My Experience Visiting A Capital One Cafe - One Mile at a Time

I recently visited a Capital One Cafe for the first time, and figured I'd share my thoughts. Maybe you've seen a Capital One Cafe before, and have wondered what exactly that is. Or maybe you've never heard about Capital One Cafes, in which case you may also be wondering why a bank has cafes.

In this post:

What are Capital One Cafes?

There are several dozen Capital One Cafes around the United States. Think of them as being somewhere between a coffee shop and bank. Capital One Cafes are described as community centers that are open to everyone, whether you just want a quiet place to work or relax, or whether you have questions about banking.

A few things to note:

• Capital One Cafes are full service coffee shops operated in conjunction with Peet's Coffee; so you can get coffee, sweet treats, sandwiches, etc.
• Capital One Cafes have "Cafe Ambassadors" who can answer any banking questions you might have, and you can expect that each location will have community events, and offer money & life programs, to help people be financially responsible
• Capital One Cafes all have ATMs, should you need to get cash
• Capital One Cafes all have community rooms, which are free meeting rooms available to non-profit, alumni, and student organizations

What's it like to visit a Capital One Cafe?

I was recently in West Palm Beach, Florida, and drove past a Capital One Cafe, so I figured I'd check it out, especially since I wanted to pick up a cold brew. The cafe had several tables outside.

Capital One Cafe exterior

I found the indoor space to be quite nice, nicer than your average Starbucks.

Capital One Cafe interior

In the front of the cafe was plenty of seating, including couches, chairs, and tables.

Capital One Cafe interior

Capital One Cafe interior

Deeper into the lounge was the part of the cafe that was more like a bank, as there was an ATM, as well as several Cafe Ambassadors. Note that there's no attempted sales pitch here, or anything. The Cafe Ambassadors are there if you want to talk to them, but they leave you alone otherwise, which I appreciate.

Capital One Cafe interior

There was a legitimate coffee shop in here, with a menu from Peet's Coffee.

Capital One Cafe Peet's Coffee

Capital One Cafe Peet's Coffee menu

Capital One Cafe Peet's Coffee selection

What's awesome is that Capital One credit and debit customers get 50% off any beverage. I paid for a cold brew with my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review), and that came out to just over $2. It's not often you can get a cold brew for that price nowadays!

Capital One Cafe card member discount

Capital One Cafe Peet's cold brew

I had my laptop with me, so sat for a bit and worked. There were a couple of other people who eventually showed up, but the Capital One Cafe was significantly quieter than any Starbucks I've been in.

Bottom line

I visited a Capital One Cafe for the first time, and was pleasantly surprised, and could see myself returning. While Capital One Cafes have banking services, what I appreciate is that these cafes are a quiet place to work from, and if you're a Capital One customer, you get 50% off drinks. A quiet place to work and ~$2 cold brew? That's tough to beat.

If you find yourself near a Capital One Cafe and are looking for a better alternative to Starbucks, then it's worth keeping Capital One Cafes on your radar.

It's unconventional for banks to have cafes open to the public, so I'm happy I had the chance to check this out. It's still not quite as great as the Capital One Lounge DFW, though…

If you've visited a Capital One Cafe, what was your experience like?

My Experience Visiting A Capital One Cafe - One Mile at a Time