Bollo’s Cafe & Bakery

¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend going before an 8am class — meet Sam on a lucky day and have a good laugh!

My husband and I were exploring the town and wanted some coffee.
Pros: cute location
Cons: awkward staff, and crammed seating. I order their blended chai and it was very watery, then I ordered a blended mocha and it was like bitter chocolate milk.
I think that they possibly have good ingredients but their recipes aren’t good. Their proportions are off and that’s why their blended drinks were very un appetizing. They might need more training.
If you do go here stick with brewed coffee.

environment is the best part–
very hipster, artsy, relaxing.
coffee and lattes are good.
service is decent–
the guys are great, but the lady with bangs always seems very annoyed
their scones are great (blackberry scone!!!)
environment *greater than sign* coffee

I’ve been coming to Bolo’s since it first opened. It never fails how long I’m away from Blacksburg that Ranae warmly greets me and remembers more about the past than I do. Then after I sit down and truly relax I run into several people I’ve known 20+ years. All in a true coffee shop vibe with great baked goods. You might say, «Shut up Dad!» but one day you’ll seek out these comforting memories and be thankful places like this exist. Because chain stores will abandon your ass. Remember, Punk is Dad!

Yummy and fresh pastries and bread. They also have gluten free options which is limited in Blacksburg.

This is a reasonable place to get a cup of coffee. The varieties skew a little dark, and they don’t taste as fresh as some of the best local coffee shops, but certainly I’d rather come here than, say, a Starbucks. Service is quick and courteous. You can get coffee ice cubes in an iced coffee, which is a nice touch. I got a chocolate chip cookie at their booth during Steppin’ Out, which was a little on the stale side.

Finally made it back to Bollo’s! Excellent prices and the best baked goods and coffee in Blacksburg.

Best baked goods in town and every out of towner I take there wants to go back when they visit.
Coffee drink quality depends on who’s working, but prices are better than the corporate coffee shops and it’s locally owned and operated.

Great little place downtown with good coffee and tea. Free Wi-​fi for paying customers and gluten free bakery options (muffins, brownies, cookies) on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Plus, they now accept credit cards and ApplePay (when the card machine wants to work for ApplePay; I crashed the card machine once with ApplePay) with a $ 5 min purchase. Downside– They shorten their hours in the afternoon. Hopefully its just a summer thing and the hours will extend again in the school year.

Reasonable prices unfriendly hole in the wall. The coffee was good and the pumpkin chocolate chip was a pleasant adventure. It best the rush of starbucks

Pretty cool college-​oriented coffee shop in Blacksburg not far from Virginia Tech’s campus. It’s small, however, and gets quite crowded. As in, small enough you have trouble perhaps weaving around seats patrons getting to your own table. However, they have a great selection of coffee drinks, pastries and other goodies (they had a very good pecan pie when I was there on a Saturday in November) and the staff is friendly. I am guessing since they have «bakery» in their name they do their own baking on-​site but whatever the case, their baked goods are impressive enough.

Some of the best-​tasting brewed coffee in SWVA.
Get your coffee at Bollos because Bollos’ brewed coffee tastes better than Starbucks. They offer multiple brewed options each day as well as a flavored coffee and hot teas if you’re a fan, which I am! I cannot comment on their espresso drinks as I always get the brewed.
Gluten Free Options: Tues/​Saturday: Although not a certified gluten free bakery, they offer some great GF brownies and cakes. Check out their website for details about their products.
SUNDAY FUNDAY — They have cinnamon rolls! As big as your man-​sized fist! Probably your whole days worth of calories, but totally worth it! Puts everyone else’s cinnamon rolls to shame. Seriously. Everyone’s.
Their pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are also very good. According to their website they use whole wheat flour which makes for a heartier, better product.
Why 5 Stars?
1. Coffee
2. Baked goods
3. Gluten Free Options
4. Staff have been friendly
5. Coffee is so good.
Yes, I realize I included coffee twice, but really I’m hard pressed to find a better brewed coffee and it’s my review so I can do what I want.
To sum up, go here to get delicious brewed coffee and baked goods. They are a block off the main street, but worth a little inconvenience with parking and walking is good for you.
***Bollos accepts cards with a $ 5 dollar minimum purchase***

Their Expresso and mocha drinks are excellent. I’ve only purchased their roasted coffee once and was underwhelmed. Place is usually jam packed with only one barista who also handles food orders. The lady they have now is fab, but overworked. The baked goods look great but I’ve never had them.

