Prufrock’s Java City

I haven’t Unilocaled in awhile, but the experience I just had at the UT Austin PCL Prufrock’s Java City makes me feel the need. I ordered a medium soy ginger bread latte. In response, the staff behind the counter, well, you could just tell that they weren’t very interested in being there. Say what you will about Starbuck’s but at least you can reasonably guess that your barista will care enough about the quality of their work to make you a decent drink. This barista went to pour regular milk out of a gallon jug into the silver steamer – upon which point I reminded him it was a soy drink. The result was horrible – I don’t know if their soy had gone bad or what, but it was clear that (1) the amount of ginger bread flavoring added had gone very wrong and (2) somehow mixed with the flavor of the probably spoiled soy to produce a medicinal overly gingery rancid-​like grossness that lingered with me for two hours after only taking two sips. So I’m out $ 4.50 (I didn’t have time to go back and ask for a refund) and I won’t be going back to the PCL Java City for lattes anytime soon.

Okay drinks but seriously rudest staff ever.

I ALWAYS get crappy service when I visit this place. I don’t know what it is. Is it my clothes or my smile or the fact that I’m nicer to them than the person before OR after me?! Whatever shape or form I come
in (My outward appearance is consistently tolerable, of course :-)), no doubt I’ll get crappy service. Once, one of their baristas went as far as shouting, «yes?!» When taking my order with the most sour face right after she had smiled very pleasantly at the girl before me. I was just like, what the fack? It’s always the same two baristas that I get and they’re always so quick to get rid of me. NEVER have I gotten a smile from either of those two. Is it too hard to put on even a fake smile?! They look miserable, but I’ve never seen them get mistreated by any of the customers… maybe they just need some coffee themselves while on the job.
I recently discovered that the Starbucks across the street offers double shots of espresso for a much cheaper price $ 1.95 – so if ever you’re in need of a quick fix – just run across the street to Jester. Much better than having a barista ruin your time on campus.
Yours truly,
a never returning customer!

Who has plastic «stir straws»? Well, gas stations do. But not coffee shops. Well, except for this one. There is literally no other option if you’d rather not have melted plastic in your coffee. Starbucks doesn’t do this to their customers and neither does any other coffee shop I’ve ever seen. Wooden stir sticks have been requested at least five times over two years but they just don’t care. I guess they don’t have to care since there’s no competition nearby. Too bad. Such a tacky, nasty way to treat customers.

It is convenient if you’re studying and need a quick caffeine fix. The coffee is pretty good and they have honey. It can get pretty pack during finals though.

I am now doubly impressed at how friendly and caring Jim and the staff manage to be every single morning I roll in, now that I just witnessed the crap they have to deal with — immature milk heists and freshman temper tantrums, apparently. Thanks, Prufrock, for being my lifeline at work.

I have been going to Prufrock’s since I was a wee freshman. Every time I have come to get coffee, I’ve been greeted with kindness and smiles. The manager knows my drink of choice by heart, and always finds a way to make getting my coffee fun! Huge fan– these guys deserve 5 stars. :) Thanks for all that y’all do!

From the outside, I wanted to like Prufrock’s Java City. After all, I love T.S. Eliot, I love coffee. I’m a barista, although not at this shop. After a couple of days using the table here for studying, I enjoy the whirl of the steam wand and the gentle burr of a grinding bean when I’m not at work, and while I did, I observed the interesting, inefficient, and inexcusable performance of the staff. Not all of the staff is this way, but one gentleman spent a good five minutes trying to force a girl out of ordering a frozen blended beverage. Just don’t be a lazy oaf and make the beverage. I know frozen are a burden, but they’re on the menu, so just learn to be quicker. Work the bar. Don’t assume you are better than your customer, with your bean bearing god complex. Have tact. Smile, for the love of your job. It’s not like the espresso here is of any quality, and I’m not sure where the delay comes from, because its not even a hand tamp machine, you press the button only. The espresso is sour and bitter and only affectionately reminds one of cat poop.

