El Gato Coffeehouse Reviews

Submitted by Josh Spencer on 08/26/2022

Josh Spencer 4 stars rating.

Interesting concept of a place that focuses on facilitating cat adoptions while also serving coffee, which I applaud.

When you enter, you have to pay a $15 cover that gives you 1 hour in the "cat room" which you have to pass through two doors in order to enter (so that the cats don't get out). Inside is a room that is a veritable cat paradise with lots of cat towers, toys, beds, etc. and tons of cat-themed decorations with several kitties taking full advantage of the amenities. There is also a back room which contains "less socialized" kittens that the staff encourages you to visit so as to familiarize the animals with humans so that they are eventually more adoptable. There is also a binder that contains all the cats and their names that are available for adoption. The staff is very friendly, though you can tell they are really pushing people to adopt with continual introductions to cats, their names, history, etc.

As far as menu is concerned, there is a limited selection of coffees and teas with a few cookies, bars, and cinnamon roll, but one has to exit the cat room to place an order at the house entrance. The order is then passed through a window to the cat room when it is ready. I ordered a french press coffee, which was ready after several minutes and was decent, though nothing to write home about.

While I enjoyed my experience and support the work they are doing, this is very much more a cat sanctuary and adoption facility with coffee being an afterthought. There are only two tables with chairs in the cat room, and no one was engaged in any normal coffee shop activities like reading, studying, or working while I was there. The entire focus is on interacting with the cats. Not to mention, the 1 hour time limit restricts anything that might require a longer time period. To the staff's credit, they informed me when I arrived of this and recommended 2nd Cup if I wanted a traditional coffee house, but I wanted to get the experience regardless.

For these reasons, I would highly recommend El Gato to anyone who loves cats, wants some "cat therapy", and/or is looking to adopt. If your concern is more coffee and getting work done, though, you should look elsewhere.