On the Waterloo-Geneva Road, where the commute between Seneca and Cayuga lake country runs through flat farmland and not much else, Bad Burro Coffee Company has become a genuinely essential pit stop. The concept is simple and ruthlessly efficient: a double drive-thru that keeps the line moving while the baristas inside crank out an enormous menu of handcrafted espresso drinks, flavored lattes, and blended smoothies. No sit-down seating, no Wi-Fi lounge, no pretense. You pull up, you order, you leave with something excellent in your cupholder. For a region where the nearest specialty coffee can feel like a half-hour detour, Bad Burro fills a void that locals clearly appreciate.

The smoothies are the real draw here, and the FLX Finest voters have confirmed it year after year, awarding Bad Burro Gold for Best Smoothies in both 2022 and 2025, with Silver nods in 2023 and 2024. These are built with real fruit and bold, layered flavors rather than the syrupy shortcuts you get at chain drive-thrus. The coffee program is no afterthought either, earning Gold for Best Coffee House in 2022 and 2023 and holding Silver in 2024 and 2025. That kind of consistency across four consecutive years of reader voting does not happen by accident.

Bad Burro proves you do not need exposed brick and single-origin pour-overs to build a loyal following. Sometimes you just need to nail the fundamentals, move fast, and give people something worth driving out of their way for. Waterloo is lucky to have it.