From the outside, Perky Beans Coffee looks like another corporate-owned coffee shop, a plain building with a not-so-cute fluorescent logo, although they did have one saving grace with having rocking chairs sitting outside which is immediate brownie points with me. But once I stepped inside, I saw that I definitely shouldn’t have judged the shop based on its poor use of typography. It reminded me of a similar coffee shop, Black Sugar Coffee, where I had the pleasure of working for a grand total of five days. They had similar modern-rustic decorations and inventive menu, but definitely not on the same level as Black Sugar’s “Fudge Attack” or their “OMG” frappe. It had a homey atmosphere that felt like a cute locally-owned neighborhood coffeeshop.

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Rachel Oliver

Perky Beans Coffee located at 2080 US-183, Leander TX opened on Nov. 2.

The staff was immediately super nice and welcoming, and when my mom and I were ordering our drinks, it felt like we were talking to a friend. However, they did seem to have some technical issues with their ordering system, which I assumed was because they only opened a few weeks ago on Nov. 2. I had initially gone into the shop deadset on ordering a frozen hot chocolate, not only because it was an intriguing oxymoron, but also because I had read nonstop reviews on how amazing it was. But, to my disappointment, the barista told me that they were out of chocolate. So, even though my short-lived dreams were crushed, I instead ordered “The Boss”, their signature hazelnut and vanilla latte, as well as a blueberry muffin, and my mom ordered a chai tea latte and lemon poppy seed bread. In total, the two drinks and two muffins were $15, which I would say is pretty reasonably priced. Their drinks were priced about the same as Starbucks, however, their food was much more reasonably priced.

It only took a few minutes to get our food and drinks, and while we waited I made sure to thoroughly examine the interior of the shop. The modern white backsplash was beautifully contrasted with blue rustic barn wood. This modern-rustic mix is seen all over the store, with grey wood paneling, but also a bedazzled longhorn skull hung on the wall. This makes for a super cozy, southern-chic experience. Not necessarily related to the interior decorating per se, but their bathroom sign really exemplified the welcoming environment by showing all different figures of people, and aliens, and saying “Whatever. Just please wash your hands.” This was extremely assuring to me, as I have two moms, one being extremely invested in trans healthcare, and I know how big of a deal a little thing like what bathroom one can use is to trans or non-binary people.

With my expectations already being exceeded, I didn’t know how much better it could get. That is until I tasted my drink. Wow. My “Boss” latte was perfect. I feel like when I order anything marketed as being hazelnut flavored, I never can actually taste the hazelnut. This was not the case here. The hazelnut and vanilla really came out, although not competing for attention with the coffee. After trying my mom’s chai tea latte as well, I can safely say that those baristas are extremely talented. They’ve got those recipes down pat. The blueberry muffin was good, although if I was a judge on “The Great British Bake Off” I would say that it was slightly undercooked after pressing my finger on the inside and it not immediately rising. However, I am not a baking critique, nor am I British, so as an average customer I would say that the muffin was pretty tasty, though not anything out of the ordinary. Overall, everything that I tasted was yummy and there was nothing that I didn’t enjoy.

So, all in all, I would say that Perky Beans Coffee is a perfect place for a date under 20 bucks, and even better for a Saturday afternoon date with my mom. With their cozy atmosphere and reasonably priced food, one can’t go wrong with going to Perky Beans Coffee located on 2080 US-183 in Leander TX. Definitely a 5/5 experience.