Kafé Kerouac

So, this should be part 2 of my review. I stand by what I wrote regarding working in Kerouac, but the nighttime social experience is different, and frankly better.
We popped in for a beer, just thinking that we wanted to get out of the house. Frankly, I wasn’t expecting their bar service to be so good, in part because they’re doubling as a coffee shop. But, it actually is. The prices are fair for their beers. What’s more, the cocktails are good and interesting. I don’t normally drink them hot, but when I want one, I’ll actually keep this place in mind.
I think my mistake with this place was that I was coming in here to work, when I really should have been coming in just to relax.

Nice and cozy place. I can work here having a coffee and listening to nice music or spend the afternoon reading books or playing board games. The coffee is delicious!

This is that coffee shop that every college town needs to have with the really hip music and retro game and record collections hanging out looking they haven’t a concern in the world, (except for all the very serious ones, but that goes without saying).
Also serves whiskey and live music. They do whiskey tastings. Some whiskey is better than others.

It’s a superb place for poetry. The drinks are good and with two rooms it’s easy to snag a table. Service is spotty when friends of the bartenders are in, but it’s usually a comfortable place to get work done.

Not the greatest parking situation, this coffee shop joint. But, then again, Kerouac is located smack in the heart of OSU campus so spots are limited. I always feel like I’m in the basement of a building when here. Not in a bad way, just the limited sunlight can sometimes catch me off guard. Lots of poetry readings and singer/​songwriters play here. Chill, down to earth atmosphere. Plenty of tables and seating. Great place to study, or meet friends for some boardgames.

Really liked the space. Lots of old books on shelves, old gaming consoles, old music equipment. There’s an antique-​y feel to the place, but it doesn’t feel abandoned… feels well used. Comfortable.
I came at a time where there were maybe 4 other people there so I was able to get quiet time and get a lot of work done. However, I’ve heard that the place can get pretty loud when undergrads come in swarms. I guess I got lucky, otherwise my rating would be different.

In theory, I should love this place. Coffee shop with a hipstery vibe and relaxed aesthetic? Should be my catnip. But nothing about this place really jives with me. Kerouac is one of those University District/​Clintonville destinations that are popular because the alternatives are so much less interesting, rather than any inherent quality.
Neither the coffee nor the tea are very commendable. Honestly, that has to be the litmus test of a good coffee shop, especially one that’s trying to sell itself as pretentious, but nothing sold here stands out. The cappuccino is weak and the coffee is bland. Same goes for the food items. Yes, brownies are tasty, but that’s a low bar to aspire to.
The furniture to sit in isn’t particularly comfortable. I know the run-​down thing is part of the atmosphere, but the recliners are a little too used to be really nice.
There are lots of power outlets for work, which is nice. On the downside, I’ve never been able to get the wireless to work on my laptop, and I’ve been in here three different times.
The used books for sell are again unremarkable, a mixture of used school text books (joy) and paperbacks which were just taking up space somewhere else. The record selection is even worse. I know records have gotten really popular again and it’s unrealistic to expect that a coffee shop would have items that are both cheap and really good, but other places like Half Price Books actually carry stuff that’s worth listening to.

Awesome atmosphere and the coffee is great! I really like the separate quiet room for studying, it’s really convenient for the college students that come in. It has a very cozy and welcoming feel.

I didn’t actually realize I hadn’t reviewed Kafe Kerouac. I’ve been here multiple times, and it’s a pretty nice little café. I’ve been here just to hang out, to study, and to see live music. Each time has been a pretty good experience. As someone from a literature background, I dig the literary connections in the café. I also love that they have books and old school video games. And they have alcohol, which gives it a nice little boost over many other cafes. Because let’s face it. Sometimes you need both alcohol and coffee.

One of my favorite coffee shops in America. In the front room there are wire racks of vintage paper backs and records, great (and not too loud) music, and the first fifty pages or so of On The Road circling the wall. The back room is quieter and book-​lined. Supports local artists and bakeries. unpretentious menu and staff, free refills on coffee, and plenty of space and outlets. Turns into a bar/​event space at night, but the front room remains a well-​lit place where people can talk. A warm, inviting, and beloved place.

Pretty cool café with coffee beer books and many couches to sit on.

Cozy, good food and drinks, serves great coffee and beer, poetry readings, bookstore, this place has it all.

