A real coffee house that does individual pour over brew method along with a variety of other coffee, tea and unique drink options. Wonderful baked goods and sweets and cute merchandise available. I highly recommend visiting for a great cup of coffee!! Friendly staff to help you choose your favorite coffee or drink.

Way nicer then Starbucks. Great salad. Nitro. Great atmosphere

Doesn’t even deserve the star. Staff is incredibly rude. Told me to chill out and told me my friend was being a nuisance because she was on a quick phone call and because she didn’t make a purchase. Told us she had to buy something in order to even come inside with me or she would “get in trouble with the management.” What kind of ownership runs a store like that?? Apparently your friends have to stand outside for you to buy a coffee. Never coming back.

I love this place. Excellent coffee, good snacks, really good sandwiches and soup. I come here often and sit for hours.

What an OUTSTANDING coffee shop!!! Awesome ambiance, right in the heart of downtown. The menu has SO many options! Great milk alternatives. OUTSTANDING service. The cappuccino and espresso cooler with oatmilk is SOOOOO DELISH!!! Though I am a diehard Starbucks fan, I must admit, this spot is in an entirely different league!!! We will be back on our next trip to Iowa!!!

They lost our order. Did not inform us that we had to go to the other restaurant to pick up our food. Very long wait.

The coffee here is a bit expensive but taste wise, just amazing. The iced latte is heavenly. The regular latte is just as amazing!

Great coffee, place to study and work. Favorite coffee shop in Iowa City.

I loved this place! My drink was good and the guy who made my drink was talkative and friendly!

Good coffee, nice atmosphere. Only gave 4 stars because the employees could be friendlier.

Java House was my go to in college, nearly 10 years later its not just nostalgia. Great coffee, friendly service, plenty of comfy seating. Still my favorite.

Great salads and sandwiches. Should have the salad dressing on the side.

Nice staff and drinks but plant based milk here is 80¢ extra 🙁 even small businesses around iowa city don’t charge that much

Great as always. friendly staffAnd damn good cup of JAVA

Good coffee and baked goods. Cool atmosphere with eclectic artwork

I love this place! Drinks are tasty and its a great spot to get some studying done. Also, their hot chocolate is fantastic!

The Java House is one of my comfort places in Iowa City. I can get a great cup of coffee, and maybe a pastry, served by a friendly barista in a relaxed and cozy atmosphere. Java House was closed for a couple of months last year, due to covid, and when it reopened it was like reconnecting with an old friend@

Coffee is consitantly good and great selection of breakfast sandwiches. They used scrambled eggs on the sandwich which in my opinion makes it taste more homemade and not like Im eating out. Dont forgot to download the Java House app to earn points for your purchases which lead to a $5 reward credit after you spend a certain amount.

Great atmosphere and staff! I had two different drinks while I was here! So cozy and comfortable! Definitely worth a visit! Ill definitely be back!

Great environment for studying. Everyone wore masks so I felt very comfortable. I always enjoy trying their seasonal beverages, and I also recommend the coffee you can buy to brew at home. Their coffee is very high quality and you can tell they take their time.

Favorite place in town to go for coffee, whether its a latte, a pour over, or whole beans. Their Conversation Brew is always rotating and delicious. I have on good authority they have the best cappuccino anywhere.

May be a nice place to study but their coffee and tea were terrible and overpriced. I hate to say it but I will take Starbucks over this place anytime. The staff were pleasant, however.

Cool little study hall for the students on campus. Great coffee and awesome ambiance. Classy music and cool art throughout.

Good breakfast selection but I didnt like the coffee

Best place to study, everyone is super respectful of COVID rules. And the best coffee too! Skip starbies, you gotta start going here its the best.

Amazing atmosphere and drinks! Must stop while in Iowa City!

Why is the music always SO loud? Students are always trying to study with extremely loud, normally obnoxious music distracting them. When I started college, the population was mostly young students and families, lately its seemed to draw in a more shady crowd, theres been times that older men have uncomfortably approached me here, or started yelling, and been very unhygienic and practically coughing on people. The staff never does anything. Becoming less of a place for students to want to study.

This place was cool. Spacious areas. ReDing rooms. Comfortable and inviting. Menu of drinks and foods varied and all looked good ( did not eat here) dark roast coffee was just what I wanted. Would visit again.

