Downtown Jo's Coffee Shop
Categories: Coffee & Tea, Delis, Sandwiches [Edit]
Neighborhood: Downtown242 W. 2nd St
Austin, TX 78701 (512) 469-9003
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Wi-Fi: Free
30 Reviews for Downtown Jo's Coffee Shop
Not a bad coffee shop, but I found their wifi network to be unreliable. My friend couldn't connect at all, and for some reason they've set up their wifi network so that it blocks some applications from working, including "ssh", a tool frequently used by programmers.
I really don't understand why they would do this, I'm not aware of any other coffee shops which do, very annoying and completely unnecessary.
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I saw a commercial recently in which a regular dude was walking down the street and this goat runs up and just racks the guy.
That's how I felt the first time I ate here. I had been to Jo's on Congress plenty of times but only had coffee. Since I had never been disappointed in the java, I figured I'd stop by this location and quick up a quick lunch. Little did I realize that I'd be forking over a days wages for it.
Hungry as the hippo, I ordered the roast chicken sandwich and an iced coffee (no chips, fries, or side orders of any kind) and forked over +$12 for my "quick lunch." As far as the quality and taste of the food was concerned, I couldn't complain. The sandwich was well made and the coffee was delicious (no surprise there), but for $12 bucks I had hoped to see some gold leaf in my lettuce or something.
But now that I'm over the initial sticker shock, I'll be back by on the occasional afternoon out, hopefully with a rich friend in tow.
PS: Jo, turn the radio down just a notch.
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It's not everyday that I can say "I had a really good burger at that coffee shop today" but I'm saying it today, mostly 'cause, well, I did. This Jo's is the 2nd Street variety, and it's almost a misnomer to refer to it as a coffee shop. It's really as much a boutique eatery as anything else. Oh sure, they do the coffees and whatnot, but I was seriously starving today and needed something with a little more sustenance. Enter the giganto-burger, which came on some sort of sweet bread type slab o' bun. It was just what I needed.
I've worked from this place on occasion, and the WiFi here seems to be pretty reliable. There's a pretty thorough selection of beverages, from the healthy (I'm trying some Synergy brand type drink that apparently someone concocted to fight breast cancer...which, fortunately, I do not have). The patio area is cozy and neat, and the staff seems to generally like being here, which translates into timely service.
At least it did for me today, and that's worth a repeat engagement.
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I like this place, I really, really like this place. Though my first taste of Jo's came in the form of a "Belgian Bomber" I've soon come to rely on them for some of the tastiest, and most generous, brunch offerings around. Though I don't stray far from my migas comfort zone, Joe never fails to deliver a heaping plate of fluffy eggs, whole wheat tortillas, and just right black beans. I wear my stretch pants and I STILL can't finish what's in front of me.
Now, it can get crowded and sometimes you can wait a while for your food, but what else is new. Also, it's probably best to walk your booty over rather than drive, but you need the exercise anyways. Or maybe you don't, but it will certainly make you feel better after you've inhaled four pounds of breakfast food. At least that's how it works for me.
Again, nothing outrageously unique or one of a kind, but they solidly deliver delicious food each and every time. That's the kind of reliability I can take to the bank. The delicious food bank in my belly.
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Best grilled cheese on the planet!!!
Good fries - a little less crispy than I would've preferred, but the basil aioli that came with them for dipping elevated them to maximum deliciousness (this same aioli is also on the grilled cheese sandwich, BTW. I suspect that my five stars might actually be for the aioli).
Due to the Second Street location, this Jo's is less a place to hunker down and study or work and more a spot for a laid back meal with friends or to wind down a night on the town. Great people watching; high quality, varied menu (everything from burgers to salads to breakfast food); and did I mention the best grilled cheese sandwich ever?
Yum.
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For a coffee shop, Jo's has great food. Can't comment on the breakfast yet, but I'm sure it's good. On the lunch front, so far I've had the frito pie with pulled pork, the roasted chicken sandwich, and a few bites of my wife's burger... all delicious. The fries are great too! Throw in a great patio for 2nd Street people watching, and it all adds up to 5-stars in my book.
