River Oaks Coffee House

Pretty solid shop. Pleasantly surprised by how clean and pristine everything is, from the tables to the bathroom. River Oaks is a quaint shop with solid, wood tables and classical music. Great lighting. Overall, it boasts a very conducive environment to get work done.
The staff were pretty nice, and my iced latte was solid. The prices are moderate as well. The wifi was at a good speed, but if you have an iPhone, the staff mentioned those had a hard time connecting to their wifi for whatever reason.
My few complaints:
— It was kind of gross to see that they kept the old, used grounds in the espresso filter (is that what’s called?). They obviously emptied it before putting new espresso in, but I’m used to seeing places keeping their filters clean right after use. Maybe it was only one instance…
— The temperature fluctuated between just right and… not on. There was a short period of time when it felt like the A/​C had been turned off, and I was really confused. Overall, it was okay and much more bearable than Starbucks tundra environment.
— The bathroom door didn’t lock.what.
Anyway, the complaints were mostly minor, but it did affect my experience a bit. I’d still come back though, everything else about it made it a great work spot.

This is one of my favorite coffee places. My friend and I have taken quite a few detours just to come here for their Vietnamese coffee on our way to Central Market or elsewhere. We’ve also tried other drinks (latté, thai tea coffee, white chocolate raspberry crème blend) which were all fantastic but the Vietnamese coffee really takes the cake.
The best part is that it is tucked away in the randomest of plazas on Westheimer and not crammed in the Montrose block, so parking is generally not an issue. Also, it’s nice and quiet and they have free wi-​fi. The best.

In my younger and more vulnerable years, ROCH, as it was affectionately known by my classmates, was my absolute go-​to. Shunning Starbucks in favor of a local, independent coffee shop with a faux-​fresco interior, I felt adult. ROCH was where I escaped to in order to fit some homework in between the end of classes and the beginning of play rehearsals, where I met up with friends to study for AP tests.
After a few more recent visits, the absurdly early 5pm closing time, an AC system that alternates between two settings: arctic chill and tepid, and an atmosphere that despite the soothing classical music feels suffocatingly silent have thwarted my attempts to fall back in love with ROCH.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the coffee. The frappes are slightly icier and less sweet (and thus less guilt-​inducing) than Starbuck’s sugar bombs. The café au lait is a good blend of mild sweetness, creaminess, and nuttiness. The iced coffee is unoffensive and does its job. Two employees did a good job of handling the 8am morning rush.
But 45 check-​ins, a duchessdom, 4 punch cards, and perhaps a change in taste later, I’ve found myself more drawn to establishments with hit-​or-​miss indie mixes, a handwritten chalk menu that includes matés and dirty chais, and strangers that’ll strike up a conversation about the books stacked beside my laptop.
It’s been good, ROCH. I might pop in if I’m in the area and in need of a pick-​me-​up, but don’t expect me to stay long.

Cute don’t matter when the taste is bad. Life mantra.
Okay, River Oaks Coffee House isn’t BAD, but it’s not particularly good either. I picked up a Vanilla Latte on a coffee break and sat down on a cute woven chair with floral cushioning. Cute right? The foot stand in front of me had a ceramic tea tray on it. Cute right?
Too bad the Vanilla Latte was poor. It’s somewhat watery and leaves a parched aftertaste on your tongue. It just tastes funny altogether. Bummer, this place would’ve been perfect.

I was kind of underwhelmed by my latte, it tasted kind of bland. Very quiet place to study, kind of cold.

A wonderful coffee house tucked away in Highland Village — I would’ve never stumbled upon it if it wasn’t for Unilocal.Coffee is on the pricier side, but you can taste the difference, especially if you’re a fan of a simple cup of brewed coffee. There is also a variety of espresso drinks, teas, desserts, and snacks. Unfortunately, I don’t see myself coming here too much due to the hours of operation. The husband and I like grabbing a coffee or tea after dinner sometimes, and it’s not open late enough into the evening.
Despite it being fairly full on a Sunday afternoon, we found parking easily, and it was quiet inside — most of the patrons seem to be students and professionals looking for a place to study and complete work. Wifi is free, there is lots of natural light, and classical music is playing inside, but it’s not obtrusive… it’s the perfect place to escape to.
The staff is very friendly and the desserts are yummy, I highly recommend the Sacher torte and the peanut butter bar.
I’d come here all the time if it was open later! Too bad I didn’t discover this coffee house during college, I wasted a lot of time (and money) at the noisy Starbucks on Westheimer.

