Retrograde Coffee

I really love the aesthetic of this place. It is inviting and cozy. A wonderful place to do work, read a book, or catch up with a friend from out of town.

A handful of times I have been underwhelmed with the product. I have received a lukewarm beverage when I requested extra hot (note: they fixed me a new one right away). I have also gotten a variety of dirty chai flavors from extremely bitter to lacking espresso entirely.

Truly, 3.5 stars on the rating as the staff are so nice and I will continue to give this place a chance.

Just hoping for more consistency in experience.

I want to start by saying how much I value this space and the products they serve. I come here at least twice a week, and will continue to come, but want to voice my continual disappointment in the service I receive.

Over and over upon walking up to the counter, if the servers are busy, they do not acknowledge a single person who is clearly waiting right in front of them. I understand staying on task, but to not even be spoken to for sometimes up to five minutes while a line forms behind me, feels disrespectful and awkward. Sometimes when I am waiting, the servers are simply talking to one another and the customers waiting to order are left to patiently wait for the staff to finish their own conversations before speaking to the customer.

Today was another moment of waiting on my food to be prepared while watching the servers pause to chat among one another until they literally had to check back in with me to see what I had ordered.

I love the space so much, and the coffee and bagels are my favorite in town. It has potential to be amazing, I just hate consistently leaving feeling as though my service doesn't matter, and that my time is not valued.

I’ll preface this by saying I’m only leaving two stars because the coffee was excellent. I ordered two iced coffees and one toasted bagel. I was the only one in the cafe. After watching the staff move at a snails pace, I grew disappointed. After 10-15 minutes, I decided it was best to leave without bagel in hand. The owner should be ashamed.

TLDR. Good coffee. Subpar service.

TIP: There is parking out back for those who plan on being there longer than 1 hour. The coffee at Retrograde is delicious. However, I will say that I was quite surprised when the cost with tax for my drink was $6. If you're hunting for the best brew, check it out. If you're wanting an affordable drink and a space to hang for a while, it may be best to check somewhere else.

Waited 30 mins for food to go ordered avocado toast and when it finally made its way out to us, it wasn't on the right bagel we ordered and didn't have the pickled onion as advertised. And 2 people got their food before we did and we had been waiting for our food for 20mins already. Super disappointed about this visit.

Retrograde has an incredibly knowledgeable team and even better coffee. They have a star head barista who’s designed a crazy menu! The vibe is beautiful and picture worthy. The drinks and food are classic and well made. They’re definitely bringing star quality coffee to the east side.

Went here to work from 1-4. However, they shut off the WiFi as 3:30 when I was in a work zoom meeting.

One other person had the same issue. They then started cleaning up and the barista started talking to another guy. The guy mentioned how shuttle it was to go that so people would leave and the barista agreed - that it was an hour to close and they have stuff to do.

Granted, I agree - however, I was an important business call that got cut off. In addition, I was suppose to work until 4 - and the place doesn’t close for another hour. It’s 3:50 right now, and I’m currently upset at the situation.

For the record, their food and drinks are good. But I didn’t appreciate the customer service.

I have enjoyed my coffee from retrograde the last few times I have been there but they seem far less friendly and eager this morning. I waited an absurdly long time for an Americano and it wasn't any busier than normal. Also they skipped a "friend" ahead of the line for beverages. I don't expect drive-thru speed for quality drinks but I think they could work on this area.

Great addition to the nashville 3rd wave coffee scene. Hip, but not pretentious. Open vibe, well-appointed with lots of natural light. Lovely pour overs, specialty drinks...the churro croissants and guava empanadas are dreamy morning treats.

I’ve had one rough service experience where our order got lost in a sudden rush. After about 20 minutes I let someone know I’d just take a drip coffee instead of my belated pour over. He apologized sincerely and brought me a coffee as my money back with another apology. Grade A service correction - but it gets better. The next time my girlfriend and I visit, the same associate (manager / owner, perhaps?) recognized us, came over and comp’d our entire order. A+ and enough to compel me to write this review. I’ll be a regular.

Too concerned with their vibe than making even descent coffee. If you care about quality espresso drinks, there are MUCH better in Nashville. Shots pulled and let sit before using, lattes that are under-steamed and barely warm (when asked for extra hot), shot poured into pitcher then milk and THEN steamed for a latte... that’s not a latte... and SLOW. Took 12 minutes to get 2 lattes with no one else in line and 3 drink made ahead of ours. I'm incredibly disappointed with Retrograde. If you want good coffee, go to Dose, Red Bicycle, Crema, Ugly Mugs, Barista Parlour or Steadfast before you try here.