As for the crowd, sure it's a bit on the yuppie side, but big effen surprise... I've lived here a grand total of one month and I could have already figured that one out. In general, it's just not something that will influence my review of a restaurant (bars, on the other hand, are a different matter)...
Stopped by Jo's after dinner and sat along the street for a cup of peppermint tea. Nice place but the street is between high buildings and doesn't get any wind or breeze (at least that day)... Other than being kinda hot the area is great with shops and restaurants all around.
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Great coffee...super outdoor 2nd Street scene. The food, however, is what keeps me coming back...among the many notable salads and sandwiches, Jo's has the absolute best burgers in Austin. Great for breakfast meetings or all day people watching...even good for relaxing with a beer at night.
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I haven't liked Jo's since they were located inside of Book People and that was only because of the novelty of being able to pick up a cup of coffee while browsing books. When Jo's moved to South Congress, it seemed to me like more of a place where you could get yourself laid rather than a place where you could get yourself a good cup of coffee. Jo's downtown is like that, but times 5. It's all about the scene and showing that you're made of money and less about the quality of the offerings.
Let's start with the coffee, it's ok, not good and certainly not great, but expensive. You can get much smoother coffee for much less money at pretty much any one of Austin's lovely coffee shops (or for that matter, convenience stores). Again, the food here is too expensive for what you get and the quality isn't that good. If I'm paying $7.00 for a burger, I expect it to be mouthwatering or large or I expect fries with that. With Jo's, you get the large and nothing else. I'd much rather have a burger and fries from Brentwood Tavern because you get the same size, plus fries, plus mouthwateringly delicious for the same price. Or conversely, just go to Casino El Camino - twice the burger and triple the flavor for your $7.00.
The staff here is very nice, but I saw a waitress absolutely freak out (edge of tears freak out) one time because the owner or some guy related to the owner came in. Total shift in mindset. Why are the staff afraid of their bosses? You also cannot find a place to sit if you come here for lunch downtown on a weekday which is very very frustrating if you just want to sit and eat real quick so you can get back to work and you come in to find that all the tables and the bar are full of trustafarians camped out all day long with their babies.
If you want to pay a lot of money for a cool place to sit so that people will ogle you, come on down to Jo's. If you want a decent lunch for a nice price where people won't stare and you can masticate in peace, skip 2nd Street altogether and go pretty much anywhere else downtown.
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There is no breeze at their outside patio. I think because both sides buildings are too tall and blocked the wind. So it's still hot to sit outside, but it's cool to sit outside of Cantina Laredo which is just one block away and no big tall buildings around.
Also I was bit by mosquitoes here too.
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I liked the atmosphere in the up-and-coming warehouse district hood. Loved the nonfat half-calf mocha. Fries were notable too.
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My best friend and I decided to ride our bikes from Brentwood to downtown and decided to make a pit stop at Jo's Coffee Shop. There happened to be a commercial filming on the sidewalk just outside, so the area was pretty crowded with bystanders as well as the regular clientele. I really like the fact that there are ample bike racks all olong the block. We were able to walk right in and place our order with a nice girl behind the counter. I ordered the Juevos Rancheros and an iced coffee. Bill came to around $10.50, which is not too bad for a brunch.
As our luck would have it, my friend and I were able to snag a primo spot outside on the 2nd street patio. While we waited for our food, we watched the action of the commercial being filmed and enjoyed the early March Sunday morning. The food only took about 12 minutes to come out to us. It wasn't the best Juevos Rancheros, but it was satisfying and the quantity was just right. The patio is the perfect place to people watch on this busy pedestrian heavy street/sidewalk. I would definitely go back!
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Although a little crowded on weekends, I consistently return for the tuna melt. That is one good tuna melt. I mean as far as tuna melts go, this is the penultimate Austin tuna melt. Fun place to people watch, too. Did I mention the tuna melt?
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OH jo's
I like you, I love you, I want some more of you.
.....billy ray cyrus anyone? Anyone?
Anyways. Went to Jo's and had the veggie sandwich. This was no ordinary veggie sandwich... This was a perfectly layered zuccini, peppers, avacado, pesto and more sandwich. it was a mountainous delight that tingled the taste buds of even the pickiest vegetarian. On the other side of the pond, my friend had a chicken sandwich thing that she said she stops by to get, with out fail, once a week.
