Little City Espresso Bar & Cafe

I missed missed missed my Little City! It used to be my quick lunch destination at work. Very good fresh Mediterranean salad, poet’s plate and Ruben sandwich. Oh my I hope they open up a place somewhere soon! It is a good place to grab a vegetarian lunch!
I miss ya!

RIP Little City. I loved your cool atmosphere and your turkey sandwich with sun dried cranberry cream cheese and your awesome chips sand salsa and your delicious coffee. And I’m so sad that you were forced to closed simply because your building was sold.
I’m thankful though that at least I can bring a little Little City into my house since you’re still roasting and selling coffee beans!

I enjoyed this little café a lot when I was in Austin. It’s the kind of place I’d frequent to engage in some high brow conversation over coffee. And the strawberry pepper salad. That was so awesome. It had strawberries, crumbled cheese, cracked pepper, and chocolate shavings!

I love Little City. It’s the only coffee within quick walking distance of my work where I will be attended to in a timely manner (I’m looking at you, Hideout…) and where I don’t have to teach the Barista that espresso shots go bad or what crema is (Bakerman!).
They have awesome iced coffee and make great americanos and have delicious food. You can get a bagel with peanut butter and banana slices. Yummy!
Anyway, I just found out that they are closing on May 13 and I’m a little heartbroken. They are a real coffee house with real coffee people. I will miss them.

This is a coffee house I frequent almost daily due to its location. It is very close to the Capitol building, so it is a great location.
The coffee is usually quite good. The only complaint I have is that sometimes my drink is not as hot as I would like when I buy milk based drinks. They have large amounts of seating inside, including some long booths style seating in the back. They often feature art of local artists which is always nice. There is seating outside as well, a great place to watch people go up and down Congress.
They have a variety of good salads, which is a nice option compared to most food at coffee houses.
Although they do not roast on premises, which is always what I prefer to avoid bitterness, I have yet to have a bad cup of coffee there. The WiFi works great, and they do have several outlets available.
What I like most about the shop is that it has a true local feel. There will always be friends of the baristas sitting at the counter chatting about the topic du jour. If you are downtown there is not reason to go to the chains when a place like this is around.

My average trip to a coffee place is iced tea + banana bread muffin or similar. I don’t get much else, and that’s exactly what I got here. They did it just the way I wanted it done, and they gave me refills on the iced tea. I can’t remember if it was limited to 1 refill or not. They also let me use their bathroom with an oblong key chain.
I really enjoyed their low-​key environment. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere with high ceilings and lots of artwork. Their furniture is trendy. They also have a few outside seats against the window so as not to disrupt the sidewalkers. The lady at the counter was oh so sweet. The place was fairly populated and quiet. If I recall correctly, there was free internet available. I didn’t really see any disadvantages while I was here. I’m definitely a fan, but my experience could have been better than most. Regardless, I’m going to lay down 5 stars because nothing went wrong and everything I wanted went incredibly well.

Raspberry. Pepper. Salad.
Sitting inside is depressing so sit outside. And stick to the hot coffees. They’re tasty. This is definitely a working/​studying place. Tacodeli in the mornings, too.

Little City is a way adorable coffee shop located relatively near to Starbucks mania. It’s worth the visit if you’re looking for a little something un-​Starbucks for a change.
I suppose I would decide the inside as cozy rustic? It definitely has a bit of an aged feel to it? It was a pretty open space, but rather calm and quiet on this particular Saturday. They do serve a decent selection of café fare — I spotted one or two vegan/​vegetarian-​friendly items. The barista was pleasant enough — her demeanor was mostly neutral, so no complaints there.
I had a soy latte in lieu of my usual drip coffee and it was more diluted than I’m used to, but I rather enjoyed it because it was quite nice and light. And didn’t wreck havoc on my nervous system, as caffeine sometimes does (I LIVE FOR IT, I TELL YOU!).
Little City offers a punch card — I think after ten drinks, you receive a free one?
This review is probably a bit premature, but I will say that of the half hour I spent there, it was quite soothing and relaxing. I wouldn’t mind stopping by here again with some reading material or my laptop.

Cute space, nice atmosphere, outdoor seating, free wifi
Food was just ok. I had the ½ salad, ½ sandwich. the leffuce was wilted and it was really small. Just go with the whole sandwich.
The ciabatta bread was good.
Staff wasn’t really what I would call friendly.

I’ve been here many times now because it’s about a block from my work. Suffice to say that I poke my head in first because if there are more than 2 people in line it’s guaranteed to take at least 10 minutes to get a cup of coffee. Watching the servers move compared to the Starbucks across the street feels like a slow motion replay.
So basically you have to go at a very non-​busy time. If you’re lucky enough to get that, the coffee/​iced tea is good, and some of the pastries are decent. They also have a sometimes very strict 5 dollar minimum credit card purchase (my total came to $ 4.90 once and they made me order «extra salsa» on my coffee for an extra 20 cents so I could use my credit card).

I think this might just be my new go-​to coffee shop when my home office gets stale. I can’t believe I didn’t even know it was there.
This was my first time to Little City, and sadly after lunch so I didn’t get to sample the food, but the coffee was fantastic. The barista served up a delicious double americano, and even gave me a choice of cup size depending on how strong I like my espresso. I chose the smaller cup because I like it strong!
The good rating isn’t just for the coffee though. This place has a lot of great charm, and in the heart of downtown on Congress the people watching is phenomenal. The barista on staff was knowledgeable not only about how to pull a perfect shot of espresso, but evidently about Presidential history? When I showed up he was having a riveting conversation with a customer about past president tid-bits…and the customer proceeded to cheerfully declare him a «smarty-​pants.» He was a really fun guy.
Free wi-​fi a total plus, and the shady tree out front provides respite from the hot sun when you want to sit outdoors. Minus one star just because the inside is pretty dark, not too ideal for studying/​working unless you’re on a laptop, but would be perfect for a lounge spot or coffee with a friend. Outdoor seating is nearly impossible to snag since there are only a few tables, but that’s forgiven since they have very little space in front of the store front. I heard multiple guests commend their buddies for «snagging an outside table.» Oh, and beware, they have a $ 5.00 minimum for credit/​debit cards!
Anyway, I’ll definitely be back, especially to take part in Little City’s happy hour specials and lunch menu. :) Thank god for a local coffee place, and no more starbucks!

