Crazy Mocha Coffee

This Coffee store has sentimental effect on me! This place reminds me the good old days with my best friend, and a place where I used to wait my husband to pick me up when we were dating 4 years ago. The ambiance has that hippy mood and coffee tastes just yummy! One thing that makes this place different than other coffee store that the selection of sandwiches and paninies you can get here. So if you are student for instance and you busy writing a certain paper so focused you don’t have to leave this place to get lunch somewhere else. In addition they always have real cakes not some dry coffee breads. Me and my best friends favorite cake is the eruption cake. They also have great selection of cheesecakes.

Great job on the renovations! This place now looks like a Shadyside coffee shop. Restrooms need some attention tho. No mirror and no toilet seat covers.

Great little coffee shop in a nice part of Shadyside. The coffee is fresh and smooth but seems to be slighted diluted. The service gets a 5 star but the ambiance and venue needs an update. Plenty of seating and free wifi too for reading and catching up on emails!

It is a great cosy coffee shop for studying. I meet with my tutor a couple days a week and I like this place. I need some quiet atmosphere when I study and try to know something new. The cappuccino is good too!

The service is nice, and the coffee is fine. But, the place is a dump. The chairs are disgusting, & the carpet is filthy. A little spruce up would do this location a world of good!

While everything else around Shadyside and the East End has changed over the past 10 years, Crazy Mocha on Ellsworth has pretty much stayed the same with the exception that patrons no longer smoke inside (and it’s been quite a while since that’s been banned). Seriously though, this place requires a face lift to spruce things up. The interior looks dated, the chair upholstery and carpet dingy and worn. Come on, Crazy Mocha, invest a little money into this location. On the bright side, the coffee and drinks are consistently tasty and WIFI is free and unlimited.
4 Stars for Drinks
4 Stars for Service
2 Stars for Interior/​Ambiance

I go here a lot more than my budget would like me too… I can’t help it! The cinnamon latte is amazing. They used to have a crazy mocha which was an espresso milkshake which was amazing but I think they took it off the menu. Sad face.

It’s nice having a coffee shop within walking distance from my home! As the only coffee shop along Ellsworth Avenue in the heart of Shadyside, the types of clientele can vary considerably. There can be white-​collar workers, blue-​collar workers, college students, and teenagers all in the same place. Talk about diversity!
Anyway, the coffee shop has large windows that face the street and a parking lot, providing ample natural light into the space. The interior is fairly spacious, clean, and colorful. There is outdoor seating on nice days. Parking can be a bit of a problem because Ellsworth Avenue tends to get busy or, like now, has construction work going on.
At the coffee bar/​cashier, you will see assorted baked goods, sandwiches and paninis, and energy bars. They even have gigantic cookies almost the size of my face! I would so get those, but then I’d end up gobbling it down in one sitting and exceeding my calorie needs for the day (curse my sweet tooth… and while I’m ranting, curse calories!) Their coffee menu is typical – brewed coffee, café au lait, «shot in the dark» (shot of espresso in coffee), espresso drinks – but they also have Crazy Mocha trademarked drinks. I can’t remember the names, but they sounded delicious (think along the lines of Starbucks frappucino). As someone who drinks PLENTY of coffee, I know a good coffee when I have one. Now, I’m definitely not the guy who goes on a soliloquy about the underlying aromas and flavors in the coffee and can tell you the type of bean used and its origin. But, I can tell if the coffee has a full flavor or not. Unfortunately, I haven’t had that full-​flavored brewed coffee at Crazy Mocha. It is a decent cup of coffee absolutely, just not that A-​grade coffee that I’ve had at other coffee shops.
One other minor warning: there is usually one person working. That means it can take a while before you get your espresso drink, fancy schmancy or not. So I would advise against coming here if you’re short on time or there is a massively long line.
I haven’t had their baked goods or sandwiches yet, but from what I’ve heard, I will definitely try their Red Velvet biscotti and sandwiches sometime soon!

Love the CARAMOCA that they make at this place. Their sandwiches are really good too — if you can make it to there early enough to be able to have one. They usually run out pretty quickly. They have free wifi, the seating is comfortable and spread out and you can sit outside on nice days to watch the street.
The only downside of this place is that there is almost always only one person working — which makes the line go very slow. I usually end up waiting for quite some time before I get the opportunity to order, especially on the weekends.

