Fuel Pump

"Delicious coffee and incredible service. Aaron and team are wonderfully hospitable and create a warm inviting environment. Definitely recommend! This place is great! I got a chai tea latte and blueberry muffin. Yum!"

"This is the first time I have ever fallen in love with a barista. I would marry that man in a heartbeat. Excellent coffee, fantastic service, quirky/charming owner. Made a very challenging drink and engaged in honest feedback. The food was equally fantastic. My one and only complaint is the space is a touch cozy but thats perfectly acceptable."

"The service here is EXTREMELY friendly and welcoming. A week after moving to Richmond and not knowing anyone yet, I wandered in here for a hot drink after getting caught in the rain because it was the closest coffee shop near me. I had no idea what to order, but the barista was so enthusiastic and happy to make recommendations. I had to come back the very next day because I loved my experience and it was just as great- friendly, bubbly, and excited to create any drink you could come up with. It's been a long time since I've seen a coffee shop serve drinks in real mugs instead of flimsy cardboard/paper cups; even for dine-in, it seems like places have stopped going the mug route, which is really sad. And which is why I was SO pleasantly surprised to receive such a beautifully presented drink! (I'm not sure if it's intentional, but both times I've been, the color of my mugs have matched the aesthetic of my order and I think that's a really fun touch, lol. A purple mug for a purple rain latte, and an orange mug for an apple cider latte!) One of my favorite things to do now is sit at the bar in front of the window, reading a book and watching people walk by with their dogs. If you're looking for a welcoming environment to relax in with a good drink and a healthy dose of cute animal watching, I totally recommend it!!"

"A few months back, I tried Fuel Pump Coffee for the first time, and I was hopeful because the barista was friendly and prompt. I was excited to order my favorite, a refreshing iced mocha latte. The barista did offer me my choice of milk, which was a first for me at the time, and I appreciated it. Now, Fuel Pump also offers wine by the glass, and I guess they were trying to lean into that “bar vibe,” but I didn’t really enjoy how poorly lit the place was. We also ordered a fresh cherry turnover, for which I apologize that I have no photo. My husband and I shared the cherry turnover, covered in sugar crystals, on the patio outside, under the afternoon sun. We did very much enjoy the ambiance on the patio, as it was spacious, and there were umbrellas shading us while we ate. The cherry turnover was scrumptious! I enjoyed my first few sips of my iced mocha latte, although I was surprised that it was steaming when it was handed to me. But it was cold throughout and hit me with a fairly robust flavor profile of bitterness, sweetness, and chocolate flavor. However, I noticed as I was enjoying my latte that the mocha had started to gather along the bottom of the cup, and swirling the drink didn’t seem to keep the chocolate mixed in properly to give me that consistent fudgy flavor I was craving. As you can see from the photos, there was a mess of chocolate leftover in my cup after I finished the latte. I was pretty disappointed, as I’ve tried several other mochas from area coffee shops and I’ve not had this experience of undissolved chocolate. I truly hope that Fuel Pump reconsiders its ingredients or preparation, whichever needs a tweak, to design a mocha latte with a stable consistency over time. However, with so many great options in the area, I’m not sure if I’ll chance another trip to see if that’s the case in the future."

"Update: Since I cannot give more stars I am going to add more pictures and double down on my first review. A few questions to ask yourself: - Do you want a place where everyone knows your name and they’re always glad you came? - Do you want to go where people know troubles are all the same? - Do you want to go where everyone knows your name? Look no further. This place is home. A very endearing representation of Richmond and what local community feels like. *************** This place brings the comfort of home in a cup. The owner Aaron is so personable and warm. Grateful to have been given the opportunity to try out a new spice syrup in my typical matcha now titled “Ball of Sunshine”. Great outside seating at a fun corner on Cary. Come here to hang with friends or get work done. Highly highly recommend. ✨"