Alongside the food was a wonderful atmosphere to people watch when sitting outside on a cloudy day like today. Another plus, the staff was super friendly. I had accidently pulled out some change in euros and mentioned to my friend I still had some left over from the trip to Spain I just got back from. The girl behind the counter got all excited and said she was going there in a few weeks. It turned out I stayed very near where she was staying, so we were all excited about Spain together--how cute.
Claps and giggles for jo's.
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Great space. Great place. Had breakfast tacos (which were more like breakfast burritos) and two were way more than I needed. (Would have been fine with one.) The food was good and the staff was friendly. We wanted to sit outside, but it was packed out there, so inside had to do.
I have to say that the coffee. Well.... no comment on that. My friend had a mocha, and I laughed when I saw it, and laughed harder when I tasted it. I wouldn't go here for an espresso drink, but the food is awesome and there are plenty of other beverage options. Great place to meet friends also because of the counter service. This place will only get more popular as that area of downtown continues to boom.
Let me say this; I love Jo's on South Congress. It's one of the first places I spent any time at when I first moved down here. So, since it's pretty similar in both aesthetic and in menu items, I like the Jo's on 2nd also. They have what I consider to be the best coffee in town. My only complaint is the location. Am I the only one who thinks the 2nd street area seems to be trying a little too hard? I say stick to the South Congress Jo's. At least it came by it's yuppification honestly, rather than being slapped together basically overnight by a couple developers.
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The food is great. This place is packed during lunch for a reason. The veggie BBQ sandwich is so close to pork that it oinks. The others, chicken burger, tuna melt, roast chicken sandwich, are quality, just a bit heavy on the bread. The salads are delicious too. The Greek salad, sprinkled with the right amount of feta. The roasted chicken salad covered by the tasty ginger miso dressing. The banana bread, baked in-house, is addicting.
The breakfast rocks too, even though they won't serve it past 11.
My favorites are the pancakes and the egg white omelette.
Only 3 stars because the wireless access sucks. It has done so for the past 6 months even after complaints. A bunch of popular sites (flickr, etc.) won't load. Plus a very weak signal on the patio, forget about working outside. Come on guys, get it right.
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Your overlydone nouveau retro diner decor is an assault on my eyes but you have a veggie pulled 'pork' BBQ sandwich that's pretty special and a nice patio upon which to eat it. I would give you 4 stars if half your staff weren't so damned surly.
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One of the best hamburgers in the downtown area. If you like the burgeoning 2nd street scene, you get to partake yumminess and the scene all at once. I can't tell you much else about the menu or coffee selection, but I hear it's all good.
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I'm a little bit annoyed and bitter about the new Jo's. For the record, people, I am a serious fan of Jo's Coffee Stand on S. Congress. Many a time I have whipped through there like the cool and trendy person that I am to grab a cup of joe. However, today, I ventured out a bit and went to the new, fancy-schmancy jo's for breakfast with some friends. This is how it went:
11:50 AM. We get in line.
12:10 PM. My friend Julie orders a breakfast taco and a 3 cheese grilled sa'mmich for your BF.
12:12 PM. I order something I am very very excited about: the hearty multigrain pancakes which sound amazingly delectable and delicious.
12:12:36 PM: The woman tells me they are no longer serving breakfast.
12:12:40 PM: What? Why? When did you stop?
12:12:46 PM: Oh, at 12:00.
12:12:52 PM: [Incredulous at this turn of events.] But I've been standing here for 20 minutes. And it's Sunday. People go to church you know [I don't, by the way. I hate the baby Jesus, much like Target does]. You should serve breakfast all day on Sunday. Or at least until 2!
12:13 PM: Well, we don't. You have to order something else.
12:13:06 PM: Okay, fine, two breakfast tacos [The tacos are premade and placed in a warmer behind the register. I know... Julie ordered some, that's where they came from.]
12:13:12 PM: Oh, hmm... we gave them all away.
#*(&@#*%$^&^!@##($^!@()*^#$(& ^!#$(**^# $)((&#$^
ALL I WANTED WAS EFING PANCAKES PEOPLE! SERIOUSLY!
