Black Dog

Had a disappointing experience this morning. The only iced coffee they serve is from a can. The waitresses were rude and short. They wouldn’t give me skim milk and only had half-​and-​half. I also asked for a glass of iced water with a lid which they wouldn’t give me and told me I had to get water from the water cooler instead. My finances smoothie was chunky and not smooth. I won’t be going back.

I have a serious coffee habit. Living in the building above, I was hoping to make this my regular coffee spot. After today, I’ll be making the walk elsewhere.
The good: Black Dog is a combination coffee and smoothie shop with the added perks of wine, beer, and even tacos. The location is amazing for both residents of the nearby buildings and trail runners alike. Unfortunately, this spot with great promise falls quite a bit short.
The bad: I had heard and read rumors about the awful service, but I prefer to check things out for myself. I stopped in today to grab an Iced Americano. Simply enough, right? Apparently not.
There was only one guy working and upon arrival he ignored me for several minutes while he hit on a girl who’d arrived previously. After finally taking my order, he proceeded to return to hitting on the girl for ten minutes. Ten full minutes! What the? After ten minutes time, he came back to me and asked, «What was it you wanted again?» Are you kidding me? After telling him a second time that I’d ordered an Iced Americano, I assumed I was finally getting my coffee. Wrong again. A delivery guy arrived and he took care of him first. Finally my coffee was made and it was wrong. Twenty minutes for what is nothing more than espresso and water and it’s not even right. Never again.
Final thoughts: Although Black Dog has a ton of promise between the location and the menu offerings, the customer service is some of the worst I’ve ever experienced. With so many excellent options in Austin, there’s just no reason to wait twenty minutes for a poorly made coffee. I won’t be back.

Black Dog has been one of my go-​to spots for a while now. I love going here for some wine after a jog around the lake (don’t judge my exercising habits), or to just go hang out and relax after work. I always get great service, especially from Peter, who also makes some pretty incredible salsa. The customers who come here are always really friendly, and the fact that the patio is dog friendly is definitely a plus! Oh, and they have a pretty decent happy hour 3 – 7 on weekdays.

Not bad coffee or tea selection. Unfortunately the barista was working alone and was overwhelmed by the amount of orders coming. She was unable to complete the orders and several customers yelled at her.
She also had her hair down and continuously touched her hair then people’s orders.
Long wait for lack luster coffee.
Dirty countertops.
A bit pricey for what you get.

Nice coffee shop close to the lady bird lake trail and south lamar. Nice happy hour selection M –F 3−7pm, Stefanie is friendly and tentative. Highly recommend if you need a quick boost before or after your jog or bike ride or if you want to just stop in for a beer.

Relatively hidden little coffee/​cocktail spot right off Town Lake (near the new Trader Joe’s). Has good coffee, a full bar, and some food options (including prepared sandwiches, pastries, and tacos). Has some outdoor seating as well as the several tables inside! Staff was extreme helpful. They have TVs and free wifi as well. It was the perfect place for me to sit for a few hours on Sunday: got some work done while drinking coffee and watching football! It was very quiet!

Stopped in for a quick coffee and taco. Taco was not bad, service was really friendly and quick. Coffee was tired and typical cuvee, which I think gets good press and makes average coffee. Go here bc its close or convenient, dont go for something amazing.

So having just moved to Austin, we of course ventured out to find an awesome quality coffee shop!
We came across Black Dog and decided to check it out. Compared to all the rest of the coffee shops we’ve tried in Austin so far, it’s definitely the one with the best coffee so far (better than Juan Pelota and Café Medici as far as straight coffee itself is concerned), but it’s a bit below other ones we’ve had in Dallas for some reason. That being said, the service is great and the fact that they have delicious Tacodeli tacos makes me happy. The also have a very chill outdoor area.
Turns out it’s also a bar at night! Totally random, they serve coffee/​smoothies or alcohol or both depending on the time of day. Might come back to see if it’s as chill as a bar as it is as a coffee shop.
UPDATE:
I’ve since experienced less than ideal service several times, so it’s not fluke, which disappoints me a bit.

I’m not impressed. That décor is pretty, but the barista working when I went in didn’t acknowledge me, and when she finally did, she seemed upset that I was sweaty from a jog (they’ve been advertising for their business on the jogging trails). She also seemed upset that I didn’t want an alcoholic drink (they become a bar at night or something).
My smoothie was cold and filling, but they default to putting in a lot of protein powder, which made it a lot blander than it should have been. Also, it made me thirsty.
The two baristas working flirted with each other until two basic bros came in for beer, at which point I left, thoroughly disgusted.

Was not impressed with this place. My friend and I came here, and the place was completely empty, and considering that the baristas (baristas as in plural) ignored us, it’s no wonder we were the only two customers in there. I got a raspberry smoothie and it was terrible– really chalky, and very little taste to it. My strawberry and cream cheese pastry was OK. The place itself was nice looking, and I liked the décor. So takeaway: come here if you want to sit and be completely ignored by the baristas, but don’t bother ordering anything because it won’t taste all that great.

