Normally, I have great experiences here - I buy my coffee, no problems, and have ALWAYS tipped when I've gone. I am a frequent visitor of this coffee joint (maybe twice a week) - and again, have ALWAYS tipped. Last night, I spent the $6 on a cup of cider, and Rob (or Ray, whichever one has the long hair) simply dropped it off at my table. No issues, everything was fine. An hour or so later, I walk up to check out and decide not to leave a tip - which is my own decision and which is perfectly acceptable. I'm then standing around my friend's table, saying goodbye, when Ray waves my receipt around and says, "By the way, we only make $3 an hour - so tips are appreciated. If you had friends who were servers you would know that." I was speechless - this was probably the rudest customer service I'd ever had. I am livid about this - literally enough to make me never want to go back. If I'm going to tip, I'm tipping for receiving good and KIND service - which I did not receive last night. I couldn't believe he called me out in front of everyone for my own financial decision. Very disappointed I have to leave this review, but I'm disgusted he hassled me for a tip for what was already a $6 drink. This staff needs to learn how to quite literally just be kind to their customers - before they lose all of them.

Upon entering the coffee shop, the atmosphere was great. My friend and I went together to sit down and get some homework done. When we sat down we were greeted by the barista/owner, so we tried to make a simple conversation. A simple, “how’s your day going”, we got responded with “I don’t have time to talk about that. what do u want to order”. First of all, rude. We got our drinks, an iced vanilla latte, and a cream soda float. The cream soda was fine, but made with Kroger brand ice-cream, absolutely not worth $7. The latte was so overly sweet with vanilla, it was disgusting to drink. While going to pay, my friend did not tip, as she did not enjoy her beverage, nor the snarky remark made by the barista. He then proceeded to confront and shame her for not leaving a tip, saying something related to “we aren’t payed hourly, only by tips. So when you don’t tip, I make no money, when you sit here for 3 hours. Ask your server friends, they will tell you”. In our opinion, tips are DESERVED, not expected when going into an establishment. This is not the first incident we’ve had here, but I can easily say we will not be returning.

Rudest service I have ever experienced. My girl friends and I went to go get tea and catch up for about 2 hours here and everything was fine until we went to pay. I, being the first to pay of my friends, went to pay and did not leave a tip for my friend was going to cover the tip that night. However before my friend even had the chance to pay he looked at my receipt and started a 2 min attack about how terrible of a person I am for not leaving a tip especially for staying there for hours, which it was just 2 hours like a normal coffee shop visit, and it wasn’t that busy. He was very snarky towards me and was incredibly rude. I’m happy I didn’t leave a tip. Nevertheless, all he did was pour a cup of hot water and give me a tea bag for $5.

The people complaining are more than likely upset because they wanted to take up space for 2+ hours, with their 6 friends and only order 1 thing. This is a small locally owned coffee shop. Please be considerate of people working in service and remember they do not live and breathe to serve you. The owner has been nothing but nice, accommodating and respectful. I have been coming here for 2+ years.

I’ve had very interesting experiences at this coffee shop but this evening took the cake. Both my friend and my day are now ruined. We originally came in earlier with food from another restaurant and were immediately asked to leave by a long haired man in his fiftees with a very rude tone. We understood the situation but felt very disrespected by the employee. We ended up coming back after finishing our food and ordered our drinks as we studied. After about an hour, we were asked to leave or buy another drink (we were both still finishing our previous drinks). After we finished we decided to just leave because at this point we didn’t want to stay. While paying, the same man told us we were expected to tip as he only made $3 an hour. Understandable, but why would you tell college customers to tip given the bad service. I have had bad experiences with this specific employee in the past so I did not in fact want to tip him for his rudeness. After paying, the man proceeded to tell us to go to Starbucks next time we wanted coffee. Overall a terrible experience and my friends and I are reluctant to visit again.

Way too expensive! Food and drinks are way too expensive for such small portions, there’s a $5 minimum for debit card (so I cant just buy something quick), they enforce a $6/hour minimum or they’ll charge you a study fee, every person at the table has to pay, so you can’t sit peacefully with your friends. I do not recommend this place unless they change prices. Sucks for broke college kids!

Drinks are fine, but why you think that fostering a hostile relationship with your customers is a good business move is beyond me. The bartender has been nothing but pushy and rude when I’ve been, shaming my friend for not tipping on a can of beer. I’ve always tipped every time I’ve been, brought friends with me, and done a good job at patronizing this place but I’m done. Until you learn how to treat your customers like human beings, I’ll never return to this place.

