Malone Specialty Coffee

(3.75 stars)Malone Specialty Coffee operates a roastery/café at 14735 Bratton Lane and a trailer at 318 East Fifth Street. I stopped by the latter in search of coffee and a smoothie and found a decent selection of both (they also have bagels if you are so inclined). The helpful barista recommended a Southside Caramel, and I paired that with a Green Power smoothie. The caramel latte came with a dash of cinnamon, and it was quite good: sweet but not cloying. While the smoothie (spinach, pineapple, OJ, and protein) tasted good as well, it proved a bit chunky and difficult to drink (poor straw construction, perhaps?). This was neither the best coffee I had in Austin nor the worst, but at the very least, it's a convenient option for those near the Convention Center.

The wait was way too long and the coffee tastes burnt. Also too many homeless around the area that made me a bit uncomfortable standing alone by myself.

I've ordered twice and I am trying to give a fair rating for my two very different experiences.The first day that I ordered I got the Southside Caramel and the Austin Dream. The Southside Caramel was my favorite and was just so good! It was exactly what I think of when I want an iced coffee! The Austin Dream was richer so I liked it just a bit less but it was really good and I think is perfect for chocolate lovers. I definitely enjoyed it. This review would have been a 5 star review. I thought this would be a regular order for me. The second time I got the Southside Caramel again, the 4 Leaf Clover and the Rockstar bagel. The bagel was only just a bit of cream cheese, and I would have liked a second container. The 4 Leaf Clover was bitter and not very enjoyable or flavorful. Once it sat in my fridge for a few hours and became watered down it was more enjoyable.....so ya.....not good. And my Southside Caramel tasted burnt and was bitter and it tasted so awful that I could not save it with more ice/creamer/water/sugar or anything. Overall, I threw both coffees away without finishing either and ordered more coffee from another place. This was a 1 star experience.Since one experience was a 5 star and the other a 1 star I feel like 3 stars is fair, but neither experience was average.I feel like giving this place another shot is basically throwing my money away, but I will probably give it a third go to redeem themselves. But its a 50/50 if your coffee will taste like heaven or dirt with cilantro syrup.

Five stars for the kindest service and absolutely delectable coffee.Came by on a Saturday morning after a run and I didn't have a card on me- I thought I could pay with Apple Pay but unfortunately couldn't. Tried to download cash app to pay but didn't have any cards to input in for payment. The guy taking my order said "don't worry about it, we got you!". Ugh, as if that wasn't sweet enough- the coffee? Amazing. I got the caramel/cinnamon coffee from his recommendation and I can't wait to stop by here again if I'm ever back in Austin. I'm not sure how this taste was achieved- it tasted like a sweet horchata coffee. Definitely stop by! But bring your credit card!! This place deserves the world!

Grabbed an iced vanilla latte with sugar free syrup. Super great coffee and very fast service! Cute little coffee truck.

TLDR: a decent coffee truck giving interesting sweet coffee drinks, stuck amongst stiff competition It seems like there's coffee almost everywhere in downtown Austin which is great if you like exploring new places but the competition is harder and it makes sticking out difficult.Malones is a nice truck with a nice location. I'm sure you've seen the truck if you've been through downtown Austin. The menu features some more creative beverages. If you're going to go with one of the signature lattes note the amount of espresso they use and it seems to be a shot more than what I'm used to. I ordered my latte and it came out in a timely manner. It wasn't particularly crowded when I went on a Friday afternoon. It's a nice spot, not a place I would go regularly but it will remain in my rotation especially when my sweet tooth comes calling.Austin Dream Signature Latte:Ordered a medium iced. I didn't get much vanilla but the dark chocolate really sang through. The first thing that hits is the sweetness of the drink. It would be nice if they turned down the syrup a little so I could taste a little bit of espresso. Despite two shots being included I couldn't really taste it. 7/10.

Friendly barista who even dressed for Halloween theme! Hot Latte was nice and frothy and made to order- was more room temp tho. Willing to give it another try because friendly and convenient.

Calisti is awesome! Packed house but she served us all on this busy morning. I ordered the mocha and I seriously cannot wait!

While I enjoyed my coffee, the turkey pesto cheese croissant was a let down. The turkey looked and tasted like your worst prepacked grocery store deli meat and the pesto had a shocking lack of flavor.

I forget the name of the kind barista but she was a delight to talk to and accommodating and attentive to the line. I tried an iced Austin Dream drink which was very sweet at first but as the ice melted and i swirled became perfect. Look for the food truck right on the corner of 5th and congress.