Restaurant Reivew
Michael Thomas Coffee
Michael Thomas is a popular Albuquerque coffee roaster with 2 convenient locations. Despite the positive reviews and charming outdoor courtyard, we were displeased with both the service and drinks at the Nob Hill location. The one highlight of our visit was enjoying the beautiful patio seating.
Food
I was not a fan of the Americano as it had a slightly burnt taste probably because the beans had been over roasted. Also, the drink had no crema layer whatsoever. The mocha was also just average as the barista forgot to put the chocolate in, and proceeded to add it afterwards instead of remaking the drink, meaning the chocolate was all clumped, and therefore, the mocha had barely any flavor.
Drinks were quite pricey considering the quality and experience level of the baristas. It felt as if the staff cared more about "being cool" than making the drinks correctly. Perhaps, Michael Thomas needs to hire more dedicated, trained staff.
Service
The baristas were not all that friendly and seemed to be a bit inexperienced. One forgot to put chocolate in our mocha drink and proceeded to dump the chocolate in rather than make a new drink - a bit tacky for a place with such rave reviews.
Atmosphere
The Nob Hill location was very busy. We were unable to find a seat outside in the courtyard when we first arrived, a bit disappointing as this is the reason we chose this coffee shop. The inside is a bit bland with a generic hipster vibe. Overall, I just thought the ambiance inside was a bit boring. Unfortunately, we had to wait about 20 minutes until a seat finally opened up outside.
If you can get here early, the courtyard is a beautiful place with fountains and pretty landscaping: the perfect setting for a relaxing weekend coffee break.
Final Remarks
Michael Thomas was a big disappointment. Not even the great outdoor patio can make up for the lousy service and poor quality drinks. It's quite a shame as this coffee shop has the advantage of being home to the most relaxing shady patio in town. Hopefully in the future, Michael Thomas will hire more dedicated staff who place a greater emphasis on customer service and great tasting coffee.
