You have two choices when you walk into the SpinCycle Coin Laundry on Guadalupe Street: Go left toward rows of washing machines or go right and find yourself in a coffee oasis.
BRB Coffee is just beyond a line of square, silver washing machines inside the laundromat, which is sandwiched between 35th and 37th streets. You don’t want to miss it, even though with no big signage out front, you just might. Finding BRB Coffee was a fluke — I spotted it on a visit with friends to the 37th Street Christmas Lights and made a mental note to return.
The shop itself is situated on its own row of washers and is surrounded by greenery – plants line every surface and light green tables give ample room for conversation or a day camped out on your laptop. The best part? You can sip coffee while you do your laundry, and the shop will even give you a 10% discount.
BRB Coffee opened in April by brothers Youssef and Rony Shabo. The pair originally approached the laundromat about their smart laundry locker system.
“I bring up my design background and (the laundromat owner) was like, ‘Oh, we need your help bringing this place back to life.’ And I told him, ‘We’re very passionate about coffee,’” Youssef Shabo told Earning Earth.
Where you order at BRB Coffee. (Kelsey Bradshaw/City Cast Austin)
The menu started with just baklava, but with encouragement from the laundromat owner to sell Turkish coffee, the business expanded.
The menu now includes classics like lattes, drip coffee, iced tea, matcha lattes, and more. Speciality drinks like Turkish coffee, velvet pistachio coffee, and espresso tonics are also available.
I sipped on my regular iced latte with a splash of vanilla while washing machines quietly whirred against the hissing sound of an espresso machine. The espresso is and tastes strong. It was just what you want: Not too sweet, special enough to spend $5 on, and tasted luxurious. A fresh pistachio baklava on the side didn’t hurt, either.
The shop hosts live music events, and while I visited on a quiet morning where regulars stopped in with their dogs and clacked on their computers, it seems like an ideal, Austin venue. It’s a little weird, a little small, and community focused. Perfect!
