Dancing Goats Coffee Bar
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Wi-Fi: Free
19 Reviews for Dancing Goats Coffee Bar
I love the coffee here. I feel guilty when I come here though because I feel like I'm cheating on Java Monkey....which has been my usual coffee destination since moving to Decatur!
But I cannot resist the made to order Clover coffee and scones made at Duck's Cosmic Kitchen.
They make a mean shot of espresso too!
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So, my feet were near bleeding by the time I got to Dancing Goats. No fault of the goats, of course. Just a bad judgment call on my part for wearing heels in 90 degree weather and parking all the way down the street.
So yeah. I was pretty relieved to walk into the goats very calm and serene atmosphere. It's very clean and pretty in here. Not in an over the top pretty kind of way, but moreso that it's so simple, it makes for a very calming and enjoyable atmosphere.
They're really into the whole community table thing and have a couple big ones in the back. There's also a big parking lot (um, why didn't I park here, again?) in the back, too.
I was there for a few hours, and I saw the vibe change from daytime, laptop toting folks into the 'I'm here to chat'n'coffee it' groups of people enjoying a little afternoon break. . . but it maintained a happy, coffee kinda vibe.
Though I'd just eaten my weight in red meat, I had to fit in at least one mini donut. When I went back for another bite of it, I was sad to see that I'd devoured the entire thing without noticing.
Good times, this Goat place. Good times.
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After a sunny morning exploratory stroll around downtown Decatur, I meandered westward, seemingly away from "downtown" proper to check out Dancing Goats, which I had passed by numerous times while driving. With only four or so tables located in the shaded outdoor patio, I was unprepared for how large the coffee bar is when I walked in the door. Ample seating is a key criterion for me when I am checking out coffee shops; who wants to trek to a place only to realize that one's preferred seat (or any seat at all) is unavailable? Dancing Goats scores well in that regard with tables, bar chairs, and window seats galore. Moreover, they carry a wide range of coffee and tea (specifically, Harney & Sons teas. I had two large cups of Dragon Pearl Jasmine floral tea [$2, one free refill] and am still savoring the taste an hour later), and the baristas who serve them are pleasantly attentive and eclecticly attractive. With the peppy non-obnoxious music, the stylish decor, and the seemingly academically / young-professionally hip but down-to-earth friendly clientele, Dancing Goats will most definitely be one of the places one might find me during my graduate career at Emory.
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I am so sad that I just found this place! I've been a fan of Dancing Goats coffee for a while now, and to think I can get somebody to make me a cup of DG using some fancy-pants Clover apparatus is almost too much for my tiny heart. The prices are pretty reasonable (cheaper than S'bucks), and they have a fair selection of delectables that are made by Duck's Cosmic Kitchen. The space is really large, and I like the decorations-- they make you feel hip and simultaneously relaxed. Only down side: there was a boat-load of noisy kids there. But, I guess they need to get their coffee somewhere too...
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I've been to Dancing Goats several times and I really like the open, airy feel of the place. It's always decently busy the times I've gone, but I've also always managed to score a decent seat. Free Wi-Fi is a plus, and they have lots of tasty treats in the pastry case, too. The donuts are AWESOME!! I also love the chocolate chip cookies. The drinks are usually pretty good, although I did have one bad latte experience. It was made up for by two other really good lattes, and one delicious cup of tea.
This is a great place to get some work or reading done...lots of seating options, good lighting, and despite the crowd, it never gets noisy.
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They have a Clover. If you're a coffee snob, that's pretty much all you need to know. If you're not a coffee snob, then trust me when I tell you it's the physical embodiment of all the thought and artistry that goes into a great cup of coffee that you will NEVER see in a big chain coffee shop.
Great coffee and talented baristas aside, I found myself admiring the amount of open space at Dancing Goats. There aren't tables and merchandise sandwiched into every nook and cranny. You can actually walk around the place and not bump your way past people on their laptops. Plus, if you're sitting at one of the tables or chairs, you aren't so close to your neighbor that you're practically sharing their drink.
Great place to spend a lazy afternoon, or a productive day teleworking. Don't leave without trying a mini donut.
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I'm not a huge coffee fan but even I liked this place. Mini donuts FTW!
As Drew W. said, this place is really spacious. Just a cool place to hang out on lazy weekends.
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Dancing Goats is awesome for those times when you don't feel like being in a cozy little coffee shop full of college students or art wannabes clammoring for outlets so their laptops live on while they avoid doing school work and instead update their facebook or wordpress blog.
