As great as the Marston Library Starbucks is (if you enjoy going totally out of your way because they won’t build a door connecting them), I tend to get sick of going to the same coffee shops all the time. The UF campus is home to a few Starbucks locations, but the true untapped potential for a good cup of coffee lies right off University Avenue. I wanted to experiment with my typical caffeine routine (and crawl out of my hole for once), so I set on a mission to try a couple of cafes in Gainesville to see which one had potential to be my new go-to.
Before we get into the list, it’s only fair that I give you my qualifications and methodology like the well-trained researcher that I am. Obviously, I’m a coffee lover, but I enjoy caffeine in all forms. Whether it’s an iced coffee, a white Monster Energy or a hefty scoop of preworkout, I’m always ready for some mental stimulation. That being said, my go-to coffee order is a black iced coffee from Dunkin (Insert a humble brag about being a 20-year-old black coffee enjoyer). Other frequent orders include: an iced mocha latte from Wawa (my Florida natives will understand); an iced vanilla blonde latte from Starbucks (only out of desperation); and finally, the most heavenly coffee ever, a Golden Eagle iced coffee from Dutch Bros (coming soon to Gainesville, thank goodness).
That’s where I stand as a coffee drinker. Now, as far as my experiment goes, I planned to order an iced vanilla latte at each cafe so my results were comparable. I’m including pricing on this list as well; just bear in mind that pricing can change at any time. And as my final disclaimer: I was going to go to Opus for this list, as well, but I experienced a bit of a hiccup that prevented that. We’ll talk about that hiccup in detail later, though, so sit tight, and enjoy the reviews.
Concord Coffee – 8/10
Latte Price: $5.00
Concord is nestled on University Avenue by The Standard and Cava; you’ll see the Wesley Foundation signs before the coffee shop signs, though. It is technically a Christian church’s coffee shop, but if you aren’t religious, please don’t let that deter you. There’s no one there doing outreach or trying to recruit; there are flyers and such for their groups, but that’s the extent of it. (But if you are religious, it’s an adorable spot to hang out, and you can get in touch with their fellowship groups if you’re interested in that.)
Concord is an absolutely beautiful shop. I actually think the church affiliation is why it’s so pretty. It has architectural elements from the church, making it a gorgeous, open-spaced cafe with lots of natural light and seating areas. I always prefer to go up to the second floor – just beware of the staircase. There’s a table that sits right against the stair railing, where I will never sit again, but I did, embarrassingly, drop my phone down the entire flight of stairs from that table. But hopefully you’re less clumsy than I am!
Their coffee is a little bit expensive, coming in around five bucks for a latte, but they do have happy hour every day from 1-3 p.m. Iced coffee is sold at a discounted price during that time, so it’s a great idea to stop by after class and save a few dollars. Despite the price, their coffee is excellent (and so are their bagels). I’ve never had a bad coffee from Concord, and the vibes for studying are always immaculate. The staff members are also super sweet and very happy to give you recommendations or make alterations to your order.
Concord is a hill I’ll die on. The only reason it loses points is because of the pricing. Otherwise, it’s my favorite place to stop by and hang out for a while.
Karma Cream – 8/10
Latte Price: $5.50
Another high scorer on this list is Karma Cream. It’s close to downtown, so depending where you live, it may be far. Mapped from Heavener Hall, it’s about a 15-minute walk; anyone who lives off-campus on that side of campus could definitely walk there. The cafe itself is pretty tiny, but they fit a surprising number of tables inside.
It was pretty busy when I went. I got a little overstimulated sitting inside just because of how many people were in such a small space, so that may be something to keep in mind. In fairness, my anxiety was already high because the girl taking my order was less than pleasant. I thought she was going to take me out back and steal my lunch money, honestly. The girl who actually gave me my coffee was very sweet, though, so I think it would be easier to sit inside and study here on a less anxiety-inducing day.