This is a pretty good coffeehouse in River Oaks. There’s plenty of seating, wireless access, and table-​service, which is often rare in some coffeehouses.
So, why 4 stars?
Minus 1 because of a lack of soy milk and for not having dairy free snacks
Other than that, it’s a great spot to be alone, read, work on your tablet/​laptop, but I kindly request you not to make phone calls when others are around. There was a loud talker there interrupting the peaceful ambiance.
Tip: Bring earphones /​earplugs because obnoxious people rarely learn that they are obnoxious.
I’ll probably be back for another coffeehouse reading break.

This little coffee shop is tucked into a very small strip mall right along Westheimer in the River Oaks neighborhood… blink and you very well might miss it. Unfortunately, the location isn’t as obvious as the typical Starbucks that sits at every major intersection, but that just makes River Oaks Coffee House that much easier to get in and out of.
If a really good cup of coffee or tea is what you are looking for in a quiet yet quaint setting, then you have found your spot. Despite being situated in River Oaks, this little coffee house is not pretentious at all. You won’t get a bad attitude or a bad cup of coffee/​tea here, so bring your book, homework, work, or headphones and sit back to enjoy a peaceful atmosphere.
Not being a coffee drinker, I always order the Chai Latte hot or cold depending on the weather. River Oaks Coffee House serves up some of the best Chai I’ve had in Houston, so whenever I need my Chai fix, I head right over to this hidden gem. Their Chai is both spicy and smooth with just the right balance of milk. If it weren’t for my calorie intake boundaries, I would probably drink through 12 of these a week. Yes, it’s that good!
If you are needing a little more than just coffee or tea, they also serve up juice, water, and smoothies for those wanting something else to quench thirst. If it’s your belly that needs something, don’t worry, they also serve up pastries, sandwiches, and light snacks to accompany your drink.
This isn’t a chain coffee house so quality and personalized customer service are at their best. I’m within walking distance of River Oaks Coffee House and Starbucks from work, but I always walk to River Oaks Coffee House because I know that I will always get a consistent product every time.

As a med student, this is definitely one of my favorite study spots. There are perhaps a dozen well-​built wooden tables large enough for two people to comfortably spread out their books and laptop on, one 4 person table, one bar table, and a small sitting area in this small coffee house. Free wifi (it’s kind of slow though), outlets along the walls, lots of good natural lighting, light classical music, and mostly quiet, hard-​working people working away on their laptops. The décor is tasteful and cozy. Their website even features a live-​feed camera so you can see if a table is open before you head out there (creepy but useful).
Food/​drinks — I’ve sampled their latte (good but i’ve had better), caramel macchiato (amazing!), fruit smoothie (I got a peach one with half sugar and it was incredibly refreshing and light), tuna salad on spinach (overpriced but at least the tuna salad was well made), a vegan peanut butter cookie (super healthy but not very tasty), and the carrot bread (dry, tasteless). Word of warning — I once asked for water from the tap and it tasted really strange and had things floating around in it…
Prices — slightly overpriced but it is a local business. I would pay a little extra to sit and work here though since it’s such a comfortable place. Something strange — they list 3 prices for some drinks but when you ask about it, you’ll only have options for a med or large.
Service is polite and prompt. Bathrooms are clean and well-​kept.
They sadly close by 5pm now, but if you still have some work to do after closing you can sit outside and their outdoor tables.

Nice, quiet coffee house! A great place to get some studying done. A little pricey… You can actually get Starbucks for the same price!
Overall a winner for a good study spot!