The damn lady also told my friend Julie that she couldn't put all of us on one number so that all our food would come out together, even though they do this regularly. She then proceeded to put our fourth friend on MY number even though we paid separately and she told Julie she couldn't do that. Then, our food proceeded to come out 25 minutes apart, so that Julie and her BF were done with their food long before ours even arrived that the table. *sigh*. What's so hard about PANCAKES?!?!
I'm a bit cynical and upset. Really, Jo's, I'll try not to hold it against you, but that's really not okay. Oh, and my chicken sandwhich on a focaccia? It wasn't very good.
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I gotta say.. this place is just fantastic! Has a great atmosphere, cool decorations (I love the paintings of the audiotape collections.. puts a grin on my face everytime), surprisingly good food (I've had the sandwiches and so far so good), and good coffee.
This place is really work friendly which is a big plus for me... I come to work from here during the day for a few hours a day on the weekdays... and they have workstation like arrangements and free wifi... just make sure to get here before lunch because it gets crowded.
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I've eaten at Jo's for both lunch (good hamburger) and breakfast (an omelette) and I would recommend Jo's as a moderately priced place to grab a bite to eat.
Another thing that I liked about eating at Jo's for breakfast was the I was able to scoot right in on a sunday morning, find a table, and get something to eat. Be sure and get there before noon if you want breakfast as they switch to the lunch menu after that. Every other breakfast place in austin on weekends always has about an hour wait to get a seat. There just aren't enough good breakfast places in Austin.
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Stopped in here today for a quick lunch that didn't dissapoint. I partook in the veggie sandwich, topped with eggplant, squash, red bell peppers, goat cheese and avocado. Yum! It was served cold, and I've made a tastier version at home heated up all toasty, but it was a refreshing change. They have a variety of sandwiches (as well as breakfast tacos in the morning- which they stop serving at 12 noon) that seem appetizing enough, and with the extensive drink menu it's a great excuse to stop by downtown if you don't want to drive to the one on S. Congress. I give it 4 stars just because the one of Congress is more laid back.
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excellent hamburgers and excellent breakfast menu - the omelletes are very good. Coffee is great here and you can get an unlimited cup. The only thing I dont like about this place is the location. I just am not a fan of the 2nd street district. The people and the establishments seem ...North Dallas-esque.
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I haven't made it over here for breakfast yet, but my interest is piqued having read these other reviews. I've gone a few times for lunch and dinner, and have always opted for the delicious Veggie II sandwich. I'm not a coffee person, so I'm always a little at a loss for beverages, but I end up grabbing a can of soda from their refrigerated case.
Outdoor seating is great on this block. It's got a nice city-cafe vibe.
Love the outdoor cafe where you can sit or stand. They make great coffee here and lots of dog owners had the space to let their friends play together, which was super cute.
I basically live on 2nd street. I dance there a coupla times a week, and when I'm trying to waste time between one place to go or the other, I usually end up at Jo's. I also remember a coupla days in the summer when I thought I was gonna pass out from heatstroke when the beacon that is Jo's beckoned me in for some sparkling mineral water :) Many times I can be found just reading a chronicle on the outside patio-ish thing. All in all, a nice, clean, open, pretty coffee shop. Not particularly funky, but pretty chill. Stop by for a cuppa Jo at Jo's ( haha, my wit is sheer brilliance!)
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The only thing better than sipping coffee in Austin, is sipping it at JO's. This busy little coffee hut has some of the freshest, strongest coffee in town. The patio is right off Congress, but doesn't have fantastic seating. Most of the time all the seats are taken.
Jo's is also pet-friendly. I've seen dogs, birds, even iguanas out there!
I love Americano drinks and they are superb here. Even their daily blend is good. If you are hungry in the morning, don't go for a bagel because you have to wait for the toaster, but their strudels and little cakes are yummy.
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The newer of the two Jo's locations in Austin, this place is worth a try. The menu is small, but the location is great for people watching and the wait staff and bartenders are always friendly and willing to top off your wine glass. They serve hot and cold sandwiches and offer wrapped baked goods and a few other misc. retail food items.
Definitely worth a taste.
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