As for the coffee? Well, I sucked that iced vanilla latte down before I even got down the street. It was incredible. It was one of those lattes that you have to reflect on; you think about it for a long time afterward, like getting hit with dreamy memories of an ex. OK, maybe that sounds a little insane. Point being, the coffee was awesome. It was sweet, had a touch of smokiness and was just delicious. A tad bit pricey but well worth it.
Foxtail Coffee – 7/10
Latte Price: $6.00
Foxtail is located in Butler Town Center, right by the Cheesecake Factory. Right out of the gate, I was excited to see they had a bunch of outdoor tables. Luckily, when I went, it was a beautiful day to sit outside because there was no way I was sitting inside at this place. It was very cute, but it was ridiculously crowded and tight. Just standing in line made me claustrophobic. If it weren’t busy, it probably would have been OK, but it was packed at noon on a Wednesday…
The staff was very friendly and surprisingly quick with the orders for how busy it was, so they’re making up for lost points there. It’s definitely on the more expensive side, with a flavored latte cracking six bucks. I didn’t really expect Foxtail to be as expensive as it was because it’s kind of randomly placed in a shopping strip, but I paid the price for the sake of science.
The coffee wasn’t bad. I really don’t have a whole lot to say about it. It was a fairly standard iced vanilla latte. Nothing special. Was it worth $6 and the 15-minute drive? Not really. Would I opt for Foxtail over Starbucks if I were in the area? Absolutely.
Coffeebotic – 3/10
Latte Price: $4.77
Our last participant in my coffee research was Coffeebotic. You may have seen the mysterious robot that lives outside the Wawa on University – that’s Coffeebotic! I was actually thrilled to try it just because the concept is so interesting. You order on a tablet, the robot arm brews your coffee, a tiny door will open and then slide you your drink. No one is there to manage it, though, which is where my hiccup began.
I stopped by and hopped onto the tablet, pulling up the order for an iced vanilla latte. There was no option for an iced one, though; you could select hot or… also hot? I figured it was a glitch, so I just ordered a regular iced latte. (Had I used my eyeballs, I would have seen the syrup bottles sitting next to the stirrers and realized you’re supposed to add your own flavoring.) I went to check out, tapped my card and… Nothing happened. It went back to the check out screen like I hadn’t even done anything. I did it again. Still nothing. On a bit of a time crunch, I threw in the towel and made a note to later call the support line that they have posted.
Unfortunately for me, I also realized that the robot had charged my card twice despite the lack of coffee in my hands. But that was fine, things happen. I called the support line later to tell them about what I encountered, where I chatted with the sweetest customer service guy who told me this was a grad student’s project, and this was their first location. Apparently, they’d had an Internet issue that has since been fixed. He offered to give me credit with the robot (two drinks to satisfy the charges and an extra one for the inconvenience) so I could go back and try the drinks. He said to call that number when I was there, and he would remotely make me a drink.
So instead of visiting Opus the following day, I was roped into the robot coffee situation. Honestly? Having a drink made remotely was pretty freaking cool. That process was very smooth, and everything worked the way it should. I pulled my coffee out of the serving tray, added some syrup, stirred according to the posted guideline and took a sip. A sad sip, to say the least.
It wasn’t awful, considering it was made by a literal robot arm, but it definitely wasn’t good. You could tell the processes of an iced coffee were a bit off, leaving the coffee watery. I’m also not a huge fan of the syrup bottles being self-serve in a location like this. It’s open 24/7 and quite literally on the side of the road, so I feel like that could lead to some concerns about the safety of it.
I did not, in fact, finish my Coffeebotic drink. It wasn’t even worth drinking, honestly. They do have energy drinks, though, and I still have credit with them, so I’m going to make another trip to give those a try. Regardless, I have to give props to the very sweet customer service guy and for how cool of an idea it is.
Final Thoughts on the Lineup
Concord and Karma Cream hit the top ranks of my list. They do it for me every time. If you want a good place to enjoy coffee and study, go to Concord. If you just want a great coffee, go to Karma Cream. Of course, they have their flaws, but they are by far my favorite cafes in The Swamp.