Russell’s Bakery And Genuine Joes Coffeeshop

Nice coffee spot in Austin with a wide selection of fresh bakery items. We tried the banana bread, poppy seed almond muffin, strawberry Danish, and a cinnamon roll — everything tasted excellent and fresh. The pastries weren’t overly sweet and had great texture. We paired it with hot chocolates and a cappuccino, and the cappuccino especially tasted really good and well-made. Great place to stop for coffee and baked goods if you want plenty of options and quality treats.

I came upon this coffee shop and bakery upon a routine excursion of mine. Always willing to sample local delicacies, I entered the shop with great haste. There is nothing to be faulted in the atmosphere of the building, it's cozy, there are big windows that provide very aesthetic lighting at times. The service also lent itself to a very personable experience. The owner (I presume) and staff are incredibly friendly, and I felt no hesitation in asking questions or requesting alterations. They felt as if they embodied that specific brand of Austinite quirkiness that its slogan suggests. I ordered one of the Valentine's Day themed drinks - a White Chocolate Rose Mocha on ice, and a carrot cake cupcake. While the drink took quite a long time to be made considering the small number of people in the cafe, I was served the cupcake immediately. This is where I ran into some issues. The frosting of the cupcake was incredibly dense, which is absolutely to its credit, it speaks to a high quality of ingredients in cream cheese frosting, and normally, I'd relish the textures of such a well made frosting. However, the flavor in of itself was incredibly lacking, carrot cake all but requires the tang of cream cheese frosting to balance out the oddness of the spice, and I detected no hint of that anywhere in the frosting. The cake itself also lent itself over to a much wetter texture than what would be optimal for a carrot cake. The cake stuck to my fingers when touched, speaking to a gluelike consistency in my mouth. The flavor of the cake itself was also incredibly lacking, featuring NONE of the spice and flavor that is required. It's as if I was eating poorly made zucchini bread with large, unseemly chunks of carrot shoved into it for aesthetic purposes. As for the latte, I also experienced similar flavor issues. The substance was there - the espresso was full bodied and flavorful. It was clear that the owner had been making lattes for a very long time, as the ratio of milk, espresso, and syrup was just right. However, it was significantly lacking in flavor. Perhaps it lies with the fault in the drink itself: trying to balance too many flavors without the addition of layering through foams, but the drink itself registered in the mouth as vaguely sweet. There was no identifiable flavor at all. However, I will say that despite that, the drink itself was still pleasureable, as the key components of an ice latte were made skillfully. In short, I am of the firm opinion that this shop needs to seriously focus on its flavors.

I had a gingerbread latte with almond milk and I enjoyed it. Friendly staff and quirky atmosphere. They had lots of pastries including gluten free options and also had GF bread for sandwiches. I opted for a mug since I was staying there and went next door to the area where there is more seating.

I was confused walking in because I was expecting the atmosphere showed in other reviews but I guess they relocated. I was not disappointed in the slightest though! Delicious food and matcha with the cutest latte art, very friendly staff, and a great place to get some work done. They even have a printer which I didn’t use, but a nice thoughtful touch for sure. I will definitely be back!

We stopped by Genuine Joe Coffeehouse (Russell’s Bakery) and had a great experience. The chai latte and latte were both excellent, well-balanced, and very flavorful. The croissant and muffins were super delicious – fresh, flaky, and clearly baked with care. It’s also a very cozy place to spend time, relax, or catch up on some work. The atmosphere is warm, welcoming, and has that real neighborhood coffee shop feel that’s getting harder to find. We’ll definitely be back.