Just a quarter mile down the road from Java Monkey but completely different, Dancing Goats is much more accessible with it's own substantial parking lot, and there is arguably more seating. Also, it's just a nice place for anyone with kids, or a dog, or friends, or wanting to do work.
Starbucks is Jealous of Dancing Goats. They wish they had coffee that was anywhere near as good as the DG-blend. With free WiFi, and some of the absolute best plain sugar donuts on the planet, this place is an easy winner when we think about getting coffee these days.
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It's not a Starbucks, so right away this place gets top marks.
Ok in all seriousness, I know jack about coffee - BUT I do know what shitty coffee tastes like. This is by no means shitty coffee - actually it is the complete opposite, which coming from me is a huge compliment. I had their standard dancing goats brew (something about a strong blend), added some half and half, sprinkled a little bit of a sugar packet and was on my way.
Now, you might be wondering why the hell a non coffee drinker bought a standard cup of coffee at this place... well the answer is I really came here for the donuts!
Yes the cinnamon sugar donuts from Duck's Cosmic Kitchen are available here, and there is even a coffee and donuts item on the menu. They have both large and mini donuts. Anyway, I'll cut to the chase - I thought the dounuts were pretty good, BUT I suspect they were not fresh given Duck's is closed on Sunday when I had them. And the fact that they tasted day old - that is always a clue. Therefore, I MUST go back and try them once more to determine if they are truly a worthy donut. Which doesn't take much since there are hardly any donut places in Atlanta.
So at this point - I would not recommend trying the donuts on Sunday, but maybe give them a try on Saturday. Which is kind of bullshit because if there were ever a day for coffee and donuts, it would be Sunday. Ah well.
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I been wanting to try a clover coffee and sought out this place because of their clover coffee machine! All the hype of the clover coffees is worth it! At the suggestion of the barista, I tried a DG Columbian coffee prepared a la clover, and my other half tried the Ethiopian coffee. We agreed that those were the best cups of coffee we ever had IN OUR LIVES! This, in addition to a super-friendly and knowledgeable barista, who told us all about eh clover and made very good recommendations about which coffee to get, and an inviting, hip atmosphere. If you are at all interested in or like coffee, you MUST TRY A CLOVER COFFEE.. and this coffee shop is a GREAT place to do it!
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Ever hear the story about the Abyssinian herdsman who discovered coffee when he noticed his goats became especially frisky after eating some strange berries? Dancing Goats takes its name from this 9th Century tale of coffee's origins.
The name isn't the only nod to tradition, here. Coffee purists will appreciate that Dancing Goats brews Batdorf & Bronson beans, and prepares their espresso using one of the most expensive and technologically advanced coffee-related machines on the planet: the Clover brewer. Is it worth the $11,000 outlay? I can't say, but it did make a mean cappuccino.
Speaking of cappuccinos, they come in only one size here (again, think proper Italian espresso), so don't go expecting your sugar-free 20oz venti vanilla and pumpkin spice half-soy, half-1% milk extravaganza: that's not what DG does. Do expect traditional, well-prepared standards; this is one of the few coffee shops in the city with a real espresso Romano on their menu. As an added bonus, the Dancing Goats pastry case is stocked with goodies from nearby Duck's Cosmic Kitchen, which means you can enjoy a cinnamon-sugar encrusted baked donut with your morning cup.
Outside, a handful of dog-friendly tables line the sidewalk. Inside, the three-person countertops tucked into the window alcoves and comfy groupings of leather chairs are ready-made for a neighborhood business meeting or solo work on a laptop. The place is roomy, too; unlike many of my favorite coffeehouses, I didn't feel like I was packed in so close that I could hear three different cell phone conversations from anywhere in the room.
My one complaint? The music. The last two times I visited, the sounds of the Clover brewing away were accompanied by inoffensive-turned-banal piano tracks: I picked out renditions of "Greensleeves" and "Memories," from Cats. Find something with a little more character, Dancing Goats! Elevator music doesn't suit you.
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Great atmostphere
Spacious
Good service
I had an Americano and it was great.
Mini donuts (just 25 cents) are a fab treat
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So since moving to Atlanta almost 10 years ago now I got addicted to Batdorf and Bronson coffee thanks to Mondo on the west side (I really miss that place), anyway I digress.