This place has great coffee and smoothies and boasts a full bar. The location is ideal for taking a break from a lakeside walk or popping in after a workout. They carry no breakfast and the food options are limited but the staff is professional and friendly.

While visiting Austin my friends and I were looking for a little morning pick-​me-​up, and the Black Dog was perfect. I had a vanilla latte (made perfectly) and my friends enjoyed some unique, healthy smoothies. I was excited to see gluten free muffins and pastries, but even more excited to see the big friendly black lab greeting us! We sat outside sipping our drinks and then walked over the bridge to the nearby park.

Our favorite place for after work drinks, post workout smoothies, pre-​dinner cocktails, morning lattes, or simply wanting to get out of the house! The staff is amazing and eager to know its customers… and their furry friends! I highly recommend their specialty margaritas!

This is one truly excellent cup of coffee. It’s dark, rich, and tasty! And the Banana Chocolate Chip muffin that they bring in from an outside source is excellent too. But this place is worth coming to if you like a rich cup of coffee!

Found Black Dog by chance as I was doing some shopping in the Luke’s Locker near-​by. It was a cold, rainy day and the coffee from Black Dog was a nice pick me up. I had a 16oz french press and it was great. My fiancé went with a cappuccino and she enjoyed that as well.
Wasn’t overly crowded when we were there but had a nice atmosphere with plenty of seating, televisions, etc. Location is awesome, right next to the trails, Luke’s Locker and a fitness center. If we lived in Austin this is a place I would most definitely frequent after runs, workouts, etc.

Before I came in, I was slightly intimidated thinking that this coffee shop is just an extension of the cycling place next door. I just wanted to work without fit people exercising around me. Luckily, the gym and the coffee shop are separate spaces, even though they share the same wi-​fi.
Brightly lit, beautiful interior, many outlets, friendly baristas, and relatively empty: this place is a fantastic place to get work done. I have no complaints about the french press, and I’m excited to try the other coffees here. I would recommend this place for working or for meeting. Be warned, though; besides the bar, there is only one table that sits more than two people.

Black Dog is a super cute coffee/​lounge located next to Spark Fitness and across from Luke’s Locker. One of my favorite Pilates instructors told me about a smoothie sampling taking place here and I had to check it out. They have a patio, a large meandering bar and several two tops tables. There are also a few flat screens above the bar. Speaking of bar Black Dog is a full bar serving a nice selection of wines, beers and liquors.
I arrived early and made use of their reliable WiFi while enjoying a hot tea and Topo Chico. Peter played both bartender and barista very well. Service was excellent. For the tasting we paid a fee to sample some of their delicious smoothies. They ranged from goody two shoes green to decedent peanut butter flavors. Smoothies are served in 12 – 16 ounce portions and range in price from $ 5-​$ 7.50.
These are the smoothies I sampled:
The Eagle — is a delicious mix of organic Greek yogurt, organic peanut butter, cacao, coconut water, blueberries, shaved ice and water. This drink was super refreshing.
PB & Berry — ingredients include milk, blueberries, peanut butter, PBZ and oats. It was like a peanut butter jam sandwich sans bread. This was most of our group’s favorite to include me.
Juicy Fruit — is a fruit and berry treat! It has apple juice, pineapple, banana, strawberries and blueberries. This was easily my second favorite and is the perfect drink to cool you down.
The Green Lantern — this evergreen colored concoction has coconut water, kale, spinach, spirulina, hemp protein, pineapple and raw honey. It has a very unique and delicious taste to it.
Double Down — this drink has rich and thick drink has almond milk, strawberries, banana, hemp protein and shaved ice.
Morning Jolt — this smoothie takes coffee to the next level! It has a shot of espresso, coconut water, banana, peanut butter and raw honey.
My favorite part is they have nutritional information on the smoothies outlining the calories and protein. Since I know how tasty all of the smoothies are and how low calorie most are I will definitely be hitting them up sometime after working out downtown.
We all stuck around for happy hour which includes some great deals like $ 3 off glasses of wine. Since regular wine prices start at $ 6.50 this is a great deal. They also sell Kind bars, fruit and some other enticing grab-​n-​go bites.
Tips:
There are purse hooks and electrical plugs at the bar.
They have a free parking garage.
Happy hour is Monday-​Friday 3pm-​7pm.
They serve Austin’s favorite Cuvee coffee.

Black Dog is new and in the Gables Park Tower building fronting the North End of the pedestrian bridge over Cesar Chavez and next to Lamar. It’s part of the new hot Spark Fitness complex. Nick, the morning barista is great at customizing your java, and he is not hard on the eyes either. The evening bartender is awesome, too. Open from 6AM to 10PM for coffee and COCKTAILS! Great for grabbing a latte after a run on the trail or getting cozy with a cocktail on a chilly evening.

I am biased, however I will say I am from Brooklyn NY and STILL the best macchiato I have ever had was made by Nic (a really nice guy that works in Black Dog) just a few days ago here. The prices are VERY reasonable and the staff is super kind: D I love it there.