Santos Coffee & Bar Uptown

Stopped into Santos Coffee & Bar Uptown for a quick breakfast snack while attending a convention at the BJCC, and it was a nice little find. I grabbed the sausage, egg, and cheese croissant — it was good, warm, and hit the spot, though not the best I’ve had.

What really stood out, though, was the strawberry smoothie — excellent flavor, refreshing, and made just right. Definitely worth a stop if you’re in the area and need a quick boost.

Friendly staff, good vibe, and a convenient spot to escape the convention bustle for a few minutes. Solid 4 out of 5 stars from me — and I’d go back for that smoothie alone.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Fantastic nutella latte-iced with oatmilk. Bold, smooth, and delicious.

Atmosphere: 4

Service: 5

Laid back corner cafe. Perfect spot to grab a smoothie on our Sunday morning walk. Only had the Harvest smoothie available, and it was yummy! Gave 4 stars for food because not all menu items were available.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Have some good coffees, not a good place to work for hours.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

We came on a whim the first time we visited the area last year and we came back again this year. You can tell they’ve even improved since then. Awesome coffee AND food!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Poor customer service. Was rushed so the girls could sit down and keep talking . . . Was disappointed also that I could not do room charge to get Marriott points. . .

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 1

Chai Tea latte was delicious!

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

Order was never delivered via DoorDash. Santos also failed to answer their phone after order was not delivered. Pathetic service from a business that we’ve used multiple times without a problem.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

The manager at this location is trash. Waited over 45 minutes for two drip coffees, and waited over an hour for a BEC! Not blaming the baristas because only two were staffed. They were clearly overwhelmed by the number of hotel guests seeking coffee from the only coffee shop within walking distance of the Westin. I’ve had extremely disappointing experiences here because of wait times on multiple occasions now. And their lattes did not taste great either.

don’t get the matcha

Day two in Birmingham, and it took 24hours for the other shoe to drop. Santos is a local coffee establishment with 7 locations. The address we visited was adjacent to the Westin, near the UAB stadium.

While the atmosphere was inviting, the service was certainly less so. Yes, I was asked “what size would you like your cappuccino?” If you’ve read my reviews you will know this is a serious faux pas, but I digress.

The 8 ounce cappuccino lacked any effort or even the pretense of effort. Essentially one shot of espresso, with a lot of foamed milk a top.

The service was messy, the presentation was equal, and I honestly believe they care.

Unfortunately I also dropped $9 on a breakfast sandwich. No need to review that, simply reference the prior comments.

Should you find yourself in Birmingham, you would be wise to skip Santos. Head over to Prevail Union, which I also reviewed, and you will be much better off.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 2

Cool place; I was preparing for a hearing at the courthouse. Nice atmosphere for that purpose.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Understaffed with long waits at times. Healthy choice bowl was not available, probably because they didn’t have time to make it.

Very slow and not very good at all.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Staff is nice location is nice but low quality burnt coffee to cover up the low quality beans- if you’re fine w kerig or foldgers in the morning and don’t know how to tell a good cup of coffee from a poor one it works.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 5