Great atmosphere, perfect place to spend an afternoon studying. The raspberry (my boyfriend would place an emphasis on the «p») bars were amazing and the coffee was perfect. The space is a little small, but don’t let that throw you.

Fantastic pastries, painfully hip atmosphere in terms of both service and clientele. Unfortunately, have not tried the coffee, but I have heard good things. I will report back once I’ve tried the coffee.
Seating seems limited, which makes me wonder about the outlet situation… but people do seem to be working productively, so that bodes well for the café. More-​than-​adequate college town coffee shop. Probably the best baked goods in town, far better than the baked offerings at Our Daily Bread and Mill Mountain.

My absolute favorite coffee shop for what are likely emotional reasons (but also practical ones). I grew up in a tiny town outside of Blacksburg and first came to Bollo’s about 12 years ago. It was the first time this now-​vegetarian had tried soy milk, met a gay person, and met people who are still my friends. This place is truly a community-​building place and has great baked goods! I still stop in here every time I drive through to visit my parents.
The space is small but I can almost always find a table.

–3.5 stars–
Bollo’s is a cute and cozy little coffee shop that is not too far of a walk from the Squires Student Center at Virginia Tech. I would occasionally stop by here between classes whenever I had a break and needed a place to unwind or just catch up on some reading. I always loved their coffee selection! They also bake their own pastries and cakes from scratch, and everything always smelled divine. I just wish the taste of the pastries consistently delivered. I think their buns and breakfast pastries were pretty good, but I remember not really caring for some of their cookies. Still a great find in the downtown Blacksburg area.

A blueberry filled muffin and a hot cup of chai on a rainy day. Enormous windows you can gaze out of and take notes about that novel you will eventually get around to writing. Great coffee selection. My only qualm was the angry barista all three times I went in there. She seems to be either the boss, or high up on the barista latter so nothing can really be done, but my advice to her is: Breathe. Man, you run a «sic» shop. Everything is «totes» great here. Just please don’t get snarky at a customer since not everyone knows it’s cash only, especially if it’s their first visit. Oh, and on their second visit do not ignore them to gripe to another employee about your life. And on their third visit don’t be a frowny-​frowny-​frown face.

This is one of those few establishments in town that makes me sorta not hate it here.
The coffee’s good, their lattes are decent, and it’s all local and fair trade, so you can be a good person by supporting them (as opposed to Starbucks or that weird evangelical Christian coffee shop in Christiansburg).
My only problem with them is that its way too small of a place– don’t expect to find a seat when you come here during the school year, or at the very least, expect to be stumbling over people while you get up for a refill. Otherwise, it’s the closest thing to a real coffee shop Blacksburg has, and I fully support it.

Bollos is not-​large-​enough room populated by hippies, grad students, hipsters, vegan baked goods, and ratty board games with lot’s and lot’s of bicycles parked outside.
It is a college town coffee shop. It is good at what it does. It’s crowded and atmospheric. The music playing at any given moment represents the tastes of the barista on duty. There is local art displayed on the (exposed brick) walls. You’ll get lectured on how to properly support small, local businesses if you try to pay with a credit card. It is full of regulars.
Here’s the secret: They have the best coffee in town. I am not kidding. The pastries are great. On top of all that, Bollos is also the best (indoor) people watching spot in Blacksburg.
How can you fit in? Question: Do you ride a fixie? No? You don’t know what a fixie is? It’s ok, we can work around it.
Here is what you do. Come in and order coffee. Keep coming back. Bring cash (no plastic accepted). You’ll get to know people. Eventually the barista will remember your order. You’ll figure out the best time of day to find a free seat. Better yet, you’ll make a friend who you can get to scoot his books over and let you share his precious table no matter when you arrive.
Insider tip: If you are a poor student and love lattes, order a café au lait. A suitable substitute for the latte you love, but the same price as a regular coffee.