Sarah's Espresso Cafe

Today was our first visit. The coffee was excellent (lots of options), they have a large number of other beverage choices, including energy drinks. We had breakfast a flat bread and a breakfast sandwich. I appreciated that the croissant was flaky, not soggy like you often get at fast food places. The ambiance is great, comfortable seating, convenient downtown location.

Awesome individuals working here! Great selection, at even better prices! Great atmosphere! Highly recommend!

Good breakfast sandwiches and Americano's. Wish the to-go orders did not come in plastic containers.. but overall it's nice to see somewhere to get a quick early morning meal on main street.

Sarah's is such a great spot for a short meeting or a delicious coffee to go. Their coffee and prices are better than Starbucks.

Friendly staff, terrible coffee. I paid $7.05 for a large decaf latte. The 20oz drink had a single shot of espresso. It really tasted nothing more than steamed milk. I watched the barista prepare this shot - the coffee was not freshly ground, but was scooped from a small plastic container. If there was any flavor in it, it was long gone. Worst, most expensive coffee I’ve had in a very long time. I dumped it out and went to another shop down the street.

Wow! Excellent service, atmosphere, and most importantly coffee! If I could give it a six stars I would. Locally owned and operated as the owner Sarah made me my drink. Also, I got the reece's cookie as she recommended it and oh my goodness you must try it. It's as good as your grandmas recipe.

Beautiful restaurant, wonderful staff, okay espresso, good latte, wonderful coffee, food could be better. Similar to Starbucks.

This is a wonderful place to sit and get some work done, though it has room for improvement.

The staff were friendly and available, and they left us alone. 5/5 thank you for not bothering us.

The food is perfect if you want a snack to go with your coffee, but not if you're looking for a filling breakfast. They use a panini press for their sandwiches and breakfast burritos, which could be an efficient way to cook them, but they don't cook them long enough. I got a breakfast burrito where everything tasted nice, but the cheese wasn't melted and the tortilla wasn't browned at all. We also got a bagel that was warmed, but not toasted. 2/5, wouldn't get again.

Their chocolate cakes are nice. Instead of being a bland cake with over-sugared chocolate syrup, it's balanced. Chocolate flavors on top instead of a blast of sugar. Kind of spongey though. 4/5, could use more texture, but definitely worth getting again.

Their island grogg flavored coffee was great. Lightly creamed and sugared with the underlying flavors coming through well, and the coffee was mild. Usually, flavored coffees aren't worth getting for the same reason LaCroix isn't worth drinking, but this one surprised me. 5/5, definitely getting again some time.

Their Cadbury Cream Egg latte was too sweet for me, but so is the candy. It was spot-on and my girlfriend adored it. 3/5 for me, too sweet. 5/5 for her.

I ordered a shot of espresso to see if they were pulling the same scheme as Starbucks where they cover up awful espresso with too much milk and sugar (try drinking their espresso. You will Gag.), but I was pleasantly surprised. It was bitter and overextracted, but drinkable on its own. It also wasn't burnt. I would guess the barista has some room to learn, which is understandable as we're in the middle of Iowa and we don't have a strong espresso culture. 2/5, didn't make me sick.

Sarah's Espresso Bar seems to be moving for the same niche as Starbucks, but I don't think that's the right play. As a small business, they have much more flexibility than a megacorp, so I think they should use that to improve their food and drink to surpass any other coffee shop around. I believe they can do it by training their staff to cook better and to pull better espresso.

Overall, 3/5. I'll stop back in again for the coffee and the wonderful interior.

Very good coffee. Locally owned and in great location downtown to get a coffee and walk around shopping on a nice day. Good selection of food thats fresh, but also has sweets from a local macarons place and bakery. Very clean inside and has nice tables to hangout and study.

The coffee and service here is amazing! The owner Sarah is so kind and my iced latte was really good. I also loved the calm and cozy atmosphere. I'll be back soon! :)

ordered a latte and it was so good, very smooth. i love the option of milk substitutes and many flavors. i can't wait to stop back in and try some of the creative monthly specials!