Kafe Kerouac is a great little coffee shop on the north edge of campus. My favorite things are that they have more outlets than you could ever fit people in the place, and free refills if you buy a $ 2 coffee for «here». I like that they serve it in mugs and they have random plastic cups for ice water if you need instead of blowing through hundreds of paper or styrofoam cups and lids every day. The background music is pretty great for getting work done, and they have hundreds of books you can pull off the shelf and read if you’re into that. Also, they have free wifi if you ask for the password, and it’s not one of those crappy browser-​based sign-​ins. It’s no different than your household router and now my computer picks it up automatically every time I go, unless they change the password.
My few very small complaints include most of the tables being very tiny besides a few that are hard to claim, and it’s generally a little warm for my liking.
All-​in-​all a great place that I frequent in the afternoons and early evenings when I need to get focused and work in a cool atmosphere.

this place is quirky and awesome. I love the intense literature vibe and the two separate rooms, would be a nice spot to hunker down and study that isn’t a library. My latte was awesome. My cookie was meh, definitely not worth the almost $ 3. All in all nice spot.

Kerouac — Truly Reminds me of the coffeehouses in my home town –San Francisco — Coffeehouse Mecca — So 5 stars all the way — please don’t ever lose that — it was one of the things I missed the most when I first moved here long ago…

I fell in love with KK the first time I went in about two years ago and in my opinion, is the perfect private haven for anyone that appreciates any type of art. The coffee is delicious and the setting is friendly and quiet, even though it can get rowdy sometimes. They have used books and records, poetry nights, and can even be used as a music venue. I usually go here when I want to study in a sit-​down but not deathly quiet setting, but have also frequented to doodle, watch Netflix, or drink a beer with friends. All in all, a home away from home

Kafe Kerouac, named after one of the Beat authors, might enthrall someone with literary interests. When I entered the café, I was thrilled to see reconditioned tables and a library full of used books! There is wood everything: wood tables, wood floor, a wood bar that stocks white porcelain mugs. I ordered a dark roast coffee at the coffee bar.
The coffee tasted O. K; it’s not flavorful enough for me to want another one. I felt disappointed in not only the drink, but also in the service. Their indifference gives off a negative vibe that might deter anyone from buying a daily coffee. Ok, we get it; only stay friendly with the regulars. I think that the café idea is creative and fun, but I don’t know if I would visit again.

Kafe Kerouac is spectacular for late night studying (among various other times!), being open until 1am as they are. I like that you can also get alcohol there as well and the chai tea and kaluah mix is a great choice for a chill study night or late night chat with friends. They also frequently have poetry and music nights which are usually pretty chill, and provide great entertainment for an evening. Room full of books =my heart being full. I thoroughly enjoy spending time at Kafe Kerouac due to the laid back atmosphere and the coziness of the furniture.

To tell you the truth, I have no idea what crazy kids today mean by the term hipster. I have used the term before, thinking I had the new definition down, but only to read reviews that use it a bit differently. As a member of Gen-​X, hipster meant «a person down with the jazz culture and its connected ‘paraphernalia’.» Whether or not Kafe Kerouac is hipster, well, I’ll let that issue be between the Millennial.
What I would call it is organic, free-​spirited, authentic (or at least self-​consciously authentic.) It is the type of place that forgets a lavish interior in favor of hand-​me-​down décor. Old chairs, vintage shelving, scuff flooring, beat up woodwork and walls give it character. Some of the wall is papered by pages of On The Road, as if it was torn and pasted as some Da-​Da act by Ginsburg and Burroughs on a benzene bender. The track lighting, enough to light your way, but not enough to illuminate completely puts it in league with dive bars; subterranean is the word here, fitting for its namesake, and for a tie-​dyed soul like me, attacked to the whiff of counter-​culture ethos, it’s love at first sight. It puts me to mind a coffee shop during my college years, that had a large patio down near the Newport, whose name, because of the approaching indignities of middle age, escape me.
KK is more than a coffee shop. It has a good selection of beers and wine, which I am sure the great Beat himself would appreciate. It also triples as a book/​record shop. The record selection is light on quality though; the book selection isn’t. I visited the poetry selves excited: could this be the place to secure a copy of O’Hara’s Mediations In An Emergency? If so, instant 5-​stars even before trying coffee! But alas no. The search continues.
The back room had speakers which I presume means they have poetry readings, musicians and other performances from time to time.
I was prepared to get the shaft from the barista, since previous reviews touched on it. The bar was kind of awkwardly situated. Plenty of seats, all taken, but no obvious place to order. And yes, there was a cliquish feel there, but the barista was very friendly, sweet even, and took my order with a warm, friendly smile.
I ordered a Café Mocha. It was Ok, but not really good. Tasted more like hot chocolate with a shot of espresso than it did a true latte. They also didn’t put whipped cream on it which is an abomination to Mochakind. But I have had worse. This prevents the perfect rating.
Oh and there is a public bookshelf were I read a book that asks you to take it home and bring it back – great community togetherness and sharing which good art should be about.
All in all, KK is a great experience and would be my spot if I was young, lived in the area, and knew what hipster meant. ;-)

