Flipnotics Coffeespace Cafe

My little brother loves this place– so I love this place!!! :)
Tonight is the farewell party.
Never to be forgotten!!!

Pros:
Their mochas are good & the mocha foam art was an appreciated touch :)
Cons:
Parking is a bitch, the layout is horrible, and you could literally play «Hipster or homeless» by looking at literally everyone here.. .

Surprisingly good espresso! I have driven by this place a thousand times. Last week there was a parking spot on Barton Springs and it seems like a sign I should go inside (along w/​the stomach grumbles). The guys were SUPER friendly and they were cleaning up after a photo shoot. I also got a vegan black bean empanada that hit the spot. There are so many decks and nooks to sit outside and read, chat or sip coffee. Will be back soon! (I know parking is a pain, but it is at almost every good java hut these days… and I got a front row spot, so no dings for that on my review!)

Flip appears to have a bit of a dual personality. it’s a coffee shop (barista, wifi and light pre-​made snacks), but it’s also a live music venue and beer bar.
and here is where it gets really fun, their happy hour is from 7 – 9 pm!
I came here to see some live music, Wild Bill and the Lost Knobs. It’s a coffee shop, not a club, so NO cover charge and it’s ALL AGES (you can bring the kids along). the show we saw was fun, good music and some comedy too. our beers were cheap (happy hour prices) and we tipped the band. all in, it was less than $ 20 for beers and entertainment.
I can’t comment on the coffee, don’t drink it once the sun is down. but if you find yourself bored with nothing to do on a Friday night, this would be an easy option for an easy night out, they are keeping austin weird friday nights at Flipnotics.
they only have one beer tap but had a good selection of bottled.

My favorite local coffee shop — convenient, quick and friendly. Did mention great live music venue !!

On our way to Zilker Park, my friends and I were looking for a caffeine fix and ended up stopping here.
First few notes:
1. Parking here is a PAIN. They have a tiny parking strip that was completely full when we arrived, so we ended up driving up the hill and parking in the residential neighborhood and hiking back down.
2. The space is interesting. The building is made of wood and they have a beautiful patio area surrounded by trees. If I lived in Austin, I would probably love to come here on a nice afternoon to do some light studying or to catch up with a friend.
The inside space is a bit cramped (and very narrow). It’s a little dark and the décor is uh…“eclectic”. We ordered a latte (our classic first standard of measure at all the coffee places we visit), which was good and typically priced.
Unfortunately, we had to get the coffee to-​go and did not get to enjoy the patio, which in my opinion is the winning point for Flipnotics.

I like people watching here, but it’s really distracting if you’re actually trying to work.
The coffee is good, and the location is really nice with a cool back area with lots of trees. But they’re usually full of hippies. Which is fine, I guess. I’ve found it’s not the place for me to study though.
I can’t decide between 3 and 4 stars. 3 because I wouldn’t really feel like coming here again. But 4 stars because it’s a pretty unique and weird spot. And I would be a little sad to see it go.

This place is so freaking awesome! Def an Austin staple and has been around since I can remember.(16+ years) Get the moonquake shake… it’s ice cream… a banana and espresso all blended together… great for hot Austin days when coffee just doesn’t sound appealing but you need the caffeine. Also, Drew the barista is cool and always helpful. If you feel like people watching or catching a show this is a good place to visit as they have various bands/​singers each week… just another spot that makes Austin the greatest city ever. Thanks flips.

I realize that people may have legitimate complaints for this coffee shop, but I caught it on a good day!
Let me set the scene for you… it was the last day of April, and there was not a cloud in the sky. The wind was gently blowing, and it was a perfect 70 degrees in the shade. We went to sit on the patio near some outlets and study. And study we did! (for about 30 minutes…)
I love that they offer soy milk along with half and half when you buy black coffee, most places don’t offer non-​dairy substitutes. It’s also awesome that they offer beer! I seriously considered studying with a beer, but then I decided against it as my eye landed on the Uncle Billy’s Brewery across the street ;)
One bad thing about the place is the restroom… smells like a porta potty.

