Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso

Consistently good café lattes. Relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. Spacious so I always find a table. Good music, friendly staff. My favorite place…

I give them one star because you must traverse a phalanx of disgusting smokers to enter. The coffee is great, and they do a really good job with tea. It would be a comfortable place to spend an afternoon, but I refused to pass through an ashtray.

In again today for Americano and a carrot cake muffin. Pretty good both. Is my favorite coffee latte stop in Lincoln.

The Strawberry Italian soda with whip cream is my favorite thing to get here. I must admit it is a little over price a large. A large here is like a medium at Starbucks.

Yes. Settle in with a glass of iced deliciousness — my best description of their toddy latte — and enjoy the visiting art on the walls, find a book from the shelf, or use their free wifi to send a quick note to a friend. Baked goods available from a number of local sources, and if you’d rather bring in a burrito from the deli at the food co-​op next door, no problem. I especially appreciate the kindness and patience of the baristas, the almost-​always availability of strawberry rhubarb pie and orange pecan scones, and the pleasant music of varying genres playing in the background.

Apparently *the* alternative hang out in Lincoln. Regular crowd with a busy sidewalk seating scene out front. Every time I order an affogato (espresso over vanilla icecream), the staff, including the person who made it, oogles it and raves about how good it looks. And yup, it is that good.

Fantastic coffee shop/​café! The staff was over the moon nice and greeted us very personally! They saw me and my band mate on a poster and then again on their friends Instagram and said hey you guys are Gloom Balloon right? And we said yes, and next thing you know we were talking music, touring, and coffee with the barista! He was super nice and they make a great brew there too!
I guess they have shows here as well, so totally supportive of music, and the arts, and they have great coffee, I think I mentioned that!
I love that they are on the honor system for refills and they hook you up with soy for free!
I look forward to making my return visit, maybe for a show and some coffee!
Great spot!

Cool little spot to hang out and drink coffee at. Really haven’t tried too much of the coffee or anything else on the menu as I’ve only been here once, but the atmosphere and staff are very friendly

By far, the best coffee in Lincoln. I’ve tried out many other local coffee shops and none compare. Their toddy is to die for. I come here as often as I can and I am always greeted by a friendly barista! The baristas are knowledgeable and make amazing drinks. Favorite coffee shop, hands down.

On the one hand, fairly good coffee in a fairly nice setting with some food offerings and wi-​fi.
On the other hand, today this is the norm, not something that needs to be sought out or bragged up.
If you’re just looking for a cup of coffee and to send an email this place is fine. If you’re looking for more than that keep looking.

I do not claim to be a coffee expert, but I know when something is amazing. First two times we went, amazing. (One of us gets white mochas, the other gets mocha w almond milk). Third time– drinks were not drinkable. Like– sucked. We started to suspect that they were good the first two times because the same person made them. 4^th time– we went back and wouldn’t you know it, undrinkable. It was yet a different person making them. I’m a little sad over this. I’m not going to request that my coffee be made by a specific person– who may or may not be working that day anyway. See yas, Meadowlark.

There seems to be a lot of talk about the service, but when it comes to coffeehouses, I’ll put up with any amount of rudeness and rough treatment if the coffee is heavenly — which it must always be, if you are charging premium prices (which they are). But alas, Meadowlark is the usual train wreck:
1. Coffee is very sensitive stuff. Once it’s brewed, it immediately starts to decay. It therefore *has* to be served as fresh as possible.
Meadowlark — and they’re hardly alone — deals with this problem by dumping their coffee into thermoses, where it waits for God knows how long. That might be a reasonable concession if you had one or two thermoses, but they have half-​a-​dozen. The idea here seems to be that it’s more important to give the customer a lot of choice in terms of cutesy names than, you know, good coffee. So the coffee is often long past its sell by date.
Do the math, folks. If the coffee you brew at home were this expensive, it would cost $ 30/​lb. And you would expect to have orgasmic shivers running through your body with each sip.
2. Meadowlark is way into free trade, organic coffees, and they charge you for it. Trouble is, they charge *way* beyond what is warranted by the actual economics of the matter (by which I mean, the amount of money that finds its way back to the farmer, who is very often being screwed). I’ll pay a few dollars extra for it, because that’s about what he’s gaining — let’s say, $ 18/​lb for a bag that would normally be $ 15. But here, we’re talking $ 17 for a bag that should certainly be about $ 10.
Because even if it started out as a $ 15/​lb coffee, it certainly isn’t by the time Meadowlark is done with it. They seem to buy large bags which they then proceed to seal loosely. The barista will go over, open it up, measure some out, roll it back up. How long ago was that roasted? I suppose it doesn’t really matter, because the beans have been so exposed to the air, that they’ve entirely lost whatever it was that occasioned the high price in the first place.
I’ve never ordered a straight espresso shot there. I’ll update this review if I do, but I’m not hopeful. In fact, I’ll add another star if it manages to not taste like battery acid.
For the record, I’ve never had anything other than warm, cordial service at Meadowlark, and it’s a nice place to hang out. But alas, it’s another coffeehouse that doesn’t know how to do, you know, coffee.

