Ashland Coffee & Tea

Category:	Coffee Shop
Address:	100 N Railroad Ave, Ashland, VA 23005, USA
Phone:	+1 804-299-3604
Site:	ashlandcoffeeandtea.com
Rating:	3.8
Working:	Closed 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 11

Paul Goode

Ive been going to hear live music for over 40 years. Ive been to stadiums, huge outdoor venues, casinos, clubs, outdoor summer concert series, the Armadillo World Headquarters -- you name it. When I moved to Richmond from the West Coast two years ago, Ashland Coffee & Tea was the first venue I went to. The name meant nothing to me -- the performer was someone I wanted to see. That Ive been back over a dozen times since says something about the place. Some of the other reviews here arent exactly wrong -- the food is spotty and the portions are often small; the service is well-meaning but not exactly polished (although that applied to 50% of the restaurants in Central Virginia), but in the end that doesnt matter. Because there isnt a bad seat in the place. Because ACT takes its responsibility as listening room seriously -- no one talks while the music is playing so you can not only hear, you can record without worrying about crowd noise. Listen to any YouTube video recorded there and notice what you are *not* hearing. Because they book great acts and arent afraid to promote newcomers. Because they support Virginia music. Performers like playing there, and why not? ACT booked plenty of them when they were climbing the ladder and sticks with others because the owners have great taste believe in talent. The acts show their appreciation by spending time with patrons before, during, and after sets. Antiseptic its not. Cookie cutter its not. A special place it is.

A Private User

Went to the recent James McMurtry show. He was great!!! Too bad the service was so bad. Weve been several times to this venue and its pretty much the same (but worse for McMurtry because it was essentially sold-out and the staff cant handle half the amount of customers). Selling tickets here is rocket science; how long does it take to take money and let people in? About 10 minutes each. Then if you want something to eat or drink you must wait for the waitress and hope she can find one of the 5 menus they have. Took about 20 minutes to get a menu and another 45 to get our food. Consequently the waitress is running around to tables and chatting during the performance. It seemed like even McMurtry was annoyed with the patronizing speech they give as an opener telling you not to talk and turn off your cell phones, etc. This venue brings in some great musicians, too bad they cant handle the customer service end of things.

A Private User

I have always loved this place but the last three times the service has been unfriendly. Do you know what I mean about when you walk into a place and you feel like the people that work there dont like their jobs? I asked what the soup of the day was and the counter person went to the fridge pulled out a cold bowl covered in plastic and looked inside to "guess" what the soup was. I dont want to eat anything that I have to guess what it is. As I looked around I noticed that more than an hour after two tables had been emptied, the staff had not wiped down the tables. This made me realize the place hadnt been swept in a while too. It just doesnt seem like there is a pride in this business and that rubs off on me not wanting to be a customer anymore.

Audrey Washburn

Like the other reviewers, I really want this place to work out under new mngt. Theyve done a GREAT job on the atmosphere. Cheerful, light, and clean. And I like the menu. However, the two times Ive been there in past 6 weeks they have run out of many menu items and have been able to produce a real cappuccino (i.e. with foam). Everyone is really nice but at breakfast a few weeks ago only 2 people were there to make breakfast, prep for lunch, make coffee, serve food, and take orders. So it was a bit intetesting to see the owner come and go in a relaxed fashion without realizing her staff were stressed out! We will try again in a few months and hope theyve ironed things out including training a barista.

Erin L.

Absolutely wretched service. They never made our drinks, took a smoke break, promptly filled orders that were placed after ours, and gave us an attitude when we asked when they might fill our orders. We waited 20 minutes before politely asking when we might get the drinks that we had paid for, and we were treated with blatant disrespect and derision. Ive never experienced such insulting "customer service." We did nothing to deserve this kind of treatment. There are no excuses. I can understand running out of syrups or certain kinds of food on occasion, but there is no reason whatsoever to treat paying customers this way.

A Private User

Ashlands Living Room - I still love this previous description of this eclectic coffee shop/listening room in the Center of the Universe. Recently went there for the Songwriters Showdown which was great. My sandwich was terrific and the other folks I met there loved the evening and the food. I continue to love the coffee and tea, I also like the longer hours on Sunday and though I havent had the brunch yet, I hear it is very good. There has been a perceptible change in the ambiance, but I still love AC & T. Bart is missed.

Jennifer Raymond

Previously this store had fallen into disrepair as the older owner was not able to keep it up. Now, the store is under new ownership, and the venue has been updated with a great new menu, furniture and decorating. Love this! Theyve kept some of the best parts about Ashland Coffee and Tea - the wide tea selection and coffee. The food has been upgraded, and theyre bringing in local bakers for the pastries and other foodstuffs. Cant wait to see how things improve from here!

A Private User

Been going for years to see music. Went in yesterday before the parade and the woman at the counter was upset about how busy they were! Made a rude comment, and closed the grill as we placed our order. Took over 30 minutes to get one quesadilla for my son and a cold cup of chili....wasnt even warm. Also ordered a large milkshake and they refused to make the large....only got a small. The rudest people ever and after all these years...we are done!

Bruce Johnson

Ashland Coffee& Tea has been one of my favorite stops when I travel through this area. My most recent visit was on a rainy Saturday afternoon, and the barista made me a solidly good latte. Reading some other reviews, it looks like the place has undergone a change of ownership in the last year or two, and Ill say it looks better than i remember it. In any case, Ashland Coffee remains on my list of great places in the Center of the Universe.

Jake J.

They are under new ownership and still working things out. I have to give them the benefit of the doubt because they were nice people. A few things they should consider. 1. Give the customer a free refill of coffee if you forgot to give them something on their plate. 2. Get a larger containers for cream and milk. 3. Put ketchup on the tables or at least at the self-serve station.

A Private User

The new owners have RUINED what was once a very cool coffee shop and listening room. Poor management, customer service, horrible food, and lack of basic customer skills all for an unreasonable price. It is obvious from the lack of attendance at recent shows that people are staying away in droves which is a shame because the place used to be packed.