How have I never reviewed Flip’s?
This place was my home away from home for many years. As Alexandra L. mentioned, it was a hub of the novelty jazz/​roots scene in the late 90s and well into the 00s. I’ve played on the tiny indoor stage about a dozen times and always had a blast.
Long-​gone is the vintage clothing store on the lower level, but there’s a pretty decent froyo place in its stead.
Though the live music is still awesome if you know when to come (I think Erik Hokkanen still does Tuesdays), the recorded music can be annoying at times. But there’s a solid wine, beer and food selection, and the Go Local card can be used for 15 percent off everything except alcohol and pizza (according to the barista on duty at the moment … The Go Local site says it’s 10 percent off everything except alcohol and cigarettes).
Ample seating inside and out, but parking can be a little dicey (especially during a good show).

Kind of a neat place, but amazingly bad cup of hot chocolate. Seriously? How hard is it to make decent hot chocolate? My friend and I each had a cup of the worst, most tasteless, lukewarm hot chocolate we ever tasted.
We did listen to a decent 5 piece group for a little while, but I couldn’t even finish the hot chocolate. They also squirted some canned whipped cream into it, which didn’t help at all.

The inside is kind of dark and doesn’t have great seating. The outside has nice seating (though everything seemed precariously out of level on the patio we sat on).
I’d say the coffee was only average, same for the breakfast tacos we had (and the salsa was all burn, no flavor).
I’ll definitely second Ariel W.‘s description of the service as «standoffish» — the two employees needed to finish their conversation about the new Hobbit movie before waiting on us, standing there in front of them with empty cups.
I’m guessing it could be fun to see a band there, but it wouldn’t be my first choice for morning coffee.

Pro: Outdoor seating & good coffee
Con: Seems to attract its fair shares of «crazies», whether mentally ill homeless, drugged out hippies (openly smoking marijuana on the top balcony), or the generally creepy.

Good place to stop off and have a beer after walking around the Barton Springs area on a hot day. If there is one place where baristas may need to have attitude it’s probably here. They have to deal with a lot drunk kids, and bums I imagine. Oh, they serve coffee, too… AND Mmmmpanadas. It’s always cool at Flipnotics. No, literally. They crank up the AC.
They book good bands there, too. Keep it chill, Flipnotics!

It’s all good here, nice atmosphere, wifi, music, treehouse vibe. But that’s about it. The coffee was good. The service was… standoffish? The food… gross and unavailable?
This place exists, but it’s kinda sad. Maybe I’ll go see some music here and it’ll change my mind. But nothing exceptional.

I really enjoyed the back patio seating, and the staff was unusually friendly. You can tell right away that a lot of the clientele are regulars. I usually meet people at Austin Java across the street for lunch, but when I want coffee (and see parking available), I’ll stop here more often.

I love this place because I feel like I’m on top of a treehouse having my cup of coffee. I know it is around the Barton Springs area which I can be a bit difficult to get too. If you are trying to sit inside you might be out of luck since it is small. The inside is painted with dark colors which makes going outside more appealing than ever. There is parking in the back but since I didn’t know that I just parked in the small parking lot in the front.
I would put this place with the list of places to take visitors too because it is very unique space. The service is good. They also have plenty of local bands playing which is a great opportunity for exposure to the local music scene.
Oh by the way, the coffee is good.

