pudgeroasts

[pudgeroasts]

#1 - Brass Tacks

Date: Saturday, November 2nd, 2024 Coffee Shop: Brass Tacks Address: 612 Live Oak St, Houston, TX 77003 Website: https://brasstackshouston.com/

According to the Houston Cafe Passport:

Brass Tacks is a trendy, spacious cafe perfect for grabbing coffee, working, or catching up with friends. With plenty of seating options, it's a great spot for remote work or study sessions. The bright airy interior with lush greenery creates a laid-back vibe, while the friendly staff adds to the welcoming atmosphere. The menu offers tasty options and all-day breakfast choices. Don't miss their signature drinks like the Texas affogato. Parking is convenient with two lots and street parking.

Recommendation: Texas Affogato

Items Purchased

Iced S'mores Latte — $6

Iced Matcha Latte w/ Oat Milk — $6

BT Patty Melt — $11.50

Bánh Mì — $12.75

House Made French Fries — $6

Total: $46.55 with tax + tip

The Review

Coffee

I decided not to get the recommendation because I'm not a huge fan of unsweetened espresso and the ice cream was Blue Bell's rocky road, which I'm not a huge fan of. I chose the s'mores latte since it was one of their specials and it was SO GOOD.

The chocolate worked well with the roastiness of the coffee. Then you would have a wonderful taste of marshmallow and graham cracker at the backend.

I tried my husband's matcha and it was not sweet at all. But I don't really like the grassy taste usually. My husband said it was great for a matcha.

Food

The food was delicious but we were both surprised with how small the portions were. In the end, it was the perfect amount of food and we felt very full afterwards!

My husband says his Bahn mi was delicious. I had a bite and enjoyed that the bread did not destroy the roof of my mouth.

My patty melt was very delicious. The meat was juicy, the onions were cut uniformly, and the cheese was melty. Perfect bread to hold it all together as well.

We both LOVED the fries and would probably try the garlic aioli if we could back in time. They were thin and crispy.

Price

I think the price was great for the coffee but I feel like the food is a bit overpriced. You can get a bahn mi the size of your forearm for $5 in chinatown and I could get a pretty good patty melt for less at other places.

I think the drinks were fairly priced!

Menu Creativity

I loved the variety of unique syrups they had. They also had a lot of options for those who don't like coffee, like my husband. There are also a lot of non-caffeinated unique options as well! I definitely would want to try the beet latte or taro latte some other time!

Service

Service was great. The woman who took my order was nice and attentive. She walked me through joining their free membership and even spelled my first name correct the first time!

Joining their membership allowed me to get a text when my order was ready instead of having to stand there waiting for my name.

Once I got my text, we went inside again and picked up our food but our drinks weren't ready yet. I sent my husband outside with our food while I waited another few minutes for our drinks. I would have really loved for both to have come out at the same time.

The server who handed me my drinks did call me baby, which made my day. I love being called pet names by baristas (this will be a trending theme)

The line was pretty quick too even though there were a lot of people there.

Seating

While there was a variety of seating options, we had to sit outside because all tables were taken by people studying. It was a bit annoying seeing that 4+ person tables were taken up by a single person on their laptop. We knew they weren't leaving any time soon. We managed to find a cozy spot outside in the store's alley. Glad we opted in to getting a text about our order, because we would have never heard my name from how far we were from the service counter.

Vibes

The decor and architecture on the inside was great and there were a lot of different seating options. Loved the amount of plants and how big the space was. It was a cozy loudness.

This is definitely a great place to go and study or meet up with friends.

Gimmick

Nothing really stood out to me here. I wasn't inclined to take a lot of pictures or purchase any of their merch. Their menu was definitely creative but not completely out there.

The Full Roast

Bean There, Done That: Would I go back?

Yes!

Overall, the place is great and it inspired me to start this blog!

[pudgeroasts]

How I'll Be Rating

It took me a little bit to think about what categories I'd like to rate each coffee shop on. Here's what I'm thinking:

Categories

Coffee: Quality and taste of the coffee itself.

Food: Variety, quality, and how well it complements the coffee.

Price: Value for money compared to the quality.

Menu Creativity: Unique or standout drink and food options.

Service: Friendliness and attentiveness of the staff.

Seating: Comfort, variety, and availability of seating options.

Vibes: Overall ambiance and feel of the cafe.

Gimmick: Does the cafe have something unique or unusual, that I would consider "gimmicky"?

The Full Roast: A summary score based on everything above.

Final Thoughts

Bean There, Done That: My take on whether I’d go back (or not!).

Final Brew: My overall thoughts.

And because I can... let's rate them out of coffee beans.

[pudgeroasts]

Welcome to my coffee blog!

My husband, Orlando, got me the Houston Café Passport as a gift. After asking Google to pick a random number, our first trip ended up being to Brass Tacks.

As I was enjoying my coffee and meal, I found myself actually wanting to go in depth with my review of the place. The passport gave me a vehicle to really think about how my coffee tastes, how the vibe felt, how efficient the ordering process was, etc.

I ended up giving my first full review in person to my husband directly but I did record some voice notes to remember everything I need to to write a full review!

Not sure how often I'll update the blog but my goal is to write an entry every time I go to a new coffee place, even if it's not in the passport!

I created this blog to see if I can keep up with it, I'm not even expecting anyone to even find and read this! If you're here... welcome! I hope you enjoy!