I have been to Cartel twice now- the first time was rather pleasant on a quiet Saturday morning. The coffee was good- definitely different from your mainstream chain coffee shops. The atmosphere was comfortable and I was able to catch up with a friend and relax there.
The second time, I stopped in to purchase some coffee beans as gifts for my out of town relatives, thinking it would be a nice unique and local present. After choosing the type of coffee, my friend and I stood by the counter waiting to be acknowledged by the barista, who was chatting with a friend.
We waited patiently for a greeting or an offer to ring up the coffee. The barista did not acknowledge us or even look our way even after his friend sat down. He started cleaning the bar instead. Finally he asked what he could do for us. I handed him the 3 bags of coffee and he rang me up. He swiped my card, flipped the iPad for me to sign and turned his back on me. I signed and grabbed my card he had tucked into the iPad stand, calling out a thank you.
He did not respond and chose to ignore any semblance of a polite customer interaction.
Comparing my two experiences, I would say that your experience probably depends on when you stop in. There seem to be some really great reviews on this place. Unfortunately for me, my bad experience outweighed my good one and it's just not worth it for me to return and spend my time and money there.
I'm sad that I spend 40 dollars on some coffee beans that I'm rather embarrassed to give to my family, lest they stop in at this location when they are in town next and have a terrible customer service experience that I did.