"They use an oven to warm up food so the burrito is toasted and easy to cut.. The pastry warms up nicely. There isn't a microwave in this place. Staff was in good humor when we visited. Lots of fun at this Novo Coffee shop."

"There is one big communal table, a large booth and several smaller seating options. On a nice day you could also sit outside. I got the matcha and it’s great. There are tons of WFH folk here. The vibe is just right with giant windows and tons of natural light!!"

"I live in the neighborhood and have seen this location go through many iterations over the years. Now that it’s Novo Coffee, I was curious to see how the space had evolved, so I stopped in on Saturday, October 4th, around 4:30 PM. The staff member who served me was pleasant, though I got the sense he thought I wasn’t quite following his logic. I ordered a medium decaf Americano, and he explained that Novo uses the same number of espresso shots for both the medium and large sizes—the only difference being that the larger size has more hot water. That stopped me for a moment. If both sizes contain the same number of espresso shots, then by definition, the larger drink is more diluted. How does that align with the idea of consistency in flavor and quality? If anything, the larger size should include an additional shot to maintain the same coffee-to-water ratio. Otherwise, the strength and flavor profile shift dramatically between sizes. It’s like ordering a large latte but being told it has the same amount of espresso as the small — just more milk. You end up with a drink that’s physically bigger but noticeably weaker in taste. Or, to put it another way, it’s like ordering a large fountain drink at a fast-food restaurant, but instead of giving you more syrup, they pour a medium into a larger cup and top it off with soda water. The volume increases, but the flavor doesn’t match across sizes. It’s not about wanting “more caffeine” — it’s about expecting flavor consistency and transparency in how beverages are made. I also didn’t notice any signage or menu notes explaining that this is Novo’s standard practice. If that’s the case, customers should at least be aware of it when choosing their drink size. It would help manage expectations and demonstrate attention to detail. As for the overall experience — the atmosphere was cute and clean, but it didn’t quite pull me in. The pastry selection seemed limited, anemic, and not especially enticing. I noticed that a few of the baked goods were sourced from Spruce Bakery, which is interesting since Spruce has four bakery-café locations of its own that also serve coffee drinks. Novo, meanwhile, operates three cafés but doesn’t bake its own pastries. From a business standpoint, perhaps Novo could explore doing the reverse of Spruce’s model — developing an in-house baking program to complement its coffee identity. With multiple locations, the return on investment could justify the setup costs while giving Novo a more distinctive edge and a fully integrated customer experience. I appreciate the effort Novo puts into coffee quality and presentation, but the approach to drink sizing and the somewhat generic food options left me underwhelmed. A few small adjustments could easily elevate the customer's experience."

"My wife and I are staying in the neighborhood for a month and have made visiting Novo the first thing we do every morning. Jules and the whole team at Novo always provide a great start to the day with kind and welcoming service, excellent coffee, and very tasty pastries. The strawberry snickerdoodle and cinnamon roll are our favorites. Lots of indoor and outdoor seating is nice too. Be sure to stop by if you're in Congress Park!"

"Yummmm 🙏 they made is so fast and brew tasted great thanks guys!"