Downtown · Since 1995 · $$
Intelligentsia
Chicago's third-wave coffee pioneer pours nitro taps in a Downtown Austin lobby cafe
The scoop
Intelligentsia's only Austin outpost sits on the ground floor of the Third + Shoal building at 3rd & Shoal, a small glass-walled coffeebar anchored by a 23-foot tiled mosaic. It's built for a fast espresso, pour-over, or nitro drink on tap rather than a long work session, with pastries supplied by Easy Tiger and Odd Duck/Sour Duck.
Intelligentsia Coffee was founded in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood in October 1995 by Doug Zell and Emily Mange (with Geoff Watts also credited as a co-founder), becoming one of the original "Big Three" American third-wave coffee roasters. The Austin coffeebar opened in late August 2019 as Intelligentsia's first Texas location, designed by local architect Scott Magic in homage to Hill Country swimming holes, with a mosaic by artist Erin Curtis behind the bar.
What to order
Nitro Oat Milk Matcha Latte
Kilogram matcha and oat milk served nitro on draft
The Roadrunner
Sparkling cold coffee mixed with grapefruit soda and agave nectar, a drink unique to the Austin coffeebar
Nitro Cold Brew
Cold brew coffee served nitro on tap
Mushroom & Goat Cheese Pastry
Savory puff pastry from local bakery partners Easy Tiger/Odd Duck sold in the pastry case
Events at Intelligentsia
Nothing from Intelligentsia on our radar right now. See what's on today.
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