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I was looking for a cup of coffee in the afternoon, and was relieved to find “America’s Cup” coffee shop, in plenty of time before they were due to close–it was 3:35 pm and they were closing at 4 pm, so almost half an hour from closing. I asked the girl behind the counter for coffee, and she just shrugged and said their coffee was all out, and it was too late to make any more. She pointed over at the empty coffee maker, and it was not even a large commercial device, in was just a cheap, 10-cup Mr. Coffee style drip machine. I pleaded, “But you’re a coffee shop!!”. “Too late, I’d have to make a pot, then I’d have to clean out the coffee maker again.”, she replied. Wow, okay. (Fortunately, I headed a couple doors down to Nicki’s restaurant for good coffee good service.) A morning shortly after that, since it was the only coffee shop within literally a mile and I was stuck on the dock, I grudgingly went back there to get my morning brew. The guy behind the counter (owner, I believe) said that he was just about to make a fresh pot. Okay, great! I thought, fresh coffee, five minutes, no problem! I was stunned when within just one minute he already handed me my large coffee, and I glanced over at the Mr. Coffee, and sure enough, it was still percolating through. He had poured for me the very first amount that had dripped through, so what he handed me basically was a 16 ounce expresso which was totally undrinkable (and I like strong coffee) and he also ruined the rest of the pot since most of the flavor (and caffeine) are extracted in the first half of the extraction, leaving the second half of the pot as a weak, pale brown water with little flavor (or caffeine) for the next customer. The name implies that this is a coffee shop, but it is not. Morning or afternoon, coffee or not, it does come with an attitude.

Equator Coffee Co – Menu with Prices – 134 Grimes St # 3, Eugene

Have been buying Equator coffee since I discovered it at a coffee shop in Portland 8 years ago. Now that I live even further away, I always order their coffee on-line. Guatemala is our main favorite but their Espresso blend is great too, even though I typically favor a medium roast. And their decaf has great flavor for moments when the caffeine buzz gets too much. Always use an Aero Press and you should ask Greg about those… but my Italian coffee maker does well too. A great place and great people! Get yer beans here!

Taâ??bogo Cafe/ Cincinnati Cars and Coffee – Menu with Prices – 2726 Riverside Dr, Cincinnati

Ta’Bogo Cafe is fabulous! It is located in the old “Fuel Coffee Supply” on Riverside Drive. Alex, the owner, has recently opened the shop, and the coffee is superb! I highly recommend his Dulce de Leche, hot or iced – both are delicious, and the prices are very, very reasonable for the very special, hand-made drinks a “made with extra love,” as Alex told me this morning. There are also fresh cupcakes, cookies, and a special “cake of the week”, all home-made. Alex has also expanded the hours of the former shop – Fuel Supply was only open in the mornings and closed in the early afternoon, but Ta’bogo is open from 7am-7pm Monday thru Friday (for anyone on the east side who might need a caffeine fix on their afternoon/evening commute from downtown!)

El Cafecito – Menu with Prices – 1852 Polk St, Hollywood

El Cafecito is a hidden gem worth finding in Hollywood. Tucked away on Polk St off Young Circle, it reminds me of a cross between the small family owned Cuban cafes I used to eat at in Hialeah back in the early 80s and today private coffee shops. Service was fast and easy as I came in for a caffeine fix late morning. I was warmly welcomed as I walked in. I wanted a colada, late cup of cafe Cuban. The woman behind the counter asked if I wanted regular sugar, brown sugar, or Stevia. I choose the brown sugar, but only half a serving. She asked if there was anything else I’d like, but I was only planning on my coffee. I will definitely come back in the future to eat as well. Check out their menu on my pictures. I loved that El Cafecito had a fresh feel about it inside. Definitely the kind of place you can meet or bring someone personally or professionally and have a conversation!

Sommelier’s Roast – Menu with Prices – 3700 Glenwood Ave suite 150, Raleigh

Recreational Caffeine as I like to say when I’m quoting myself… “Recreational Caffeine” Messer K. Specialities Baby Please as LUI Marco would say… A Sommelier could have pairing skills for Roasting, Grinding, Brewing and hey, this is Glennwood Ave. where just about anything is possible, and on a Monday Morning on a Day like Today, maybe even more so! Hey, In a place like this you can HobKnobbb with Bôôôôöb from Accounting, he’s here, you might get some great stock tips, hear about some Hot ETFs, or Or OR maybe even make a Friend, comma, comma, no period So how’s the Coffee? The Service is very Friendly, Polite and Patient and that is what I need! How are the Pastries? And a Friend, I need a Friend! Location I’m going to say this is the Best Coffee Shop in the Neighborhood and Crabtree to me is the Neighborhood So Really How is the Coffee??? Are you a Recreational Caffeine Enthusiast like me? Do you like Espionage Movies? Chinese Checkers for two and an hour to enjoy your taste of Coffee and a bite of whatever else You ordered ? Closed on Sunday like Chicfila

