Smith Mountain Lake Coffee House
16430 Booker T Washington Hwy #4, Roanoke, VA
What to expect
Google Reviews
Overall, I found this place to be pretty average. The coffee wasn't exceptional, and the food was just okay. The Bavarian croissant was a nice highlight. Unfortunately, I had trouble hearing the cashier and had to ask her to repeat herself several times. The person who brought our food out also seemed a little confused. The atmosphere felt a bit off. Though the shop was cute and it was nice to be near the lake.
What a cool place! Nice coffee house vibe, plenty of areas to sit, was pretty busy when I was there around 1 pm, some eating a sandwich, some just getting coffee. They have freshly roasted coffee (ground and whole). I bought a bag that was roasted nine days ago. Food is mostly deli type sandwiches, nice variety, all looked good. I wish they had listed some details about each of the coffees, there were no details other than the name. The employees didn't know. I will be back, I love freshly roasted coffee beans. This place is in Bridgewater Plaza that has lots of other businesses so parking is hit or miss, depending on the season.
Had an afternoon of working from this cafe and overlooking the lake and it was lovely. We ordered some fruit jam filled croissants, they kind of tasted like donuts. The latte I ordered was amazing and they also make tea lattes which I was impressed by. I couldn't believe the size of their cinnamon rolls and just had to snap a pic. Plenty of seating space, even a little gift shop area and the baristas were super kind. Sitting out back on the porch is the best IMO, can't beat a coffee overlooking the water. Will definitely be back when Im in the area!
So I stopped to get gingerbread cookies and try a piece of the cake I had seen listed online. Ended up getting a couple sugar cookies also and a peppermint mocha coffee to go with it. The cookies were good. The gingerbread a little to soft but the flavor was good. The cranberry cake was very sweet and the cake was a heavy cake. The peppermint mocha coffee was not good, I ended up throwing that away. Inside is decorated very nice and the service is excellent. They have sandwiches also so next time I’m in the area I’ll have to try one of those.
This particular SML Coffee House is in a beautiful location. You can enjoy views of the water from inside or on their deck. I will say, the coffees my friend and I ordered were not the best. The beans were definitely burnt. I believe they were working short staffed that particular day. I could tell the batista was running back and forth, so I would consider it a fluke and definitely try again. They have a wide selection of sandwiches and treats available and as far as I could tell everyone seems to be enjoying the food. I will definitely be back.