Rock Sound suggests that "Coffee and Cigarettes" takes several listens to unleash its "true charm", saying "'Coffee And Cigarettes' and the title track slowly uncurl themselves over the course of a few days" and that it feels like as if Jimmy Eat World never went away. Punknews.org praises the song for its "simple yet effective chorus" and that's more memorable than most songs on the album, but criticizes the synth in the song. Eric Magnuson of Rolling Stone also cited the song's chous in its review of Invented, describing it as "big, singalong" and able to "keep a teenager engaged for a couple of days." BBC Music's Mike Haydock underlines producer Mark Trombino's work, bringing "back the sparkle to songs that could have died on their backsides" as the track's "plain melody is driven forward by bringing the bass up high in the mix."