The other reviews here talk about this place being «hipster» but I don’t know what they’re talking about. This is just a cool, local coffeeshop that has atmosphere and style. I loved everything about it and if I lived nearby I’d be a regular.
Free wifi, books and records for sale, great music playing (Dick Dale and other interesting 60’s stuff), local pastries and cookies, lots of seating, plus a vintage Nintendo unit that may or may not be operational.
Highly recommended. Can’t wait to go back.

An excellent little coffee shop that smells like books and serves a high quality coffee. A very nice laid back atmosphere that brings me back to my days of digging through used punk albums at my local record store.
Is it full of pretentious artsy hipster clones like some of the other reviews say? Possibly but not when I was there at opening time with a baby and wifey. But I also don’t give a shit about clientele as long as they keep to themselves. The best coffee shops lend themselves well to the symposium environment and encourage thoughtful debate. If hipsters are the people making those arguments and this is where they feel comfortable then I say leave them alone and reflect critically on yourself for a change. Maybe over an americano and some Kafka.

Kafe Kerouac should be a no-​brainer for me. I *am* the type that digs the dirty basement vibe, the random used records and paperbacks, the mismatched furniture and the thrift store mugs. Yet, somehow. .. . KK did not do it for me, at all.
Problem #1: The product was meh as hell. I gave Kafe Kerouac the cappuccino test because they looked like they could actually handle it (and I was in the mood). I am very specific when I order a cappuccino as to how I want it made, and it never, ever comes out the way I want (except at Luck Bros!); KK was no exception. It was actually on the worse end of the cappuccino scale. I ended up trading drinks with my husband, who had really watery-​tasting iced coffee (in a styrofoam cup meant for hot drinks. I don’t mind Goodwill china but REALLY? You can’t spring for cold cups?). The iced coffee was bad, but it was less bad than the cappuccino.
Problem #2: OH MY GOD so pretentious, even for a campus joint. Kafe Kerouac should be the opposite of pretentious, but they managed to foster an über-​pretentious atmosphere all the same.
Problem #3: While the selection of books actually seemed pretty decent, if you’re going to offer records for sale, at least make an attempt to curate your selection a tad. Good used records could make up for shitty coffee. These were not good.
Did I mention the coffee? It was bad.
I think if KK were in a different neighborhood, it would probably be far better. At present, I see little reason to go back. .. and that’s sadmaking, because I would love to have a coffee shop JUST LIKE THIS, but actually good.

I’m sort of on an unofficial coffee shop tour, because I realized I’ve missed posting up in a coffee shop for long hours of work. Ah, to be a student again.
Located close to campus, there certainly were a lot of students here, so much so that I felt a little old. I wonder if they realize they all look alike while trying so desperately hard to look unique? I can’t decide if Kafe Kerouac is ‘self-​aware hipster’, or ‘trying-​too-​hard hipster’.
Anyway, it’s worth a look if you need to study. There’s plenty of work tables and a good effort to have outlets available, even if it’s just from a scattering of old dusty power strips.
I guess that’s what strikes me the most about Kafe Kerouac– it felt sorta dirty. The concrete floors made the joint frosty on a February «study» day. It needs some area rugs or something (just so long as the proprietors own a vacuum). I liked the books around for sale and browsing. Kinda fun.
I can definitely see how this space is ideal for coffee shop type events like poetry slams and board game tournments.
I had a mocha, served in an ironic mismatched mug juxtaposed with some decent foam art on top. It was fine. I enjoyed reading the menu with author-​inspired beverages (pretty much just syrup combinations in your latte).
I enjoyed the collages of photographs and postcards in the bathroom.
Annnyway… I guess if I were still a student I wouldn’t mind the lack of creature comforts. But alas, I’ve gotten accustomed to certain luxuries in my old age (like heat and flooring), so until this joint plushes up a bit, I probably won’t go out of my way.