The food is less than adequate and is extremely over-priced for what you get. Product is not handled safely and expiration dates are regularly ignored.On my third night as a shift manager for this company, Tara (the owner) happened to stop in on a night we were closing early due to a winter storm. The two others I was working with at the time were extremely new, and never received any form of training on how to do their jobs. I was expected to get 5 hours worth of work done in 2.5, while serving customers during a regular dinner service. We were also told to keep our labor expenses at a minimum, so closes were always rushed. Some minor details were missed which lead to her belittling me and telling me how poor of a supervisor I was, and how I was going to be on a two week probation because of the circumstances. When I tried to explain the situation, she then tried to put the two other new staff members on a two week probation.I immediately threatened to quit because I refused to let someone who has no idea how their store operates on a day to day basis tell me that I was a bad employee for doing my best under a time crunch. Her entire attitude changed and she tried to rectify the situation by feigned empathy. When I finished counting the nightly deposit, I went back upstairs to finish the tasks I missed as she requested.I was told that I was to never sweep our floors and to only use a vacuum (that was missing the attachment to actually pick up debris on the floor) upon patronizingly demonstrating how a vacuum works to me, Tara stuck the dirty running vacuum hose to my cheek to prove to me that it worked.Save your money and eat somewhere else.

Very nice coffee shop. Spacious, with cool pictures and nice furniture. Good-sized patio outside for social distancing. Good food options and drinks. Friendly staff. Great place to relax in downtown Iowa City.

Great place great food great patio

Busy Place very friendly staff I always enjoy my visits here

Great place by the University for coffee and a bite.

Very comfortable and plenty of space. Nice servers and atmosphere. I only had a brewed coffee and it was perfect for my mood !

I think that most of the 5 star reviews were probably made by people who were paid off by the owner... From what I have just read from previous workers, and my past experience as a customer I will not be returning. A note to the owner, maybe now is a good time to cut and run. Welcome to the new age of accountability...

I travel from Cedar Falls just to get the best salad in the area.

Lavender latté ☕️ is pretty tasty.Warm cozy atmosphere friendly service.

The hot chocolate and lemon poppy seed muffin made coming out on a cold rainy day totally worth it.

Batista gave me a small cut of whipped cream for my dog for free. Coffee was good too. Will come again

Muffins are delicious, and they sell day old muffins for half price!

First of all, there are no photos to share, as I dont think it fair for The Java House to show an empty establishment by no fault of their own. That being said, I would like to comment on the great food and drinks they have to offer. Our first visit was to get a quick, cold drink on a warm afternoon. The Mango Hibiscus Iced tea my wife ordered was refreshing and Iowish Cooler that I purchased was very tasty. Our son selected the Pink Hawk, which was very good as well. The drinks were generous for the price we paid. Our family like The Java House so much that we came back the next morning for breakfast. I ordered the Spicy Southwest Sandwich, my wife the Caprese Egg Sandwich, and my son the Morning Muscle Sandwich. All three were great, but I though mine Spicy Southwest could have used a bit more spice. My wife and I, however, were disappointed with the coffee. She had the American Gothic 16oz pour over, and I the St. Louis Blues 16oz pour over. Both of us cannot recall ever having pour over coffees before, and our disappointment may be more over our preferences for making coffee than the coffee itself. Needless to say, neither my wife or I finished our coffees. Overall, I would recommend The Java House to anyone in the Iowa City area. The atmosphere (as it was in this Age of COVID) was inviting and comfortable. The staff were friendly and helpful.

I see you have denied stealing employees tips in a seperate review. However an email is circulating from Tara, the owner, threatening to pay out secret shoppers using store tips meant for employees. She also acknowledged that she herself would be doing secret shopping, so, pocketing the tips? I see you deleted your companies statement off Facebook regarding these allegations. Whats going on?Is this email edited in anyway or do you take responsibility for its contents and admit to pocketing tips meant for employees?

The owner is horrible and steals electronic tips from baristas. Workers are not provided good working conditions. Do not support this owner.

Nice quiet coffee shop. One of the only stores open on Thanksgiving. Not sure how I would have gotten my latte fix if not for them.

Java house is good overall, except most times I order something I ask for a regular mug/cup for here and I almost never get it right. There is clearly very little effort to communicate that little detail. I am making a fair effort to use less single use containers and cant seem to get my goal accomplished due to the staffs attention to detail.

My absolute favorite coffee house in the entire country!Coffee fresh-dripped in your own cup while you watch. High volume so the coffee used is always fresh.I used to have a monthly commitment 125 miles away that led me within a couple miles of one of their branches, and I would schedule a stop for a fresh cup for the road.Their cinnamon rolls are great, too!

Iowa City institution. Prime people watching. Decent coffee. I recommend the Giant of the Earth, if you like full bodied dark.

The coffee is good, but the crowded atmosphere and lack of friendly service leave much to be desired.

