Fara Café Coffee Shop

I arrived w/​a friend at Austin Bergstrom International Airport around 11am on 4÷25÷16. Her flight was at 3pm and mine was at 9pm. I had to wait for over 10 hours in the airport until my flight was to leave. Ridiculous I know. They don’t even let you check in and go past security until 4 hours before a flight, so I had SIX hours to wait before I could even do that! We went up to the sky bar at Fara Café and ordered a drink. The bartender was sitting at the bar watching sports on TV. No big. He came around the bar and took our order… a beer and a greyhound. We were the only ones in the bar & he seemed kind of annoyed he had to deal with us. After we ordered my friend and I even looked at each other like «yikkes». He then went back over and sat at the bar to watch the game. A few minutes later he got up and put a dip of Copenhagen in his lip. Then he proceed to spit every few minutes into what I can only assume was a sink behind the bar. And I’m not talking a little spit, I am talking long nasty volumes of spit. It was right in my line of sight so instead of saying something I actually just changed seats. After about 30 minutes we paid w/​separate checks. I tipped him $ 2. I walked my friend to the checkpoint and said goodbye. I then went back up to the sky bar. There were a couple of couch/​chair things over on the side near the door. I sat down and plugged in my iPhone planning to sit and wait & play on it till 5pm when I could check in. The bartender, Patrick, came over and said «hi how are you today, what can I get for you?» He said it like it was the first time he had ever seen me. I thought, in the time it took for me to walk my friend downstairs you forgot you just served me??? I said «oh nothing right now I am ok.» He said «well I have to ask you if you want something.» I said oh ok, thank you I am good right now — thinking he’s just telling me he has to ask that. ok. Then he said it again, «well I have to ask you if you want anything» and handed me a food menu. Then I thought oh I guess maybe I can’t sit here unless I order something? Weird, but ok. (THIS IS WHERE I MADE MY MISTAKE, I SHOULD HAVE ASKED HIM TO CLARIFY) I took it and looked at it for a minute. Then when he came back over I said «I guess I will take another greyhound», thinking if I said «another» he might remember me from a few minutes ago? NO. He brought me the drink and everything was fine. After about 20 minutes he brought over my bill & I handed him my credit card. Now I am thinking dude, you are a terrible bartender and I even felt pressured to order something I didn’t even want, I am not tipping you. (btw, for the very first time in my 46 years of life!) HUGE MISTAKE! He took the receipt and started to walk away and stopped and turned and said «is everything ok?» I smiled and said «yes». He grumbled something and walked away. Then he proceeded to the storage room right next to where i was sitting and SLAM things around in there for a while. Then he came out & kept walking past me saying things like «you should really tip your bartenders» and «I have a family to support» and I only make this much, and I rely on tips”. I said «I DID tip you a few minutes ago don’t you remember that?» He continued his RAMPAGE and I continued to say «I DID tip you a few minutes ago don’t you remember that?». That is ALL I said to the guy. I know tipping is important. I typically over tip everywhere. Even if I have terrible service I tip a minimum of 15%. This one time I decide not to I get BERATED and scolded by this guy. If you go to up to the sky bar at Fara Café Austin Bergstrom International Airport and Patrick is working, turn around and leave. Trust me.

Just spent the afternoon for 4 hours waiting for a friend to fly in. Lovely. Had a delicious salad.

Impressed with their ice coffee! I asked for room with cream and made it a blonde. No sugar needed. So many blends are just too stout not their’s. Priced right too! Go ahead test me, try it for yourself… I dare you ;) If I’m right share a little Unilocal love :)

Seating available. Cappuccino came out quickly. Barista brought the coffee out to us.

Price-​wise for the airport they are amazing. Lotta TV’s upstairs for watching games. Good coffee. Their breakfast tacos are amazing the salsa they use is great. Good pastries as well. Love this place!

Not bad for an airport café. The bar upstairs is cheaper and less crowded than the sports bars past security. Decent craft beer selection and also shiner on draft.

