The relaxed ambience, the soft music, the hushed chatter: these all describe the Illuminate Coffee Bar, previously named Cafe Yolly, located in Austin. Founded by Tom Snyder, this is a wonderful place to study and have a light snack. The cozy coffee shop is fairly small, but has ample space to sit, drink some coffee, read a good book, or study. People from all ages visit this cafe, from the seniors who are just looking to get some coffee to the college and high school students who want to study to the little kids who want to get some frozen yogurt.

The coffee shop was dimly lit, with wide windows allowing the light to stream inside. There are also blinds for when someone is sitting there and wants it to be a little darker. Outside of the cafe, there are two tables with chairs to sit. The outside design seemed to be in the preliminary stage of development as most of the sitting areas and decorations were inside. Once inside, you immediately notice the comfortable vibe. The mixture of rectangular and circular tables were well spaced out, and there were plenty of chairs. It wasn’t very crowded when I went, which was around 3:00 p.m. At around 5:00 p.m., more people started to stream in and the noise level increased. There was one large couch and two small couches, as well as window seats and bar stools. Three frozen yogurt machines were located at the right of the cafe. There were also numerous illustrations, plants, and hanging light bulbs, which are the shop’s logo. The menu was written on five different blackboards very clearly with a huge variety of coffees and snacks. The atmosphere of the cafe was cheerful, and I would deem Illuminate as a great place to study.

The baristas at the shop were very kind and took my order rather quickly the first time I ordered. Within five minutes, I had my coffees and left to go sit down. Everything in my first order was correct. The second time I ordered, I chose to get some frozen yogurt. There were four flavors of frozen yogurt: blueberry, butter pecan, vanilla and red velvet. I filled my cup with the thick and creamy red velvet and vanilla. They had a very large supply of toppings and variations for a coffee shop, a few being gummy bears, gummy worms, m&m’s, and cookie dough. Because there was only one barista, it took a longer time to ring me up, but it was worth the wait because the frozen yogurt was delicious. All of the baristas were eager to tell me what they enjoyed best and gave me wonderful recommendations.

I ordered three different lattes and one mango smoothie, all of which were shared amongst my friends. The first one I tried was the Chai Latte which was refreshing. It had a very distinct taste which was caused by the different spices in the drink. It had just the right amount of sweetness for my liking. The Chai Latte was definitely my favorite out of the drinks I ordered. The Cinnamon Toast Crunch Latte came next with a very strong coffee scent, and I could almost immediately feel the effects of the caffeine in the drink. The breakfast cereal did allow the coffee to have a sweeter taste which I enjoyed very much. This latte was different from the other lattes I had as the cereal was in chunks in the latte and not blended in. The Cinnamon Toast Crunch still added to the taste, which was complimentary with the coffee, but just not as much as the Chai Latte. I also ordered the Lavender Iced Latte which, unfortunately, didn’t have the unique distinct taste the other two had. It tasted very much like boba, but I wish the latte had a more uncommon taste. It was very calming, but what I usually look for in coffee is a unique taste that is not like anything else, which the Chai Latte and the Cinnamon Toast Crunch lattes for me were. Finally, I ordered the Mango Smoothie. The smoothie was very sweet and tasted just like the one our school sells in Java City. Still, mango smoothies are delicious, so this one is ranked above the Lavender Iced Latte for me. Overall, the food and drinks were flavorful, all offering different tastes for different people and I expect the other drinks and snacks to be up to this level as well.  

Most of the drinks seem to be worth the price at Illuminate. It fits well between the coffee shops in Austin, not being too expensive or cheap, although the mango smoothie seemed a bit overpriced. The final cost of all the items, four drinks and one frozen yogurt, came to be roughly $20, which isn’t bad for a coffee shop.

I would recommend this coffee shop to anyone who needs study time, or just wants some calm relaxation. The unique components combined with the classic components fit together to make a well rounded coffee shop for everyone. I would give the Illuminate Coffee Bar ⅘ stars. The vibe coming from the restaurant made me feel really comfortable, and the coffee and snacks were delicious. It was such a great study space and I can’t wait to go back again to study and get some coffee.

Illuminate Coffee Bar

12129 N FM 620 #102, Austin, TX 78750

P (512) 826-0396

Mon – Fri 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. | Sat – Sun 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

illuminatecoffeebar.com