Passero’s Gourmet Coffee

I’ve been a customer of their Suburban Station location frequently (less frequently at their Wanamaker Building location), and have found that the consistently brew a great cup of coffee. The staff is always attentive and friendly, and I love the 2016 New Year’s advisories on their sandwich board — check out my photo. Passero’s is a bright spot in what is largely a drab and uninteresting regional train station.

The only advantage of getting something from this place is that it’s on my way from my train to work. I’ve had coffee and hot chocolate at different times of the year and every single time, it has been less than satisfying
I got the dark roast coffee and it was just okay. Not even close to perfection and they always make the coffee so hot that I have to wait at least 20 minutes to drink it
Then I got the hot chocolate a couple of times and both times, it was incredibly diluted. Not creamy, not sweet and definitely no chocolate flavor. It felt like water boiled with tootsie rolls with a spoonful of sugar, a little milk and boiled to a bazillion degree
Needless to say, I’ll be going back to DiBruno’s to get my coffee

The Americanos here blow the ones from Starbucks away! The varietal coffees are good, I buy the whole beans to make at home.

Love the coffee. However, the Suburban Station staff are really unfriendly. I get coffee there all the time, but am considering not going back because of their awful attitudes…

3.5 stars.
I came off of a redeye flight into Suburban station. I got the house blend and an oatmeal. That set me back a reasonable $ 4. In fact I thought the server had under charged me. The coffee was so-​so; the oatmeal tasted like it was from a Trader Joe’s (Starbucks still has the best oatmeal on the go.) I was reading some other reviews about how great Passero’s beans are, but you must have to order a special brew, and not the house blend, to feel the same way.
I sat at the under used coffee bar side which seems to be where regulars wait around until their brew is ready. There’s free Verizon wifi in the station at the moment probably as part of the advertising takeover in the station so i busted out my laptop and did some work before heading to the office. I’d come here again because of the laptop-​friendly seating and proximity to the toilets.
P. S. The water fountain nearby seems to attract all the homeless looking characters looking for hydration.

I take the train every morning from Suburban Station. A few times a week, I order a double espresso over ice from Passero’s and add my own milk. I like to control how much milk I put in my drink. Usually I just want a small amount of milk and baristas get «milk happy.» I have been ordering this drink form various coffee shop for about 6 years. Today, I got my first objection to my drink at Passero’s. The barista told me that I should not order this, that instead I should order an iced latte, because it’s essentially the same thing. I said to the barista — well, I have been ordering this for years, it’s my drink. Plus what I order is 2.15, and I can customize my drink myself, and a latte is 2.92. He replied, yes, that’s why I am discouraging you from ordering this because you’re using too much milk. A few objections to this. A. I’ve told you this is what I order from all other coffee shops, I’m not going to switch to an iced latte because this particular barista is upset about losing .77 on my drink. B. I felt incredibly duped. The whole interaction was beyond strange. Why would you tell your customer to order the exact same drink for more money?! Yes, the point of business is to make money, but it’s also about serving your customers. If you don’t want customers to add their own milk, don’t offer it. Even if you were losing money on my drink, which you’re not by the way because I’m paying a premium on the espresso & snacks I get, this interaction just lost me completely. I will never go back to Passero’s and I have already told my coworkers & friends who also take the train from Suburban about how strange and wrong this was. It really crossed a customer service line with me and I don’t think it’s reversible.

Passero’s Coffee Roasts THE PERFECT COFFEE!
I live in LA, and everyone who knows me knows I love coffee. Everyone who doesn’t know me also knows I love coffee. They can tell at a glance as I happily swig from my omnipresent travel mug all day every day from 6:30 A.M. until around 4:00 P.M.
For years I’ve been on a quest for the best coffee in the United States. Nothing official, just a deep personal belief that I deserve to enjoy the best damed cup of joe known to mankind. I do you know… and I think you do too.
Really, the tasteless or downright acrid swill being sold as coffee everywhere should not have to be ingested. But I digress.
Recently while in Philadelphia, my husband enjoyed such a delicious cup of coffee at Passero’s Coffee in Penn Center that he immediately asked the owner what the secret was. Turns out, the owner, Jeff Lincoln loves coffee as much as I do and after years of sourcing the very best beans he could find… he’s now undertaken to hand-​craft his own roasts and produce the ultimate coffee experience.
Hubby flew home with 3 different roasts and it was with great anticipation that I opened each of them and stuck my nose in the bags of bracingly fresh roasted beans. I was speechless. My family watched as was carried away in a sniffing, grinding and sipping frenzy. My 12-​year-​old was a big freaked out and poked my husband’s arm, «She’s kinda scary.»
First, Passero’s packaging is a revelation. On the side of the 100% recycled paper sack with a compostable liner to protect freshness, are helpful notes about the roast and beans. And even more shocking… they’re accurate!
The Ethiopian has a smooth lovely cherry-​ness that’s downright lush.
The Tanzanian Peaberry finishes with hints of divine dark chocolate and raspberry.
But the Kenya AB has just knocked my socks clean off. That’s what my hubby tasted in Philadelphia, and let me just say, if I wasn’t married to him, I’d marry this coffee.
Imagine a guy with a coffee stand in Philly being obsessed enough to artisanally roast his own coffee? Imagine that guy having a palate that can create blends that make you fall in love? I mean roasting great coffee has to be incredibly complex because most people with enough passion to buy a roaster just end up burning it, christening it ‘dark roast gourmet’ and calling it a success.
My experience with this Passero’s coffee makes me think of that movie where Juliette Binoche moves to town and unleashes everyone’s lifelong passions with chocolate. Forget Like Water for Chocolate. Like Water for Coffee!
Now why can’t we have that Philly coffee stand here in LA? What are the chances that this Jeff Lincoln would open a Passero’s oh, say on Pico Blvd?
Ivy

Usually good coffee and baristas have a hipper than thou edge. Yesterday’s server was just rude. Won’t be back.