I would have given this feedback directly to Fara but unfortunately on their website they choose to only list email addresses for jobs or wholesale inquiry, and I don’t have time to call to help them improve their business.
I realize this is a coffee shop and maybe even a coffee roaster and my critique has nothing to do with coffee; purely service. But customer service is the cornerstone of any good retailer and if they, or any retailer wants to stay in business, they need a good focus on customer service.
We were at the airport yesterday and bought a few assorted drinks and snacks as we were meeting some good friends at the airport. Upon getting 2 small bags of chips, one of my daughters opened the bag and it popped, spilling about 10 chips on the ground. The young woman working immediately grabbed a sweeper and came over to clean and I immediately apologized for the minor mess. She replied in a snide and sarcastic tone «oh I just LOVE cleaning up other people’s messes! I could clean up your messes all day!» It was clear she was not trying to be funny.
At that point, while her bad attitude bothered me, I was prepared to let it go. After all, it was the tail end of Thanksgiving weekend in the airport and she works in retail. Having done a great deal of holiday retail myself, I understand the toll that can take.
But then she had the audacity to come back to our table and proceed to tell us, again in a snide voice, to make sure and let her know if we made any more messes she would have to clean up.
I’m sorry, but this woman is a terrible representation of Fara, and I won’t ever patronize one of their locations again or buy their coffee. I understand people have bad days and I understand she was probably over-​worked, under-​slept and probably under-​paid, but she clearly isn’t cut out for retail and customer service and given that’s the position she chose to apply for, she should make a choice to do something else before she forces Fara to make that choice for her.
I also understand an airport business probably primarily relies on tourist business and so repeat business or word of mouth probably isn’t as big a deal as it is for traditional businesses. But if I were running Fara, I would want feedback like this as this woman represents their brand, and they should care how that looks to the public.

For what this place is, its one of the better sandwich/​salad type places at an airport. Their salads and sandwiches are huge — and the prices are actually cheap. No ripoff airport pricing here.
Greek Salad — delicious and fresh
Turkey Club — very fresh — nice whole wheat bread
Chicken Salad Sandwich — good and HUGE!
Ohh, and the two jackasses who wrote one star reviews of this place are writing some sort of hate reviews — I have flagged them and hopefully they will be removed.

This satellite location of the iconic Austin Fara coffee provides those entering and leaving the great city of ATX with a local, unique experience into its culture – specifically the caffeinated aspect.
How nice it is to have a homegrown coffee shop, specifically one as humble and intentional with partnerships as Fara, in lieu of Starbucks at a landmark so highly trafficked as AUS!
We take for granted how much work actually goes into a cup of joe, but this travel-​friendly stop provides you the ability to slow down, grab a piece of Austin and suck it down, and perhaps indulge in a pastry or something of the like.

Stars for being a family business and a largely Austin presence — according to the cashier who actually was one of the young daughters in the family. The coffee was excellent and had a smooth presence with not an overwhelming amount of caffeine. It’s aroma was mild. Overall a great place which didn’t have overpriced coffee and had ample seating table area to sit down and relax in the beginning of the airport. The sports bar is right above the café where I got coffee. Relatively slow airport in general so not a lot of traffic and doesn’t feel congested at all.

I found it very refreshing to get a beer in an airport for a normal price. If I see another $ 7 beer in an airport, I’m gonna have to vomit. Domestic beer for $ 3.25 and a decent slice of pizza. Also, free wireless is for the win. Slice and a beer was $ 6.5ish. I’m definitely down.

If you’re meeting people at the airport from multiple flights, this is the place to meet. Beers are $ 2 cheaper here than they are inside the security terminal, and the upstairs gives you a great vantage point on the gates across the way.
(Café hours of service: 6am to 9pm)
(Bar hours of service: 11am to 9 pm)

Before you go through airport security or while you are waiting to pick someone up, the Fara Café Sports Bar awaits.
I have always met a Farahani or two when I have ordered a croissant or chicken salad sandwich. The café is located on the main concourse outside security near the Southwest Airlines entrance and serves pre-​made sandwiches and baked goods.
The café features family coffee from their four farms in the Matagalpa region of Nicaragua. Fara and Harlon’s both sell espresso coffee drinks, but, in my opinion, Fara offers the best coffee at the airport. Arabica beans make for a smooth double espresso and contribute to the rich aroma surrounding this little café.
The café area feels like a fishbowl, totally open to airport hustle and bustle and I am not a big fan of a bunch of tvs all tuned to a different football/​soccer/​basketball station. If you like sports bars, though, you will be in heaven.
The bar is just above the café and is a great place to kick back and relax with a cocktail when I have to wait if a plane has been delayed. It beats burning up the gas circling the airport like a hamster on a treadmill.