Java Jive Coffee House & Cafe

06/29/09

First Timers

by Acespring09

We were in the area and wanted something good to each for breakfast and had heard about Java Jive. So we looked them up and the experience was great. This quaint little spot on Ponce is a wonderful treat to the taste buds. After reading some of the reviews from this sight I had mixed emotions about go there but no more. This little diner that blends retro décor and charm with the new age St. Charles, Green woood and Highlands area without missing a beat. The service was terrific walked in on a Sunday at 11am, and sat right down. The hostess was very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. My wife has the French toast, bacon, and biscuit. She loved it all and thinks that the food here is better than the Flying Biscuit. I am still in the air about that one. I had the buttermilk pancakes with a surprising cinnamon butter dollop atop, turkey sausage, grits, and coffee. The pancakes melt in your mouth with every bite, turkey sausage was a little salty but still very flavorful, grits were ok but I prefer Flying Biscuit. Coffee was the very best, you can taste the quality, and it was bold yet light with a velvety finish. Overall I would recommend this restaurant and return again. Sorry that so many people had a bad experience.

• Pros: Food, customer service, and coffee
• Cons: Parking, and cash only

03/03/09

Sooo disappointed!

by fefifofood

My friend recommended Java Jive, and I was so looking forward to a casual and delicious mid-week brunch. I didn't know they only accepted cash, and I didn't have cash, so I was forced to use their ATM machine which charges a fee (which I'm certain Java Jive receives a percentage of.) This wouldn't have been so annoying if the food was delicious or if they kept my coffee cup filled, but it wasn't and they didn't. On top of that, the waiter got my order wrong, and it took a long time to get it right. (You would think with so few people in the place at 12:30 on a weekday that they would have better service.) I have to say Java Jive was not worth the money or the time. We will not be going back.

• Pros: ample parking
• Cons: food, price, don't take cash, not enough coffee, service

01/25/09

toot.

by boots1981

worst place ever. took me 3 hrs to be seated and eat a mediocre omelette. i want that time back java jive!

• Pros: nothing
• Cons: shirt stains, waitresses, no credit cards, utter stupidity.

01/25/09

Really, really BAD service

by Absmarr

I never write reviews, but had to after this morning. We waited for an hour and people that came in after us were seated before us because the host marked through our name without seating us. She didn't aplogize for the mistake. Then we had a server that was anxious and rushed us through ordering. She then forgot to bring out our apple juice, then when we were almost done eating she remembered and said she'd bring it out. We let her know that we no longer wanted it, and she said, "I'll bring it to you, I already rung it up." She then brought it out. When she brought the check, she wouldn't allow us to pay separately even though we were paying with cash. It was very disappointing to have such AWFUL service because the food is excellent. I've never had someone refuse to take something off my bill that was not brought to my table. It was really rude and if it was my restaurant, I would be really embarrassed. And I think that they stop seating people at 2:00pm or so, there were 3 people that came in about 2 minutes after that and they were turned away when there were people that had just been sat a table and it would not have kept the staff there any later. What an awful experience! Don't go there, the food is not good enough to overcome the staff.

09/08/08

Our Favorite Breakfast Spot!!

by intownannie

We've been coming to Java Jive for years and it's always great!! The coffee is the best in town and the biscuits are incredible. The staff is really friendly and my kids love all the neat things to look at.(They also love that the waitress knows their names) The pancakes are delicious, I like the wheat ones best. My husband gets the Greek omelet with fresh spinach. Yum! Sometime there's a wait, but when you get seated the food comes out fast. We always bring in out of town guest too, so we can share a little bit of old school Atlanta.

• Pros: Kid friendly, great food
• Cons: Small parking lot

08/23/08

No Java In My Cup!?

by efriezer

As an avid weekend breakfast guru, I felt compelled to write my first review after the most disappointing brunch ever. We were seated right away and the food came quickly, but thats all the good I can say. We never saw our waitress after placing the order. Our coffee cups were empty before the food came and were never refilled, which is completely unacceptable for a joint named after its brew. And as for the food, it's just sub standard for the price. You think they could put some of the money they save on not taking plastic and charging for the atm towards fresh tomatoes. The canned ones in my garden scramble ruined the whole dish. And I thought I made the wrong side option choice when tasting the grits, but the half cooked home fries on my boyfriends plate proved me wrong. And how about the lack of ham in Western omelet (one of the very few dishes on the limited menu that is actually supposed to come with meat)! J Christopher's a few doors down wins the prize for that area hands down.

06/18/08

No credit cards

by atlblue

This place doesn't accept plastic. Honestly, I don't understand what all the rave is about with this place. I much prefer J. Christophers.

03/23/08

Great Food - Needs better management

by dukezilla

The food and service at Java Jive are AWESOME!!! The service staff at this place are super nice and always keep your cup full.

However, they could use some better management. Fore example: J. Christopher is right next door and they open almost 2 hours earlier than Java Jive (Dude, you're loosing customers!). Also, the tables are layed out poorly and theres tons of old appliances wasting space - reallocate the space (more paying customers = more money ... DUHH!). The only other issue I have with this place is there's no one to deal with all the unrulley children running around the palce on saturday and sunday mornings - their parents aren't going to do it.

• Pros: Food, Service
• Cons: Poor space layout, hours

11/07/07

This is place is great!

by litpick

If you want a truly unique experience go to Java Jive. The BEST breakfast in Atlanta and I should know because I've tried them all. Steven is a great chef. Shara is a great hostess. They are REAL people. They do not dress up in uniforms and play the disneyland game. Their prices are competitive to the chains all around them and they play the best music. If you're looking for the familiar skip it. If you're looking for something orginal, cooked on the spot(nothing freeze dried here) wih unique items some of the chains have stolen but come nowhere close to duplicating- this is the spot. On the weekends, get their early!

• Pros: Everything
• Cons: weekends you have to wait a bit- but it's worth it

10/21/07

REALLY BAD!

by tolli78

Me and my gf went there on a weekend - told we had to wait 20 mins, which turned into 1 hr!! Before giving us a table, they set up a table for a group of 4 that came in long after us. Staff is rude, menu limited, food is of small portion, and very pricey! Food also just average tasting and definetely not worth the wait! All of their operations are done very inefficiently which is reflected in the low quality service to the customer! We don't really understand what is so great about this place! If people want to wait 1hr and spend alot of money for mediocre food, bad service and some so called "nice decor", then go ahead!

• Pros: Coffee
• Cons: Everything else is awful