People seem to like the coffee here, which I never get. So my review is solely about food and service, both of which have been disappointing the handful of times I’ve been here.
Food disappointments: oatmeal turns out to be generic ‘add water from Trader Joe’s which has a ton of added sugar’, soup is really salty, quinoa salad is healthy but with emphasis on ‘healthy’ and not on taste.
Servers are consistently either rude, or just seem to be unhappy.

The place is oddly rule-​driven. For example, I sometimes get a large soup which comes in a large coffee cup so they double cup it. Every time I’ve asked them not to double cup, there’s push back, telling me that it will be too hot (but it never is). Today I ordered lentil soup but was told there’s not enough for a large, so I could could get a medium. Upon further inspection, one of the other employees said that there was pretty much no more lentil soup. Fine, I went with minestrone.
So a minute later, as I am sitting at the counter eating my minestrone — which was pretty good (and with the second cup removed and no burns), a guy comes out of the back with, you guessed it, more lentil soup.
Here was the dialogue:
Me: Aw, is that lentil? That’s what I really wanted (since yesterday, btw), how long does it take to warm that up?
Him: About a minute.
Me: That’s what I wanted, couldn’t they have told me that?
Him: Well I’m the soup guy and they may not have felt comfortable making more. (Which consisted of him cutting open a bag and pouring it into the warming pot and then microwaving one for someone else.)
Me: But you were standing right there…
Crickets…
Thanks Passero’s

WOW the coffee here blew my mind. I got a cup of medium black coffee and it was brewed to perfection and just the way I like it, super strong. I was pleasantly surprised how amazing the coffee was, and for $ 2 well worth it. I came back here two more times and they have been consistent with the quality and have never let me down. As a coffee addict, the aroma oozing out of my cup was also a big factor of me going back for more. Well done Passero, well done! If you need a pick me up during the day this place is fantastic!

Coffee is pretty good, I’ll definitely give them that. They’re smoothies and soup are good too. But I gotta admit, for $ 9, soup and smoothie is pretty pricey! But I know they’re going for the health route — no sugar added smoothies and never frozen soup. I had the pasta e fagioli soup — really good but not sure it’s worth the $ 4 when I can’t get full off of it

Just recently started picking up train at Suburban rather than 30^th & stumbled (eyes wide shut due to lack of morning Joe) upon the quaint local business. Seems they offer a great selection of drinks & fare including salads and small bites but I was there for only one thing — My usually standard Starbucks gone local Vanilla Red Eye. Pleasantly greeted & cared for by the cashier. I noticed if you were a regular she had your drink ready in advance. Couldn’t ask for a better cup at a more reasonable price (3.50 as opposed to 5.50) red eye.
I’ll be back!

Great spot right where it needs to be. Good coffee and tea. Affordable, convenient. They take Level Up too. But not mind-​blowing. Wouldn’t ever go out of my way. But I guess that’s not the point.

Great coffee, even better staff ! I don’t go a day without stopping by. The pick up from the coffee and the friendly smiles keep me going for the rest of the day.

I love the lavender lemon cake at this Passeros. Thanks for having vegan desserts Passeros. Keep it up and I’ll keep coming.
The location is convenient for commuters and those of us who cross through Suburban Station to avoid a rainy, hot or cold day. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable about their products. And, I love love love the desserts and tea.

Passero’s morning (and 3 PM — 4 PM ish) crew is wonderful — they move the line quickly and get my order (which varies0 correct easch and every time.
I love the iced coffee, café au lait and teas here.
Such a world of difference here vs Charbucks.
I also love Old City Coffee — but Passero’s is right in Suburban station so I can stop there to (and from) work so easily.
Love it here!

Philly, alas, is not really a soup town. The Suburban Station Passero’s is my go-​to place for the occasional weekday lunch soup. They usually start with about six varieties, but if you wait, the popular ones go. The daily selection varies, well, daily, and usually includes some meat soups and some veggie soups. Among my favorites is the lentil beet soup. Some soups, naturally, are tastier than others, so you may need to try a few until you find ones you particularly like.
The soups come with tasty LeBus rolls (or you could, if you hate food, get some saltine crackers instead; you can also substitute fruit for a fee) and butter (on request).
Service is friendly, fast, and competent. The prices are comparable to the limited competition’s prices (about five bucks, depending on size; a little more for chilis).
These soups are not likely to rock your world, but they’re good and convenient enough for regular returns.

Outside of Old Nelson in 30^th Street dishing out a satisfactory cup of La Colombe, Passero’s hooks up the best train station cup of coffee hands down. Of course when it rivals the likes of Dunkin, Fourbucks, and Saxby’s as competitors that does only say so much at times. But it does help that Passero’s provides a good variety, tempting baked goods, service with a smile, and a friendly hipster vibe.
The best deal is by far their flavor and coffee of the day. But they do have a good share of lattes and other drinks to go with the change of the seasons. Really the only flaw to (at least this) Passero’s by my book is that its severely limited by being a kiosk in a train station as random and disjointed as Suburban is. Because with the exception of the atmosphere of its environment, and as far as being able to chill and get some work done coffeehouse style from within, Passero’s delivers every key thing that I look for when getting my cup of Joe better than most other coffeehouses do.

Now that I work right by Suburban Station I’ve had the chance to get coffee here several times. I gotta say, I’m a fan. They move the (sometimes very long) line pretty quick and the coffee is good and decently priced. They offer a flavor of the day you can get as well. I haven’t had any of their specialty drinks so I can’t speak to them but I’m digging their java drip.
+1 star because they donate 5% of their profits to charities, very cool!
The hipster staff is pretty friendly.