I don’t understand all those other reviews. Prufrock’s is awesome. One day during freshman year, after pulling an all-​nighter, I really needed some coffee… not just any coffee, real coffee. I told the barista about my situation and she recommended an eye-​opener. I have basically had a medium eye opener with breakfast ever since. It’s just right. It keeps me going all day with no need to buy energy drinks/​shots. The eye-​opener at Prufrock’s has proved to be the most effective, too. It’s definitely better than the ones at the SAC/​Union Starbucks. Where, by the way, I ALWAYS have to wait in line forever. The staff at Prufrock’s is super quick and they have never been rude to me in any way.
Yes, their food could improve a little, but Prufrock’s does coffee. Everything else is extra.
Their prices are very reasonable. Their coffee is good AND does the trick. The staff is efficient. And it’s more than conveniently located. Should I say more?

The baristas here are so rude. I was going to the library, and forgot a spoon for my lunch. I asked the barista at the counter if they had any. Girlfriend did not even glance up from her phone, and said no. Like really? You don’t have spoons? Cause I could’ve sworn there were six hundred yogurt parfaits sitting there right in frontof my eyes.
Anyway, so I realized I really need coffee, and come back to the coffee shop three hours later. The barista recognizes me tries to act all sweet. And there in front of me, right in front of my eyes, next to the register, is a whole cup of plastic utensils. At this point, I’m thinking wtf is wrong with this barista. I mean I get it. You’re a cool counterculture hipster, and you’re totally above the indentured servitude that is grinding espresso beans. But you really don’t have to be rude for no reason. Never in my life have I been denied a freakin’ dumb plastic spoon.
Anyway, so it gets better. I get my coffee then realize, dang I really do need a plastic spoon for the yogurt I want to eat, and soup I brought for lunch. Mind you I’m studying for the bar so I do not have time to scour campus for a spoon. I reach over near the register and grab two spoons.
Girlfriend CHASTISES ME. She says in a snarky voice «NEXT TIME, PLEASE DON’T TAKE THE SPOONS WITHOUT ASKING.»
UMMM. Really? Like seriously? Who does that? You’re going to snap at a customer for taking a plastic spoon? Last time I checked they were free at every other restaurant or coffee shop. Which is exactly what I say to her. Then the other man barista at the counter chimes in and starts chastising me and fighting with me. At that point I walk out. The man barista is also always rude.
I mean come on guys. Common courtesy. Is it really so hard? I know this is a college campus and standards are low, but can management seriously give these folks a crash course on basic customer service? They are on their phones and only look up to say something smart. I’m really truly sorry life has made these baristas so miserable. I’ve worked in customer service too. I get it. But these people are CONSISTENTLY rude.
First world problems, I know. But the incident today with these baristas reminded me of a Seinfeld episode.

It depends what you’re looking for. I go for coffee, not coffee drinks. They normally have at least three different blends available, sometimes4−5. I drink their Italian roast and prefer it to the more-​expensive Starbucks coffee available on campus. Prefer it to the generic «darkest roast you’re serving» regular coffee I get at Java Joe’s. (Which isn’t on campus anyway, so that’s perhaps irrelevant.)
The baristas are nice, they play excellent music. It’s too loud inside most of the time for meeting someone there if you will need to talk.

It’s not perfect. Sometimes they are out of steam or some other ingredient required for my choice of drink (Mayan mocha), but the baristas are always friendly, service is quick and the mocha is typically pretty great. I have never tried anything else because the Mayan mocha always seems to be exactly what I am craving for when I visit here, but I always see signs for delicious-​looking seasonal drinks.
I wouldn’t hang out in here as it always seems to be on the loud-​side whether it’s because of the television or the espresso machine and isn’t the cleanest environment, but it’s a safe bet when I’m in need of relatively inexpensive coffee before a long study session at the library.

Prufrocks is very conveniently located at the entrance to the PCL at UT Austin, and serves the cheapest coffee on campus. Prufrocks does not serve up the very best coffee you’ll find at the 40 acres, but the prices and location make it a favourite of poor students living in the library.
I have only nice things to say about the staff here. They are super friendly! I love that you guys remember my order and don’t mind that I hang out for a couple of hours while sitting on the one drink.
It’s great to sip coffee at the tables outside Prufrocks on a warm Austin day. Another benefit of sitting outside is that you can bring food from home /​where ever else you fancy. This café offers a range of non-​exciting snacks if you are desperate — ready-​made sandwiches, yoghurts, etc. But the food is not the reason for my happy 4 Star rating.