Dancing Goats is a "flagship" store I think is what they call it for Batdorf and Bronson and it certainly is a great place to get coffee. B&B locally roast and you can tell when you go buy beans at this place because a lot of the packages you pick up were roasted the day before. Granted they don't seem to ever have my favorite roast that Mondo used to brew, but I am told whenever I actually talk to the manager she will be more than happy to get some in for me.
Besides selling beans they definitely know how to make a cup of coffee as well, their cappuccinos are one of the best I have ever had. Personally I was a little disappointed with their hours, they close awfully early, but this place is my second favorite coffee shop in Atlanta and my favorite on the East side of town.
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Nice coffee shop on a walkable strip in Decatur. Delicious coffee and comfortable seating.
A whale of an interior gives an airy feel to the place, although the sparse decoration lacks the charm of an independent coffee house. They have comfortable upholstered seating for at least a dozen customers, and half of the seatings in store seemed to be specifically made for people working on their laptops. Small patio seating outside right next to sidewalk. I like the brightness and comfortable seatings of this place, but like I said it's also boring and plain.
The clover brew is unique and produces very intense coffee, with many flavors to choose from. It's worth a try although I am not overall that fond of it. The regular brews and espresso drinks are really good and these are what I like to get. The coffee is seriously good, but never cute or quaint. I like it, but still searching for my ideal coffee house.
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So I've been to the Dancing Goats like 10 times but today I had my worst experience. One of the cashiers rang me up for a vanilla chai latte but the barista made me a cold one instead. When I told her I asked for mine hot, she seemed annoyed at ME, not the cashier who made the mistake. To make matters worse, when I got my "hot" vanilla chai, it was room temperature. I said thank you anyway despite her attitude and she didn't even acknowledge me. I didn't make a fuss...maybe because it's too nice outside. This barista has general people issues. Sometimes she's nice, sometimes she's not. I'm not ready to scratch this place off my list because of what other reviewers have noted but I thought I would share my experience. If there are others, speak up!
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I love Batdorf and Bronson coffee and go out of my way to visit shops that serve it so I had to visit Dancing Goats Cafe right away. Located on the western edge of downtown Decatur, it's got a decent size parking lot in the back and a patio area in front. The inside is fairly large with a decent amount of seating, both at counters and tables. I didn't love the corporate feel of the place, wishing instead it had more of a comfy neighborhood coffee house feel, but the coffee won me over. Both times I had the regular drip coffee and a bagel with cream cheese (the pastries are made by Duck's Cosmic Kitchen). Really, they serve good stuff. It's a shame Starbucks and Seattle's Best made it so big cause this is the stuff that should be served on every corner.
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Gotta love Dancing Goats. Situated in an area of downtown Decatur that could use a large, full-service coffee joint that delivers on every level, this place is just excellent. Spacious with a hip look, sporting delicious coffee and treats from Duck's Cosmic Kitchen (another fine Decatur establishment), not to mention a helpful, knowledgeable staff, Dancing Goats rules.
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I was a bit disappointed. I had really high expectations for Dancing Goats 'cos I LOVE Batdorf and Bronson's coffee. The coffee's still great, but my machiatto was only so so. I'd think that they would train their baristas just a bit better. The baristas weren't bad, but I'd say that they were only mediocre. There are plenty of coffee shops that serve Batdorf and Bronson coffee and most have more competent baristas than I found at this shop.
Batdorf & Bronson recently opened their first coffee shop in Atlanta (there are other in Washington where the owners are from) and I was more than happy to go out and support a small artisan business--I'll take this place over a Starbucks any day. They are located in Decatur, which is quickly becoming a foodie mecca with plenty of choices specialty cookware stores, specialty food stores, and plenty of ethnic eats in close proximity.
The space is minimal and they are definitely in the process of getting their rhythm down. But, this place should do well. There were already plenty of folks sitting on the patio with their dogs and the paper. Other sat inside on their laptops quietly working away--I think they provide free WiFi. There is a large selection of coffee makers and they will be installing self-service bean bins in the near future.
I'd heard murmurings from other coffee-fiends that the cafe had installed a Clover machine, which is a commercial-grade coffee single cup coffee brewer. The beauty of the Clover is that it allows you to adjust the brew based on the bean's individual characteristics.
Always the curious sort, I ordered a coffee made on the clover. I also got their cup of dougnuts (from Duck's Cosmic Kitchen). You can get this as a "coffee and doughnuts" combo, but I bought a bag of coffee and my cup was free--always nice to see that perk at coffee shops.
Photos at: http://blissfulglutton...
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