A great little cafe with good drinks, good food, good vibes, and some of the most ill-mannered staff I have ever seen. I have never understood the economics of upsetting paying customers and souring their experiences of your establishment just to enforce some penny-pinching $5 minimum purchase per hour policy. Why lose potential customers over such stupidity? (Mostly college students who could potentially be 4+ year customers!) Sure, a few people taking up tables without ordering a lot may seem like they cost the establishment a couple bucks, but you guys need to chill out. I frequent this place and commonly order a number of items while I study. However, when I see the wait staff rudely remind other people to keep ordering, and be passive-aggressive about tipping, it really makes me question whether this is a place I should continue supporting. I would highly suggest the owners and wait staff reassess their business approach. It doesn't take a lot of scrolling through reviews to see that this behavior costs patrons. So what if they don't order a coffee every hour? By upsetting them you are denying yourself years worth of coffees and chicken salad sandwiches that the people you have angered will now be buying elsewhere.

Very hostile environment that does not feel like a safe space to drink a cup of coffee in. Server became upset and used an extremely aggressive tone when my friend wanted some time to settle and look over what was on the menu. There are many other local coffee shops in Cincinnati that treat their customers with kindness that I recommend you spend your money at instead.

Every time I have been here I’ve had nothing but exceptional experiences. Treat your servers well and they will treat you well. Food and drinks are fantastic and the ambiance is super chill. Music is always great with a ton of variety. The furniture and building are very authentically vintage with a very bohemian type of decor. It’s definitely one of the most unique places I’ve dined at. Whenever I’ve visited here I’ve seen each of the guys behind the counter work extremely hard to tend to all of their customers. For God’s sakes, tip your servers. Tipping helps pay the rent for many people, so even if you’re buying just a coffee it can really make a difference. Not everyone has a comfy hourly rate to fall back on: especially servers and bartenders. Don’t be stingy and support local business. All in all, fantastic place to chill and have a nice meal at. There is tons of personality and authenticity here to boot. Recently I have started to regular this place just to unwind after a long day of work, and I will definitely continue to do so. Highly recommend.

This place used to be awesome when the owner was working there. He would work alone but always made your drink with a smile, had great conversation and made you feel welcomed there. They have a new guy making the drinks and serving food and he ALWAYS comes off overwhelmed and acts bothered if you order more than one drink. And please don’t order food or he gets snippy. He is obviously overwhelmed and his frustration is deflected onto his patrons. I get that it’s a busy place and there is only one staff member there but being treated as if you’re bothering someone and getting served drinks that definitely don’t live up to what they used to be, totally kills the cool vibe this place used to have. I don’t think I’ll be coming here anymore. If the owner is ever back that may change.

Ordered a chai latte. The interior is pretty cool! Lots of greenery at the front. 🌿🪴 There’s also an option to sit outside under trees at the back. 🍃🍂

I've had bad experiences here with their strictness about buying a certain $$ amount every hour (or they kick you out!), and not letting my friends finish their flurries inside. They are not nice about it either. It's sad because the space is so fun and they stay open late. I just don't agree with the strictness of their philosophy and will not support it.

Great place with out door seating and perfect atmosphere

Leaving this review purely to tell the people who don’t tip that they should tip. Been here before and never had any issues. Always tip because I was raised right, and I worked in the service industry. Tips are earned, sure, good ones. But even a dollar is just common sense and kindness to your fellow human who barely make any kind of money outside of tips, who made your drink. Have a nice day y’all!

Was going to meet a friend there, but after hearing about how she was harassed for a $5 charge just to sit at a table and then harassed further for a tip, I was so disgusted that we decided to meet elsewhere. There were many empty tables and furthermore, they did not seem to approach every customer asking them to pay an “hourly” fee to stay there. Additionally, if the barista does not make enough money that they need to harass patrons, they should speak to the owners who have decided against paying them a living wage instead of haranguing customers. That this coffee shop has d chosen this bizarre business tactic when so many other cafes have found a way to succeed without acting like this…I’m not sure if it is more sad or comical. I will be sure to warn others that you get a side of pathetic with your coffee here.

everyone who rates this place low is lame and a bad customer i just know it. everyone who works here is rad and extremely kind. if you’re taking up a table for hours you better be ordering more than like 3 dollars lmao. Like in what world would that ever be okay….. and then to leave no tip because all they did was “give you a hot cup of water and a tea bag”. nah yall are just bad customers study in a library if you don’t want pay money. highlands is great

An ethnic place with #tasty cappuccino. Opens 5pm till 2:30am daily, nice for late hangouts. No friendly staff on Tuesday evening though.