I miss this place. Big enough to to have room when there are shows, but small enough to be cozy. Best breakfast and pastry selection ever. Great baristas. Just great everything. I miss it very much.

I agree that the service can *occasionally* be slow or aloof in a hipstery way, but generally the staff are friendly, the atmosphere is warm and inviting, and most importantly, the espresso drinks are great. (Try the toddy iced latte!)

I frequent this coffee house for these main reasons: free off-​street parking, eclectic atmosphere, diverse customers, open mic night, locally owned & operated, & I am comfortable here.
Yes, depending on day, staff person, & which way the «force» is blowing at the time you are in there, you may or may not receive consistent service quality. But, this «customer service pendulum» swings both ways, & they will sometimes do very nice things for you. So, it averages out. Know this: a robot will never serve you here.
Meadowlark is not a franchised chain. All the quirks of an eclectic coffee house, both appealing & unappealing, are here. This is also why the Meadowlark will be standing room only some nights. It is unavoidable to have cliques, but this is the only coffee house in town I have experienced random, pleasant conversations with strangers beside me. I only wish they had more electrical outlets.
You will find some people on laptops, mp3 players, reading books/​magazines/​newspapers, playing games at their tables, and even some people engaged in good old fashioned conversation. I have seen tattoos, piercings, suits, jeans, costumes, kids, adults, dogs… A wide walk of life are regulars & newcomers to Meadowlark.

I loved Meadowlark! Excellent atmosphere, great baristas! :)

Lemon jasmine tea. It’s right next to co-​op market, the place is nice, but they must be hurting for bussiness right now, there’s a sign at the door that it’s suggested that you buy a drink for every hour that you stay there, to be helpful to them. I like the place but I don’t like the pressure, I would go to the Mill next time, and order my lemon jasmine tea online.

I wanted to post an update… I am proud of Meadowlark. My last 2 experiences there have been quite pleasant. My coffee (while not quite perfect) was definitely drinkable, the service has been kind, and (to my greatest relief and HUGE acclaim) they have disposed of the couches with the stains of questionable origin (YAHOOO!). In their place now are comfy leatherette/​vinyl sofas that are much easier to maintain and make me a much happier customer. Kudos to you Meadowlark for hearing your customers and taking action. :)

Yes, you work in a coffeeshop. Is that really cause for pretension anymore? Especially if said coffeeshop exists in a strip mall? Apparently, it is. In fact, it entitles you to:
— huff angrily when asked if perhaps the carafes are empty
— tell paying customers that if they can WAIT six minutes, they can have some coffee
— take almost twenty minutes to make the coffee, despite having no customers at the counter, with much eyerolling
— pound on the swinging trash lid so that partially-​empty cups, sugar packets, and scone bits are hurled at the customers who so rudely want to fill the cups they purchased
— snarl «I’m sorry I threw TRASH at you guys.»
Oh, Meadowlark, you can bet I’ll be back!

You are at Meadlowlark, and a middle aged man is on stage, wailing on the guitar. He’s an older man with a gray pony-​tail, singing some original songs about the «bonds of opression» … a crowd of gray-​haired retirees, eating organic cakes and drinking free-​trade coffee, watch the show with great interest. Along the edge of the shop, on the couches against the wall, high school students were trying to block out the silver crooner by listening to IPODs or working on laptops. Like these high-​schoolers, you are trying to ignore the performance…
Go check out the bookshelf, for something to read until the music is done… What’s this? Nothing but back issues of «Earth First» and «Real Goods» magazine, or else a stiff copy of an environmental treatise by Al Gore. You then realize that you are the only young urban professional in the joint, surrounded by nostalgic boomers eating Vegan Nut Crumble and high school students drinking Chai. The art on the wall? Photos of aging rock and roll bands, a close-​up of a wrinkled hand fingering a fret board. On the bulletin board are posted ads for workshops on «true renunciation» and Cooking with Flax. There is an organic grocery next door, and this shop is obviously targeting their customers. You’d better go downtown.
This is actually a decent place, if you are a high-​schooler or the parent of a high-​schooler, but not for 20-​somethings.