The two girl baristas (both hispanic and with short/​hipster styled haircuts) are probably the rudest coffee shop employees I have encountered. I too work at a coffee shop, and I understand customer service is difficult, but EVERY TIME I go to Java City they are rude. Not once, not twice, but every single time they have an attitude, are rude to customers, and never smile or seem happy to be there. I’m sorry its difficult to handle a bunch of college kids at your job, but if you don’t like it THAT much then you should work somewhere else. When I asked what coffee flavors were brewing that day the girl rudely pointed at the sign to the right that had the coffees listed. Really? There are only 3 types of coffee being brewed, you cant take the time to just tell me really quick? Instead she didn’t say anything and had such an attitude that I even asked. I always tip a dollar at coffee shops since I work at one myself, but never again will I here. Rude.

I don’t understand the bad reviews because this place is awesome. The Mayan Mocha is orgasmic. To the bad reviews, sorry it is not a sterile Starbucks environment. A «dirty» lid on an espresso machine is a lot less gross than what goes on at most restaurants, especially chains.
It is busy a lot, but if you think it’s slow then you’ve obviously never tried getting something at the Starbucks at the SAC. They’re awesomely fast here, promise.

Well, this is awkward.
I was enjoying a nice conversation with a professor at Prufrock’s today when a loud noise interrupted our conversation. We turned to look behind us and it turned out that the barista had accidentally knocked the lid off of their espresso machine on to the ground on the customer’s side of the counter. A kind customer picked it up, everyone chuckled, and he handed it back to her. No big deal, right?
Then the barista PUT THE DIRTY LID BACK ON TOP OF THE ESPRESSO MACHINE.
After it had been on the GROUND.
Gross. Gross. Gross.
Sorry, but I won’t be enjoying anything here that doesn’t come pre-​packaged.

Stayed up until 3am studying and only got 3 hours of sleep?
Need a quick pick me up before the exam?
Stop by your friendly PCL and visit Prufrock’s for an «EYE OPENER».
It is a shot of espresso in a cup of dark coffee. I added in a shot of caramel syrup and it made it go down smooth!
Result: Good test result! I know because I just checked blackboard :)

Yes, I HAVE measured out my life in coffee spoons. I’m glad this otherwise mediocre coffee spot is named for a literary reference; that alone is worth a few stars.
That said, stick to drinks only here! One time I tried a muffin and thought that it had broken my mouth. I don’t know how a combination of butter, sugar, eggs and flour (all good things, in my mind) could have gone so HORRIBLY HORRIBLY WRONG, and yet it did. The bagels are lifeless, and I haven’t even brought myself to try the sandwiches yet. I doubt I ever will.
But, as other reviewers have said, Prufrock’s is a lifesaver for those times when one needs to study at the PCL for hours on end. The staff is always changing — it seems to go through phases, like there will be times when everyone who works there is a fixed-​gear bike enthusiast, or a buttoned-​up literary type, or a don’t-give-a-shit work-​studyer — despite the high turnover, the service is always decent. The line can get long during the class-​change period, but you’ll walk away with a decent cup of coffee. Today I threw them for a loop and asked them to put a shot of espresso in my chai latte, and even that went well.
I would probably never hang out in here, but it is useful as a meeting place if you have a study group or a roving T.A. meeting, or if you are stuck on campus for whatever reason. There are better places to have a coffee and enjoy the atmosphere, but this one is just so convenient.

Tea is bigger and cheaper than starbucks, but they don’t have honey as a sweetener option. Therefore, after dumping two packs of sweet-​n-​low in my bev and reading a case study for my management class, I wanted to eat every single bagel in their display case. Darn artificial sweeteners.
I feel less like a sell out buying tea here instead of starbucks in the union, but the line was super duper long. I’m sure it was all other undergrads with similar caffeine needs and views on «the man». Whatever.
Service was average. I’ll come here again if my friend Angela and I want to ponder sculpture while reading sometime before June.

I’m here for work-​related purposes twice a week. The coffee and espresso drinks could unfortunately be better meaning sometimes i just use the space. There are only one or two electric outlets, tops. Still, the people who work here are quite nice and they play early-​mid 90s indie rock (pavement!!) which makes me nostalgic, so it’s worth it.