If you want to be kicked out of a coffee shop after an hour of studying because you don’t want to order a 2nd drink yet, this is the place for you. How they maintain business is beyond me.

Best coffeeshop in Cincinnati. Cozy environment: Old-school urban atmosphere, hasn't changed in over 3 decades. Last of the great Cincinnati coffee houses.

Really lovely coffee shop, with a retro vibe (cash machine from the 40s even) and a nice atmosphere. Also great hospitality and smiles, and apple pie / hot chocolate are delicious!

TL;DR: Passive aggressive, uncomfortably rude employees. I've been coming to this coffee shop for the past couple years. I enjoy the environment, but the service has consistently been the rudest that I've ever experienced. The drinks (can of soda, coffee, etc) are a couple dollars more than other coffee shops in the area. However, the service here has been consistently and unnervingly passive aggressive. Be prepared when you go to pay for the employee (actually Jay, the owner) to demand a tip, inform you how that he is paid $3 per hour, then accuse you of shorting him all in one breath, before you have the chance to put cash in the jar. I also work as a barista, and I am very grateful when my regulars tip me for friendly/fast service or for knowing their name and drink, etc - but to demand tips after only handing over a can of soda and proceed to make many passive aggressive comments makes no sense. I've been a regular customer, but I will be choosing other coffee shops in the future.

I have NEVER been to a night time coffee shop, I guess because I’m uncultured. But my boyfriend and I were waiting for the Art Walk to start so we came here. The barista was absolutely phenomenal and so kind. The coffee and cookie were so fabulous that we would come back just for that. But you know what else I’d come back for, the piece of the pizza that earned this establishment the fifth star? The viiiiibes, dude. Seriously. The decor is gorgeous and homey; I could envision an author writing his Nobel peace prize winning novel here. The music, the smells, the lighting… it’s just **chef’s kiss** Thank you for creating such a cool place to come.

I love that they are open super late - awesome option for getting work done with a good drink (either alcoholic or not), especially as a college student. Really cool and vintage inside, and with a cute back porch that's great in the warmer months.

In the quiet street of Cincinnati there is a secret nook where you’ll feel vibrant of life as soon as you open the door. I’m writing this midnight on a Sunday and trust me the shop is still so busy like it’s 8pm. This is not a bar, but a coffee shop that serves alcohol, the atmosphere here compare to a bar is night and day. For all you night owls who wants serenity of peace but refuse the cruel claw of loneliness this place is for you.

It's a social contract to tip, at any restaurant, bar or café in the United States. Some people that review this place do not understand that, and that's a major flaw with our education system. Highlands is a must-stop if you are visiting Cincinnati. It's straight out of a Jack Kerouac novel. Always friendly staff, serving great warm cocktails, draft beer, bottomless coffee, the best boozy(and non-boozy) milkshakes in the city. (A delicious curry chicken salad sandwich on the DL aswell) Perfect place to start your night, end your night, or hang out for hours with buds having a few drinks. Always laid back, ambiance impeccable. They have a patio in the back, where it's easy to forget where you are, for the better. It's a haunt for young hipsters, college students, artists, and everyone. One of my favorites, that always, i inevitably return to.

The vibes are always immaculate; Jay and Dane always play the best music. The service is always great. I LOVE coming here to study or catch up with friends. Again, they play the BEST music.

This has quickly become my favorite coffee house to come to, great service, atmosphere, and coffee. My only criticism is the management has only hired a limited staff, and the two guys that work the bar are almost always ran ragged on busy nights. Wish they'd get them some help.

love this place so much. all the og bartenders are fantastic. new younger dude is kindof a jerk tho. it was 11pm and cut off half the menu, yelled at me for asking if i could order toast like i have been for years, and made the weakest drink i have ever had there. i miss the baby old bartenders. great spot tho

My favorite late night hangout in Cincinnati. I always love seeing Jay when he’s working the bar, he always makes you feel at home. The drinks are great and the vibe is immaculate. It can get a little busy, particularly during the school year, but generally you can find a table whenever you come in. Be mindful that outlets are a little sparse if you’re planning to bring a laptop!

Terrific service, drink menu, and ambience. Great place to meet up with friends, play a game of Scrabble, or study. I have loved this place for forty years.

Great indie vibe. Huge beer list, boozy coffee drinks, and great looking desserts. It’s hard to find a genuine coffee house (90’s style before Starbucks made it trendy). Bartender/Barista was cool and the place stayed busy without being crowded. Ancient building with wood floors/panels. Highly recommended.