing time reading! Go try this local coffee shop and support local businesses!

Theo’s feels like home.

Theo’s is seriously one of the coolest coffee shops I have ever been to, and this is coming from someone who lives in Portland, Oregon about as «coffee-​shop» a city if there ever was one. I spent many great hours in Theo’s, especially back in the day when they allowed smoking. A cigar, a cup of coffee, and a great book– one of my favorite ways to spend a few hours. Theo’s is so nostalgic. A gritty, hipster coffee house identical to the ones you find out here in Portland.
I spent 7 years in the Quad Cities, and whenever I think back to my time there, I relish every moment I spent in Theo’s. Great place to blow time in the quad cities, in my opinion. Also an exceptional place to study late into the night.

After returning for a second visit in as many days, I’ve updated my rating to «A-​OK» (3 stars) from 4. While I think the ambiance and venue is great, I remain uninspired by the food and coffee options.
This time around, I jumped on the tasty-​looking bagels they have displayed on the front counter. Cream cheese was provided on the side (kindof tacky), and I found the bagel itself to be dry, bland and hard. I was hungry, but that’s the only reason I ate it at all. It was not good.
I had the regular coffee this time instead of an espresso drink and wasn’t impressed by it either. Certainly not bad coffee by any means, but it lacked any distinguishing characteristics– what I might expect from a restaurant but not a coffee shop.
Overall, Theo’s is a great place to come and hang out, but has some room to improve on their food and coffee choices.

Love! What a neat place. As soon as you walk towards Theo’s you can feel the hipster vibe, since there were so many of them sitting outside at the tables on the sidewalk. Though that was what I was craving… being from Chicago and all.
They have a full coffee shop menu, with sandwiches and other lunch fare items. I got a yummy tuna melt sandwich on wheat with cheddar cheese, freshly made by some long-​haired barista. The iced coffee was good, though only one refill. Boo.
I did sit and read for some time, it was very quiet, though air conditioned.
The walls are covered with very interesting local historical antiques and old newspapers from important events in the world.
The music is pretty great too. An ecclectic mix of music from around the world, few to be recognized, but a nice departure from the same ol’.
I’ll go again and have breakfast there.

I love this place. It’s not as uppity as some coffee houses are starting to be, which is nice. When I go to a local place, I don’t want to go to yet another Starbucks. I want to go to a place like Theo’s where people aren’t trained to say the same things.
Theo’s is also just far enough away from campus that you don’t have to worry about the sorority girls coming in and out and giggling the entire time. It’s a chill atmosphere and the staff are great. The highest complement I can give it is that I’d recommend Theo’s to a friend (and I do).