Get Your Coffee Fix in Austin, TX Area

Like most Americans you have probably had some sort of love affair with coffee in your lifetime. For me it began in college when I worked at an independent coffee shop for two semesters. For a couple of years, coffee was a luxury and not a necessity but now as a mother of an active 14-month-old toddler, it is pretty much a daily part of my routine. As such I, like most coffee lovers, have a couple of shops that I frequent because I like the atmosphere and the coffee taste. Now while I find nothing wrong with Starbucks, here are a couple of suggestions for those of you out there who want to try something new every once in awhile.

Jungle Java-if you are a frequent reader of my articles you know I have talked about this place before and with good reason. It is a place where you can sit around and enjoy your cup of coffee or smoothie as it were while your child is running around all wild and crazy, and no one gives you that "Look". You know the "Look" that says you're being a bad mother by not controlling your child's behavior. It is a wonderful feeling I must say and plus your child gets to run off all of the energy that they have nestling inside of them, gearing themselves down for a nap. So when you get home they sleep and you get to do all the home projects you need to do, all keyed up on your coffee. As I said before there is a nice blend of hot and cold coffee drinks, blended coffee drinks and smoothies as well as a wide ranged menu for adults and children, such as chicken fingers and wraps. Keeping this in mind, the price can get a little pricey as you will have to pay an entry fee for your child depending on what age they are; you however are free. Hours of operation for Jungle Java are 8:30 am-8:00 pm Monday through Friday, 9:00 am-8:00 pm Saturday, and on Sundays they are open 10:00 am-8:00 pm. So go and let you and your child enjoy yourselves. Plus there are no peanut products here so those of you who have children with peanut allergies can be worry free.

Blue Marble Java-this coffee shop is on the list for two very important reasons. One; it reminds me of the coffee shop I worked at since it is an independent coffee shop. I got to go sit there the other day and work and it felt just like it did when I was in college; there were even other customers around me working on their various projects. And the second reason? Although there aren't special areas or toys for children, they don't mind them. This is a frequent meeting spot for my Mommy Group and every time we walk in they smile and greet us happy we are there. The staff don't mind the kids that run around even with the mother's constantly reprimanding them to calm down (the patrons aren't always as friendly however). The prices are really nice here as you don't have to worry about an entry fee for your child and they have a menu that is also well rounded. Like most coffee houses they do serve a nice blend of hot and cold coffees as well as smoothies. What helped me to like this place so much is I am a White Mocha drinker and they have excellent smoothies. As for food, they serve breakfast tacos which are made fresh daily as well as typical coffee shop food; muffins, scones, breads, etc. This is a nice and (usually) quiet place; just don't go there when my Mommy group is there if you're looking for the quiet. They are open 6 am until 8 pm Monday through Thursday. Hours are the same on Friday except they close an hour later. Saturday they open at 7 and close their doors at 9 while Sunday they are open from 7 am until 5 pm.

Tapioca Tea House-don't be dissuaded by the word "tea" in that title. And don't be dissuaded by the size. There is more to meet the eye here. They have coffee drinks here as well. What is unique about this place is that they serve the tapioca tea; little balls of tapioca that you can add to the bottom of your drink. This is called "bubble" tea over in Japan where the fad started and they boast fruit drinks, coffee drinks cold and hot all available with the balls added to the bottom of your drink. The tapioca balls are available in regular and small sizes and you can always ask for less than they normally put in. Some people are really put off by the texture and taste of the balls so if this is your first time trying it out, you may want to try a small amount of the smaller balls to see if you like them. And if you are feeling adventurous try it by all means, but I would not recommend getting the balls in coffee drinks. My first time I tried it like this and I ended up not liking tapioca tea for about two years. It wasn't until I tried it in a fruit drink that I began to see its merits. As a bonus, they also have food, Wi-Fi, and you can fill up your water jugs for coolers here if you need to. Hours for this shop are Monday, Wednesday through Saturday 10 am until 8 pm, and opened 10 am -4 pm both Saturday and Sunday. They are closed Tuesdays so don't go by on that day unless you want to be disappointed. Good luck if you've never tried these before and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. They do not have a website but you can reach them at 512-990-8390. There is also a cell phone shop in this store so if you look it up and it says "Tex Com Wireless" you have the right place.

Genuine Joe's-the atmosphere of this coffee shop is the first thing I noticed which I guess makes sense as it is housed in what use to be the daycare I attended. Like most things located in Austin, this is an independent coffee shop and as dedicated as we are to keeping Austin weird, we are even more so to keeping Austin local. Joe's has rooms available for private parties, be they business meetings or even book club meetings; discussions of any kind can be held here and they don't ask for a fee just they you sign up and realize that it may not be available when you want it. In addition to all the typical drinks they also serve food; one cool spring night I went there with a group of my friends, she ordered a bowl of tomato soup when they served complete with goldfish crackers. As much of a fanatic as I am for coffee I am the same for smoothies and they have great smoothies. Plus the prices are cheap so you won't have to worry about breaking your bank when you want to go there and get something to drink. You can even buy some T-shirts proclaiming your love of Joe's keeping the independent coffee shop alive and giving it more publicity so others can go and find the magic themselves. As an added bonus Joe's has an open mike on Thursdays and on Saturday they host live music. The hours for Joe's are 7 am until 11 pm Monday through Friday, and Saturday and Sunday 8 am -11 pm. So if you get a craving for coffee at 10 o'clock at night, head on down to Joe's for your caffeine fix.

These are just a handful of the many places around Austin to get your caffeine fix; popular spots also include the Spider House, and Metro. However these are some of the places that I have tried and liked and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did on your first visit there.