There are few true coffee houses like this anymore. Pretension is kept at an absolute minimum as are syrupy lattes and the presence of cajeta and/​or nutella. This is a great spot for serious study or quiet conversation, as there is softly playing classical music interspersed with frequent and long breaks of nothing at all. There’s little to distract you, aesthetically or otherwise. Yet it’s a bright and cheerful little place which I greatly appreciate.
They have perfectly-​brewed iced coffee, impeccably clean bathrooms, very polite staff, tables that are actually made for spreading out or for multiple people and wood floors and décor that reminds me of well-​appointed kitchens in nicely-​built homes. Whenever I really need to buckle down, I come here and grab an iced coffee (or three). I only wish it were open later, as it closes by 7 PM on Saturdays and 6 PM on Sundays. It’s a totally solid spot.

Always in search of a new coffeehouse to take my massive amounts of books to, I came upon ROCH. And how glad I am I found it!
Sure, I’ve been impressed by other coffee houses, but this one by far is my favorite.
First, it’s a quietish atmosphere. There’s no random gigglers, chit-​chatters, or those who shall remain unnamed who find it soothing to cough, snort, and gargle in public. Everyone is either reading newspapers, studying, working on something, but generally keeping pretty quiet.
Second, there’s faint classical music in the background. I cannot tell you how valuable this is. I know — it sounds so snobby of me to put this on the review, but it is priceless. So many other places I tried to study at had indie music playing (a genre I adore) but it’s hard to not get caught up in the music and focus on my work. I don’t feel distracted here at all!
Third, free wi-​fi. YAY!
Fourth, the tables are legit wood. I called my friend the first time I went here to tell her this. We both could not comprehend this! Furniture at public places usually tends to be lower quality and not fancy, but the tables are nice, large enough to house my laptop and a book, and actual legit wood. LOVE!
Fifth, of course, the coffee. The lattes are actually decently priced. For the large, a 20 oz drink, a latte runs slightly under $ 4 and it’s marvelous!
I could not be happier :-)

Well, it seems like this is THE hangout for the Tahoe-​driving, latte-​sipping River Oaks soccer moms when I was there on a Friday at around 10am. There was also a decent number of people doing «real» work (at their Macs, of course). The bright lighting, free wifi, and plethora of plugs makes this an ideal spot for work – if you can get a table.
The drip coffee was fairly good and the prices were very reasonable ($ 1.95 for a 16-​oz. medium coffee). The service is excellent as well and everyone working there was very nice.
Good coffee, good atmosphere, great service: I’ll be back.

Haven’t one bad thing to say about this place.
Not too loud, good music (classical. thank you River Oaks coffee Gods for realizing that not everyone that is under 40 and drinks coffee wants to hear alternative rock or hip hop… bless you)
The latte: rocks
The vegan cookie: rocks
The atmosphere: rocks
The girls behind the counter: Both rock
Yay. I’ve found the teensy tiny mothership.
Everyone else STAY OUT
Incidentally… I set my MAC up after getting my drink… and by the time I walked back up to the counter to get the password, the girl had already written it down, and was smiling at me when she handed it over.
BOOYAH

This place is cute, if they could get my order right.
I ordered an espresso, and a smoothie, cashier took money, no problem.
Went to sit down, needed to get password for the internet. Asked cashier, he didn’t know it. 10 minutes later, finally got password, in addition to telling me espresso machine got broken by someone.
15 minutes later, they have no fruit for the smoothies.
Ummmmm… green tea, and vanilla latte, then I guess…
Best damn latte I have had, beat that Starbucks, but cereal, the staff needs to be a bit better trained (maybe he was new)

I’m a fan of this place. It’s like the kind of local coffee and tea house I’ve been looking for.
I bumped off a star because the parking is very limited. Luckily, I got there just in time before the place started filling up, for I’d hate to be caught up in trying to find parking here. I like how their website has a live webcam of the place so you can see whether or not there’s seating available. They should work on their website though, cause you can’t really access anything else (ex: menu) other than the live webcam. Since I didn’t know what they served here based on their website, I had to research Unilocalers’ reviews to see if they served any sort of hot tea there. Thank you guys for letting me know that they do! Lol.
Anyway, so my friend and I walked up to the counter and the cashiers tell me that they have a selection of organic teas and other regular teas. And they asked if we wanted a small, medium, or large sized cup (they’re all at the same price of $ 2.75 each, so why not get a large?) I think that’s pretty cheap for a nice cup of tea. The cashier recommended the tropical green tea so my friend ordered that, while I got the lavender tea. Both were pretty good. I always love the aroma of lavender tea; and the taste of the tropical green tea is pretty much self-​explanatory: tastes like tropical fruit and green tea mixed together. It was interesting combo that I wouldn’t mind coming back for.
And there’s just something about the ambiance of this place that makes you feel like you’re in one European coffee houses that you see in the movies. Haha. As Kylie S. said, its «Tuscan design is inviting.» It’s definitely not as big as Starbucks, but it’s still a great place to get work done, study, chat with friends, etc. I would stay there all day if I could!

