Fretboard Coffee

This is a great place to grab a good cup of coffee. Staff is always helpful and friendly. Local baked goods available. 👌

the vibes here are so great! i love everything about the atmosphere and the baristas are so sweet

their coffee tastes amazing, but as someone who totally has a sweet tooth—i would love if they had some syrup options!
cubano shots are great, but not as flavorful

The coffee is... what’s another word for “life bearing elixir?” Smooth, yet bold. Assertive, yet delicate. A beautiful roast... unsure of the beans origin or roast but wow. Had one of the better Americanos in recent memory.

Lovely location, hidden down a slip alley just a block off Broadway. Quiet, yet busy enough to know this is a place worth returning.

Recommended by a professor at Mizzou, good people.

Really like the coffee and shop in general. However three times in the past week I’ve gone there between 15-30min after the 7:30am posted opening and they’ve been closed. A little disappointed that I need to go somewhere else as I can’t wait around for whenever the doors are actually opened.

Great atmosphere, plenty of seating in the afternoon at tables and couches
Service was curt, but efficient.
Quality of ingredients was poor. They don't use a high quality brand of oat-milk as well as very few tea options if you're not a coffee drinker.

Beautiful coffee shop, with an old factory look, ideal to study or work. Coffee is excellent and the pastries, which are made by a local bakery, are delicious.

Great coffee, great hangout spot.

My favorite place in town to buy beans as well!

Fretboard is my favorite coffee spot. There is no other place in town I'd rather sit down and drink my coffee while reading some emails on my laptop. The nooks and crannies that the space offers are excellent for chatting with a friend or working. The staff is kind and coffee is #1.

Fretboard Coffee is a double hit of happiness: 1) They roast the best beans in town, period. 2) They provide the perfect atmosphere in a coffee shop. Some coffee shops have a great atmosphere but their coffee is lackluster. Some coffee shops have amazing coffee but you feel like you're sitting in a mall. At Fretboard, you get the best possible experience. It has a dark, cozy, cave-like atmosphere. It rambles through the former "catacombs" by the Wabash Station. In addition to its cozy inside, they have a lovely outside seating area (with a great local bakery next door). They serve amazing coffee and tea, treats from aforementioned local bakery and local beer. What more do you need? Well, outlets. They've got those. Wifi. They have that. Comfortable couches? Yep. Tables to work on? Yes. Weird regulars? Yes, I might be one now. Inexplicable twinkle lights? Of course. Seriously though. I love Fretboard. If you haven't found it yet, you should.

Okay. A quick note. If you come here thinking you’re ordering a pour over well, you’re not exactly. I was told the pour overs are kind of made in bulk somehow and then poured into a dispenser. And check out the grounds in the cup.

But. And a big but. The coffee was pretty damn good. And there was blue sky and sunshine in early March. Hence 5 stars.