Since I work downtown, I routinely find myself ordering coffee or lunch at little city. Cool metal sculptures, and funky art on the walls make this place feel like more of a lunch escape than the other sandwich shops downtown. The raspberry pepper salad is amazing, but I would suggest ordering the small unless you are really hungry. Also, don’t forget to ask about the soup du jour as it’s not always posted on the wall.
Also, happy hour from 5 – 7 on weekdays offers half price coffee drinks if you need an afternoon caffeine fix.

Once again I found myself in a strange town looking for something that didn’t rhyme with Starbucks and had good coffee, a great vibe, and a amazing atmosphere. Little City fits the bill!
I ordered my usual test of a 12oz Vanilla Latte. The barista went to work as I casually watched the process begin. The coffee is extracted with care with the perfect caramel shot that is not pulled past the ‘polar bear’ stage. Then as the milk is stretched and poured into the ‘wet’ glass with vanilla and the shots are poured as the latte takes shape with a great pour.
The vibe is an eclectic mix of cement tables, modern art, friendly baristas, and good food (the granola with fresh fruit and yogurt is delightful). The Baristas are friendly but not arrogant ~ I feel like they know coffee but will not be snobbish about their knowledge.
If you are in Austin and are near the Capitol Building try Little City!

I was introduced to Little City a few months a go by a friend of the family. I love going here… I try to stop by a few times a month. I usually order a hot mint green tea. I have not been disappointed. (Of course, it is a tea bag in a cup of warm water, so I have control over the strength… but still!)
The guys behind the counter are cool. I love the atmosphere and artwork on the walls.
I haven’t had a chance to try the sandwiches here, though… guess I’ll have to go back!

BTW, Mocha MOndays…2.85 for a nice large mocha. That is a DEAL. AND it’s tasty. I really like this place. It’s a little bit dark for my taste since I typically like to study and read in cafes, but I’ll make an exception since the décor is kinda frakin awesome with metal sculptures. It has a very «hard/​garage-​feel décor» juxtaposed with a soft, muted lighting/​rich purple chairs. It’s pretty nice. The barista looks very Austin-​y with his grunge clothes and shaggy beard, but nice and taciturn. The drinks are made promptly and the whole café area looks clean. I also like that this café is full of diverse people from students, business people, musicians, etc. It’s not overrun by students or really super hipster folks. I like the variety.
I want to come back for some sandwiches and drinks!

$ 1.49 mochas for happy hour!!! WOO — HOO!!!
Also another place to go to besides Starbucks!
Very relaxing atmosphere with nice artwork on the wall.
Kinda weird to cover up the chairs with a purple cloth but I figure they want the customer to make you feel like royalty or something like that.
My mocha was kinda weak and that’s why I’m docking it down a star but I picked up my coffee punch card so I’ll back for more.

I’m not really a coffee drinker so I can’t speak to the coffee issue, but I like Little City for lunch downtown. I’ve been a number of times now and gotten various sandwiches and salads and I’ve been happy with all of them.
I also think their décor is fun — I love the purple. And, as others have mentioned, the staff are definitely of the friendly variety.
It does seem very hipster-​centric (and I’m pretty darn sure I do not fall into that category) so I can’t see myself sitting around and hanging out there for an extended period of time, but it’s definitely a nice alternative to going to Subway for lunch if you work downtown.

Sometimes (er a lot of time) I get irritable when I’m in dire need of caffeine. I just so happened to be in dire need of a latte when Kevin N and I stopped into Little City to get some work done.
I waited in a short line of just a few people for my standard non-​fat latte with whatever kind of sugar free syrup they had. Oh, and an Italian soda for Kevin… he loves his italian sodas. The short line seemed to take forever because the guy behind the counter felt the need to talk for hours to each person. Ok, well maybe it wasn’t hours for each person and I guess it’s nice he’s so friendly, but this girl needs her coffee!
When it got to be my turn to order (um, finally) Mr. Friendly was still continuing his conversation about football (boring) with the guy in front of me and asked me at least 3 times to remind him what I needed in my coffee. Sigh…
The finished product… eh. I’ve had better at Starbucks. Gasp.
2 stars cause they have free wifi (although most places seem to in Austin) and Kevin’s Italian soda looked good.

Ok, you are loosing me.
They should change the name of this place to Little Hipster.
I’m getting tired of the skinny jeans and facial hair that hides the minimal seating outside. I know you guys are ‘cool’, but if you had a job and some motivation, you wouldn’t be on your ass at Little City all day nursing that one cup of Tazo.

I was smitten by the interior; they did a really good job of presentation. Who doesn’t like the color combination of eggplant and squash? I love old shotgun storefronts with exposed brick interiors, and organdy slipcovers.
Unfortunately, the ambiance didn’t last once I sat down. The concrete slab café tables were chunky and unfriendly. The coldness of them makes the short story «The Body Snatcher» come to mind.
The most important factor to me is not the coffee or the wares; I want a coffee house that I can hang out in comfortably. This is not it.