Love it! You can’t tell from the road, but this place is so cute on the inside. It has a Tuscan design which is inviting and the tables and chairs are comfortable solid wood — great for getting work done on.
The drink/​food options are fairly similar to Starbucks, but prices are much lower. I ordered a medium roast drip and a croissant and both were solid.
Parking could be an issue during busy times or weekend. I went on a Monday around 11am, though, and it wasn’t a problem. Moreover, I would expect this place to be empty at such an odd time, but there were always at least 8 – 10 people in the place with a steady flow of traffic in/​out.
RO Coffee House has WiFi — you just have to get the password from the barista. No time limit on internet usage, which is great since I don’t yet have internet in my new apartment.
I will absolutely be here again soon.

Four stars for sure. We were going to check out Dunn Bros. but I remember reading a five-​star review about this place and had driven by it a few times.
Interior is pretty nice and orderly. Almost all the tables… maybe 9 – 12 tables in all… were occupied but we didn’t plan on staying. Coffee was good but not great– mocha latte was on the thin/​watery side but tasted pretty good overall. Price is about what you’d pay at Starbucks but the medium sized seemed pretty large. Baristas were friendly.
One thing I noticed was that there was no music playing inside the coffee shop. I like that a lot and think it’d be ideal for studying but not sure if that’s everyone’s cup of tea. Or coffee.

Before going out to study was an option, now it happens to be the ONLY option since I’m having nightmares with AT&T AND COMCAST.
River Oaks Coffee House has been my go to place to study. It has lots of natural lighting, never really ever super crowded, the staff has been consistently polite and welcoming. The people here are here to study, read, or relax themselves so you don’t get the obnoxious crowd, their wi-​fi connection consistently up and running fast and smooth. This is my 2^nd home as far as studying goes.
My newest find here is the Thai Tea! Yummy!

As I was planning last week’s Unilocal office hours, I was about to select Catalina as the location for the meet up until I decided to do a search on coffee houses that I hadn’t checked out yet. Working from home and being the coffee shop whore that I am, I figured I’d been to most in the area, that is until River Oaks Coffee House popped up in my search results. Man, I heart Unilocal.
I don’t think parking was that big of an ordeal as one lovely Unilocaler had warned. It could have been that it was 5pm and the two adjacent businesses were already closed for the day, so there was room for our coming and going group of 15 or so.
I was famished when I first arrived, so drooled over their selection of sandwiches, salads and pastries before settling on a turkey sammy. The barista wasn’t sure where the grub came from, but he assured me that the pastries were made in house. If I had a sweet tooth, I would’ve tried them, but thank goodness sweets aren’t my thing… well, most of the time.
Other than our large party, the place is quiet as can be. A fair amount of tables and chairs, along with a cute sofa area and a small bookshelf stacked with random mags and books, makes up most of the space. They do have free Wi-​Fi, just make sure you ask the barista for the password. Oh, yes, the coffee. My latte was made well, and served in a giant mug. RO Coffee House also has a barrel of free bags of ground up old coffee beans that patrons can take home and put in their garden.
Service was friendly. One of the guys actually told me «happy birthday,» assuming that the large group we had was out to celebrate my special day at, ahem, a coffee shop? Strange, but sweet. I was a bit thrown off when the two guys had a not-​so-​quiet argument on who was going to check me out. I dunno who was the trainer/​trainee there — the older gentlemen or the younger guy — but it was awkward and I was a bit weirded out. I’ll still go back. I like weird … oh, yes, and I like the place.