Love. LOVE… LOOOOOOOOVE!
Seriously. I’m from Dallas. And since there’s like…3 cool coffee shops in the ENTIRE damn city… when I come to Austin, I’m really at a loss as to where to begin. I honestly spend 30 minutes google-​ing and Unilocal-​ing to find the right coffeeshop to suit the mood that I’m in. You Austin-ites…so spoiled that you can actually find places that cater to your specific mood.
I was in a mellow mood. I wanted a place where I could go, chill, be around laid back peeps where some were chatting and others were absorbed in their own thoughts and space.
So, I found Flipnotics and decide… what the heck… I like the area, let me go check it out. Slipped easily into a parking space (there are a handful of spaces out front but then a little lot in the back if you turn onto Kinney Ave, across from the Villas of Lost Canyon.) There’s a trick door on the side facing Barton Springs — that I spent a good 5 seconds trying to miraculously push my way into with no avail — Brilliant Sherene…*sigh* So, I trecked around to the back side, went onto the deck and found a little door. The space where you order is super tiny and a touch cramped, but I really liked it. There’s a small space inside where there’s one comfy couch,(that at the time I was there, housed one lounging, snoozing hipster in an army jacket and combat boots), and about 5 small tables. If you walk through that room and around and out — you’ll be spit out onto the deck. The have a covered deck with sparse plug ins here and there. But then they have a 2 level tier that’s outside, and then tables outside right outside the main deck. BRILLIANT. On a beautiful day in Austin… COME HERE!!!
I noticed that they served «Mmmmpanadas (black bean, samosa, sweet potato) and pizza by the slice. I wasn’t hungry so I ordered a chai.
I think they may have poured a bit too much of the chai mix into my drink — but I didn’t mind too much bc I really was stoked that they had almond milk. =)
Fringe benefit on a semi-​creeper level: both the guy and gal baristas are adorably cute. And super friendly and nice. Service with a genuine smile… hell yes please.
All in all… love it.

I’ve seen a lot of weird shit since moving to Austin, most of which I’ve witnessed from my «reserved» window seat at Flipnotics Coffeespace Café.
First, there was the rickety moped I watched crash into the curb lining Austin Java. Next, there was the children’s folk band (a band FOR children, NOT composed OF children (But how cool would THAT be!?)) that hijacked one of my Saturday morning writing sessions. And just today, right in the heat of my (attempted) Procrastination-​Free Sunday, I witnessed a fellow patron flip (notic) over the back of his chair during a withdrawal-​induced seizure (or so I surmised from his friend’s conversation with the paramedic). You won’t find that brand of ambiance at Starbucks.
For the last couple of months, I’ve shrugged off sleeping in on the weekends and woken up at the crack of dawn to down copious amounts of caffeine while surveying Barton Springs Rd from «my» dusty Flips window. (We’re on a nickname basis.) Once the blonde barista berates me for my boring order (playfully, I hope) and my Go Local discount has been subtracted (15% on $ 2.50 really ads up over time), I place my belongings on «my» table and decide whether or not I want to listen to my iPod. Unlike most java establishments, I occasionally prefer the songs spewing out of their speakers (compliments to the cashiers).
Once I’ve settled in and brought my bottomless cup of coffee to a manageable temperature through the cunning use of ice cubes (and there you have my «boring order»), I briefly fantasize about relocating to the Barton Place condos across the street before plunging into the work that will potentially bring those dwellings within my price range. After checking my e-​mail, writing a Unilocal review or two, engaging in a gaggle of G-​chats and retrieving my first refill, I FINALLY begin my work for the day (unless a moped crashes, a dreadlocked lady begins crooning «Itsy-​Bitsy Spider» or a recovering alcoholic convulses out of his seat).
To second their wireless password, «iloveflips.» Assuming they don’t change it now that I’ve made it public knowledge.

I commonly roost here when my scooter is getting a 3 hour upgrade at Urban Moto.
I love the outdoor seating slash I can smoke a cig if I wanna sorta area.
I also have fallen in love with their version of a frappé .
it kicks Starbucks lily little ass. Hear that Austin who voted it best coffeeshop in Austin! this place kicks Starbucks ass.
I love that their bathroom always seems to be open. and people scribble things all over it
I also am a fan of their baked goods. In fact I ate something recently (note picture) that was so intense and decadent that it curbed my chocolate sweet cravings for a week.
Baristas always friendly … I get a discount with my GO LOCAL card!
FYI! when I go here it’s usually on foot. I can imagine if you have a car parking is annoying.