I love this place. The best time to go is early in the morning when it’s nice and quiet. I love when they have Jazz music playing, which adds to the modern, contemporary decor. Most importantly, however, is that the baristas are friendly and they know how to make great-looking and great-tasting lattes (even with soy milk!). I wish the prices were a bit lower so I could go here every day

Tara Cronbaugh the owner threatened to waterboard me with caramel white mocha if I didnt order a coffee and tip her $20 directly into her pocket

My strawberry lemonade and Sante Fe Chicken Penne were great!!

Great coffee and food. Staff is always friendly. East to find while walking or driving. Big place for studying students, so always minimal seating. Their only hot black coffees are pour-overs, so its usually faster to just get a latte or Americano. However, its by far one of the best coffee places in town.

Can I even express how much I love this Iowa City staple? I dont think its humanly possible... Amazing coffee, awesome service and tons of room to cozy up or sprawl stuff out on a table to study. Every time I come back to Iowa, I come to Java House at least once----definitely come check it out!

Nice outdoor sitting! Loved the iced latte ❤

Its a nice place and I love the jazz music - it sets the mood to enjoy my coffee. Great service. Wish there was more seating space.

Great cappuccino, yummy scone. Cant complain! Ample study/work space.

During school, weekdays are PACKED at java. I think weekends are better and the later or earlier you go the better. Also winter break and summer break are better. When students are around this place is always PACKED with people studying. It is a good place to grab a coffee and catch up with a friend. Their coffee is pretty good, ive never had one i didnt like. Decent tea selection and desert case as well.

Fail safe place to get decent soups, salads, and sandwiches when nothing sounds else good to eat. Sometimes the food preparation area looks cluttered and messy, soup containers without lids, but I havent gotten sick yet so thats a good thing. This is a college town establishment so understably the dining area will look disorganized and unkept because of high volume foot traffic. Just keep that in mind not to ruin your eating experience.

This is one of my favorite coffee shops in town. Make sure you enroll in their reward system to get points and prizes. I like their coffees beans as well. Try Chelcheleh.

Nice atmosphere for coffee and food was good. Reason for lower rating was customer service that had attitude. I was told my name would be called out but you need to go next door to the salad place to hear your name. So my food sat there and no attempt to find me on coffee side. I was told that food was always done that way. Young servers had no customer service skills!

Owner steals electronic tips from the workers. No thank you.

Java House has THE BEST pastries. The Apple Cinnamon scone and the banana chocolate chip muffin are my absolute FAVORITES. Their coffee is super good also. I much prefer going to Java House and supporting a local business than to get coffee from a large national chain--- not naming names. The baristas at Java House are also for the most part really well trained and friendly. Love Java House and happy to see their business growing! Their counterpart of Heirloom Salads on the other hand I have some gripes about- but thats for another review.

The tiramisu is bomb. Goes great with a pour over dark roast. I wish they had metal silverware...

The downtown Java House location is pretty average. I will admit, I avoid going here. It takes about ten minutes on any given day to get a drink here--which is the same amount it takes Starbucks during a rush. At my last visit to Java House, I waited for my drink for 10 minutes before a barista asked me what drink I was waiting for, since everyone who had ordered after me and before me had gotten their drinks. A ticket had apparently not come through or something--it was never made clear. She seemed irritated, like this situation had happened before. Heirloom Salad Co has faster service than the baristas across the room. I will go to this location if Im not in a hurry, but I dont go out of my way to go here between classes. They took the sparkling apple cider off of their menu which was disappointing but no complaints on the actual food and drinks themselves.

YOOOOOOOO I just got some coffee here YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO actually it was hot cocoa but still very good 5/5 would come here again also free whipped cream and chocolate sauce on the hot cocoa 😛

Excellent beverages, great atmosphere - nice place to catch up with a friend I hadnt seen in 6 years! Glad its connected to Heirloom so I could have a cold coffee drink with my salad. Only issue was a couple of pesky gnats as we ate inside the establishment.

Expensive, wouldnt use my reusable cup, they dont have biodegradable cups even though they are very popular in Iowa City, honestly really bummed. The only reason they get two stars is because sometimes they have really nice workers.

Java House makes an excellent raspberry white mocha latte that I have rarely seen elsewhere and is a special treat. They have some nice mugs, french press makers and small tea brewing pitchers/kettles. They also have some delicious teas

If you tend to be a bit claustrophobic like myself, youll find comfort in this joint. Love the set up.You can also rent a meeting room out that has a TV for presentations,two sets of couches. Do recommended.

Nice place for a casual hangout or study session! Staff is very friendly and the atmosphere is welcoming. Also, their music soundtrack is always amazing.

This is one of the best places to go if youre looking for a cozy setting to enjoy your coffee at. If youre not looking for one of their pour over coffees try the the nutty caramel coffee or a latte! Hard to beat!

Java makes their drinks taste unique. They are also A good place to study if you can find an open table because the college students and working professionals love to frequent this location as it is right on campus. This cafe is also partner with Hierloom which has some really good soups and salads!