While I have been to several of their locations, this one has something special about it. Of course the coffee and the goodies offered are the same with any other location — and they are really good — this specific venue is nice to hung out. You can come with your friends to just chat or you can come to get some work done (free wifi!). The big «window» glasses give you the feel that you are right outside but at the same time not really. Of course, if the weather is good you can always sit at the tables outside!
Their coffee is also good. They have a variety of pastries and sandwiches that are also good for a quick grub. There was quiet a period that I was obsessed with their mixed nuts selection! I will definitely keep being a regular here.

Go here for the desserts, not the coffee. I’m a huge fan of their biscotti, and think it’s the best in the city. I’ve tried multiple flavors but the Red Velvet is by far the best and tastes even better than it sounds. It’s the perfect consistency, not too dry and perfect for dunking in coffee.
However, their coffee is a different story. I’ve always found it too weak and watery. I even tried their Americano for a stronger brew, but still wasn’t impressed. So now when I’m craving biscotti, I just get it to go and get coffee elsewhere.

Definitely one of my favorite coffee shops to frequent when I lived in Shadyside. The venue is very open and colorful, built with windows across two whole sides of the space. Crazy Mocha coffee is average to above average, but I’m never too picky when it comes to searching out a place to sip a cup and work for a few hours. Although I just walked from my place, parking seems to be a mild annoyance there on Ellsworth at times, but I would recommend just trying your luck and parking on one of the side streets in Shadyside if you’re just popping in. The desserts– scones, cookies, and cake/​cheesecake– are all very good, and the paninis are pretty good if overpriced. The people who work here have always been good, quick, and very nice. It’s also a great place to people watch (yes, I’ll admit it), as a plethora of people come in and out with high turnover, and it’s great to see people walking/​jogging/​running past the street. It’s definitely a high traffic area in one of the two hearts of Shadyside (the other being Walnut) — and I most definitely prefer this side, as the people are more diverse– a good mix of young professionals, graduate students, older more established adults, families, culturally diverse, etc.- and they tend to be a bit more laid back, nice, and approachable. Stop in if you’re in the neighborhood!

I love this location, and I often walk here to grab a latte or treat. I love when they have cheesecake. It is divine.
The coffee is so so, but I do enjoy the soy lattes. Perhaps the espresso is of better quality than the regular coffee-​not sure. The parking can be a bit spotty, so I usually walk. There is a lot next door, but I prefer getting in and out quickly.
There is plenty of space for reading or studying, and the view of Ellsworth Ave. is really really pretty. I love watching people walk by while I sip and drink my latte.
This location is the perfect spot for a lazy weekend afternoon reading session.

Best place around to get delicious desserts and of course, teas & coffees. Not to mention, a chill spot to do work or just relax.

Cute place on Ellsworth to stop in and grab a drink. Atmosphere seems chill, and the baristas are hit or miss with the friendliness.
I don’t drink coffee, so I can’t attest to how shitty everyone says it is. However, I’ve consistently had the best chai tea latte of my life here. Worlds ahead of starbucks and their sweet-​syrupy bullshit. Will be back for the chai, for sure.

Strawberry Steamer and Veggie Sandwich #1 were yummy. The stream of Smiths songs was welcoming as well.

I love Crazy Mocha!

Whoa, has this place changed (for the better) since I was in college. No more smoking indoors! (Crazy, I know.)
The coffee is decent, but the best dessert I had was the tiramisu. You must get this!

As a «regular» here, I guess it’s my obligation to lend a review. I should mention that the only reason I am a regular is because the coffee shop is attached to my office. Otherwise, I would not make a special trip to visit. The 3 stars comes more for their pastries — particularly the biscotti and cookies. They get these from a bakery in Cranberry, so it’s a smart choice. Their coffee leaves much to be desired. It is bland, dirt-​tasting, and lacks boldness.
The price is where I really knock them down. The drinks are priced fine (which is good because they wouldn’t be worth much more), but everything else is way over-​priced. A slice of cake is over $ 5, a sandwich (which are awful) are over $ 5 as well and really isn’t a smart choice.
I guess I sound more negative about the tangibles of the café, but what really saves them is their service. I enjoy the people who work there and they always remember you and your drink or typical choices. They really save themselves here because otherwise I’d probably only give them 2 stars.

Best brownies ever.
It was my office for months
Don’t bring your big* group.
* or loud
(b)