Stone Oak Coffee Haus

This is the cutestest place ever! And everything tastes so good !it isnt just for esthetics !

What a cute little coffee shop! Enjoy browsing the art and knickknacks while the friendly barista makes you a high quality drink! Don't be afraid to ask about unfamiliar menu items; she is happy to explain everything.

Beyond drinks, this would also be a great place to shop for a small gift for someone who loves cute little unique doodads.

As the other reviews note, this place offers a quaint atmosphere and a cool vibe. It is in a nicely converted old house with kitschy decorations. If that’s what you are looking for in a coffee shop, this place won’t disappoint. If you are looking to spend $15 for some caffeine and a gas station muffin, you can find that here too.

I felt compelled to warn people, however, especially in light of this place’s marketing and high rating, that if you are actually looking for coffee, you’d be better off at McDonald’s or Starbucks. In all seriousness, you might even be better off throwing a hand full of month-old pre-ground Folgers into a pot of boiling water and hoping for the best.

In spite of billing itself as a place for “specialty coffee”, where you can “know truly great coffee,” there was no information anywhere about the actual coffee. I asked the “barista” for some more information about the offerings. She was very pleasant, and tried to help answer my questions, but she couldn’t tell me anything about the beans’ origins, or processing method, or roaster, or roast date, or anything.

There was no coffee menu where you could pick from a variety of ethically-sourced single origin coffees, as you would expect from a real specialty coffee shop. Rather, you could only pick a brew method, which was limited to espresso drinks and auto drip, as you might expect from a wannabe-trendy gift shop that tries to sell “coffee” as a transparent ploy to become a hang-out spot.

Stone Oak’s website advertises that they offer v60 pour overs, but when I asked about this, the lady behind the bar said she only had pre-brewed drip coffee and that the only options were “light roast and dark roast.” I went into this place intending to ask about specific pour over methods (I have been experimenting with the 4:6 method lately, but I may lean toward James Hoffmann’s method) only to find that the place didn’t want to do pour overs at all.

Due to the lack of brewed coffee options, I decided to give the espresso a try. Unfortunately, the shot I got was totally undrinkable. The espresso was not even close to being properly dialed in. It was way under-extracted, watery tasting, sour, and super harsh. It tasted more like a shot of lighter fluid than coffee, in that it made you cringe to drink it.

I watched the lady pull the shot, and some of the problems I noticed were that the coffee was ground way too coarse, it wasn’t distributed or tamped properly, and the shot wasn’t timed or weighed. The woman basically just dumped some coffee into a portafilter and hit one button to start an auto-program routine.

The equipment shouldn’t have been a problem as they had a nice Rancilio machine and a Mazzer Mini grinder (which is admittedly on the low end of what I would hope a decent cafe would have). The problems instead appeared to stem from user error and a lack of training.

As for the non-coffee drinks, my wife ordered a hot chocolate. What she got was a spoon full of Ghirardelli Hot Cocoa mix badly stirred into some steamed milk. The milk was scalded and there was grainy sludge at the bottom of the cup. Her beverage was served in a nice latte mug, and it was at least drinkable, but it was no better than you could make at home with some Swiss Miss and a microwave.

I realize that I may have fairly high standards, but when paying a premium price for a drink at a place that claims to offer a premium, even “specialty”, product, I don’t think it is too much to ask to at least get something drinkable. I may have stayed quietly disappointed about the experience, but I quite frankly feel defrauded. It is not okay for an establishment’s marketing to so wildly exaggerate the quality of its wares as to lie to customers. I feel like I went into an upscale restaurant and paid $75 for a dry-aged ribeye only to be handed an undercooked frozen hamburger patty on a paper plate.

Please do not mistake this place for a real coffee shop with knowledge coffee professionals offering a quality product. Caveat emptor!

Awesome place. Cute aesthetic and small rooms for a less crowded and cozy feel. Amazing special latte too.

Kim & Kevin’s Coffee House is just what FDL needed. It is quaint and comfortable, has a bit of a Door County feel. The coffee is great...with lots of choices. I usually don’t write reviews, but I couldn’t wait to comment on this fabulous destination. The owners are very warm and welcoming. I will be walking over from the boat every weekend. There is outdoor seating as well as indoor. You’ll be hooked once you set foot in their amazing place.

Quaint coffee shop that has exceptional coffee and a lovely atmosphere. The owner is very nice and always remembers us when we come in. My favorite coffee shop in town!

Love love love Stone Oak.

Place is so welcoming and Staff is Amazing !!! Will forever be my favorite Coffee Place . The lattes and Different treats are always delicious

Beautiful building, nice atmosphere, good coffee, and friendly staff. Briefly talked with the owner and she made us feel very welcomed. Most importantly they support our police and military. Will definitely stop in any time I am in FDL.

Incredibulicious Cafe!!! The Haus is such a great spot.... We will go everytime we are in Beautiful Fond du Lac!!!
The house is so charming

Need to drink coffee here! First it was yummy and they were super friendly! Second they support military so a great way to show local support for our military! I strongly recommend having a morning coffee here and enjoying the wonderful environment!