Wonderful place to study, best music and best atmosphere, BUT really needs more tables. Heirloom makes tasty custom sandwiches next door!

Only downside is this place can get crowded so finding a seat can be hard at high traffic hours. But the coffee is AMAZING, specialty drinks are unforgettable, and their sweets are good. Competitive pricing and great atmosphere.

A beautiful space with plenty of options! there is plenty of room for seating and they encourage sitting with people you dont know as to not take up a whole table.

Very fresh food. Because everything is made right in front of you, it is a little slower. Dont expect Subway Speed here, but the variety and quality is much better.

Great coffee!

One of my favorite coffee shops. The coffee itself is brewed individually as you wait, which adds some time, but it is so good. Nice relaxing atmosphere too.

This place is a great study spot if you dont mind a lot of people! The staff is friendly and my favorite barista is Tyler. Tyler is my roommate and hes great. I give Tyler 5 stars.

Kinda let down. The music loud and used profanity. The servers were on their phones while taking our orders. And watered down my cafe americano. And this is sad because I used to brag about this place.

Always the best! Very friendly staff, always remember my discount for bringing in my Contigo. Love the salads and soup at Heirloom.

Great coffees and a nice selection of drinks and food. A quaint place for a small meeting.

Love studying here with a good cup of coffee!

Friends Reunion in Iowa with the Wyoming game. Tried various coffee houses but always came back to the Java House for the best coffee and the best atmosphere. Our friends all loved it too! Bernie

Awesome experience. Highly recommend. Checked out 5 other coffee spots in one weekend. Javahouse was definitely the best.

I moved away from Iowa City for a year and went back to my hometown. One of the first things I found myself missing was Java House. Im from Texas originally, where drip coffee hasnt caught on, and Starbucks is still the place to go. Java House has great coffee and comfy couches to study on. Students love it for that, and its open late. Its also joined to a restaurant in case you need something to eat while studying for hours. JH gets 4 stars out of 5 only because they constantly play the most annoying coffee shop music (soft indie; what it is, the early 2000s?) and it gets distracting sometimes, enough that Ive had to leave because I couldnt focus on my papers. If they switched to something inoffensive/unnoticeable like classical, Id be in there constantly.

Good espresso, decent pourovers. Nice atmosphere but its hard to find a seat and theres a 1 hour courtesy limit for seats. There are designated no study zones. Kind of up tight for a coffee shop.

Local coffee joint featuring good pour over coffee and plenty of seating! There is group seating space in the back room. A variety of seating options as well as a selection of games, reading material and kid books.

Best coffee in Iowa City! Choose from a daily selection of beans from light to dark including organic options and order a pour-over. Or, if you are a savage you can order from the espresso bar. Lots of great seating areas and always a lively and interesting crowd.

This is a great place to grab sit down and study with a good cop of coffee, if you can find a spot to sit. Theres often a little bit of a wait on espresso drinks, so its not the speediest, but the coffee is high quality

The vibe is nice but the coffee is horrible. Latte has thin layer of cream, and the Americano tastes like potion! The sandwich is good except a bit oily. The crossiant, I asked the waiter to heat it up and it became horribly soft! Shouldnt you put it in an oven and make it crisper! For a cafe, I dont ever think that the vibe is able to make up for the food. That makes me feel that we are forced to buy the disagreeable food in order to be in the environment.

By far one of my favorite coffee houses in Iowa City. My fiancé and I go here frequently in the summer when we go on walks of the downtown area. We always share a tiramisu with our coffees. Highly recommended!

EXPENSIVE! just bought ESPRESSO for $4.40. This is a the third price hike in less than a year, it went from $3.50 to $3.76 to $4.17 from $4.40. It’s no wonder people don’t support these types of money gauging operation indie coffee shop chain. Go to Prarie Lights or T Spoons, much more reasonable price and service.

Good place to have a quick bite. Service and food was good

Yummy! Half salad usually fills me up but its so good I sometimes splurge for the full size.

I love visiting coffee shops when I travel, I thought Id try this Iowa City classic. Sadly, I was disappointed. I asked where they got their milk and the barista was stumped, an odd question but its always a sign of quality for me. The service was ok and there is a lot of seating. It seems to be much more chain than local.

Cozy atmosphere and good (strong) coffee. A bit swarmed by undergrads, and often difficult to find a table. Not a lot of natural light.

Absolutely one of the very best coffee places on earth! Talented baristas and fabulous atmosphere!

My favorite coffee house of ALL-TIME! AND I worked in a local coffee shop in high school. Quality coffee and nice pastry treats.

Wonderful coffee and desserts. Great environment! Come early, gets busy quick!