Red Door Coffee – Menu with Prices – 111 Minna St, San Francisco

Our daycare backup options fell through at the last minute so I watched my son for the day and wanted to take him into the city for the morning and afternoon. We went to Red Door Coffee, a place that I used to frequent quite often for both coffee in the morning and afternoon and drinks in the evening. However, this last time I went there I was rudely KICKED OUT with my 2 year old son at 845am while having coffee and while my son was mid-bite in his salted caramel donut (which is terrible and sticky, btw). I was confronted by someone claiming to be the manager that children were not allowed in the coffee shop, because the art gallery is 21 and over. AGAIN, this was 845am in the morning and everyone was peacefully drinking their coffee or eating whatever pastry they ordered. I asked him “are you serious? it’s 845am” and also “who is telling us to leave?” he claimed it was the Owners of the place. Everyone started looking at us, what I hope was in shock, that an asshole was kicking out a father and toddler from having coffee and a donut in the morning. I am hoping that this was just a lapse in this inexperienced manager’s judgment and not something worst like being racist, which also crossed my mind. I tried calling into the establishment a few times and no-one picked up, and only got voicemail, but I hope they see this review and re-think how they approach this next time. I know for sure that I certainly won’t be going here anymore as their COFFEE SHOP is clearly not kid welcoming. PS – I was trying to snap a photo of my son eating his donut, but actually caught him looking at the guy instead as he wouldn’t even let him finish his bite of the shitty donut before asking us to leave.

Equal Minded Cafe & Event Center – Menu with Prices – 4327 Troost Ave, Kansas City

I love to discover new, local family owned spots. This place was a prime example. I chatted with the barista, sandwich maker extraordinaire m, and owner Dontavious about sports and whatnot. He was very friendly and courteous. Most everything on the menu looked great. He made a couple suggestions, but alas I turned to a beloved reuben sandwich. It had the perfect ratio meat to kraut to Swiss cheese to thousand Island to toasty crunchy Rye bread. Even the organic Broadway drip coffee exceeded my expectations for a late afternoon pick me up I was seeking. I enjoyed thoroughly yet casually sipping my coffee and having my half a reuben (which is nice you have the option of half vs whole) while relaxing in the cozy environment. This place does good work here and they care about the experience of their customers. Places like this are few and far between and deserve folks to think outside the Starbucks box. I’m glad I found this place on yelp and wanted others to know that it’s a great spot if you’re looking for a casual bite and some great coffee drinks and or tea and smoothies…Which I will be trying in the near future!!

Hola Cafe Dallas – Menu with Prices – 416 N Tyler St, Dallas

This adorable, modern coffee shop is the perfect place to spend a slow morning or afternoon. The shop itself is not very big at all, but it is beautiful, minimalistic and chic. I ordered their regular iced latte and my friend ordered their house coffee. I’ll say I’m really impressed!! Their coffee is delicious. Although, there isn’t a lot of seating at all inside the shop. It would be hard to bring a group of friends here. It’s sad that this little spot is so far from where I live. But if I’m ever in the area again, I would come back to try their matcha drink!

Howlin’ Hounds Coffee – Menu with Prices – 712 S 16th St, Omaha

I stopped by here earlier today with my wife for my morning coffee. We were headed into Omaha for the afternoon and so I had my wife pick a coffee shop in town on Yelp. She ended up choosing Howling hounds and so we put it into the GPS and headed over. Whenever we walked in we were greeted by the barista and then told it would take a little while because the five girls sitting at the bar hadn’t ordered yet. It did take a little while before he got to us and he was certainly a talkative guy. They asked him about some stickers behind the counter and he launched into a respectful but still political talk. In between that and getting the drinks he also took the time to talk to my wife and myself, asking where we were from and other questions. I ultimately did ask him which brewery we should go to in Omaha and found his recommendation to be good. In any case on this day I decided to order a latte. While he was talking to the girls I heard him mention that all of his drinks had 3 shots and that he sourced his coffee from a place near Ithaca, NY. My drink was done pretty quickly and was handed over to me. It ended up tasting pretty good with the coffee tasting rich and the milk taking off any edge that it would have had. The bottom line for me is that I would stop by here again in the future. Our barista was certainly a friendly and interesting guy and the coffee was pretty good too.

Coffee by Kofi – Menu with Prices – 1933 South Broadway, Lobby, Los Angeles

Do I buy coffee from Kofi approximately five times per week? Yes. Do I sometimes race over at 3:25 in order to buy another coffee before the shop is closed for the day? Sure. Have I been known to try to bribe my coworkers by buying them Kofi’s specialty drinks? Maybe. Would I buy my daily caffeine from Coffee by Kofi even if it wasn’t so convenient for me? Absolutely. Delicious fresh-brewed coffee, a great menu of handcrafted drinks, and a pretty varied selection of pastries and prepackaged salads: Coffee by Kofi has just about everything you want from your coffee shop. All that PLUS incredibly kind and friendly service? It’s truly a joy to visit Kofi.

Espresso! Coffee Bar – Menu with Prices – 1201 N Market St, Wilmington

Espresso is located in a business building and serves all your caffeine needs and smoothies too if you are have a sweet tooth that day. Their decorations are quite interesting in that most of the paintings are based on candy bars! The service has always been good and the prices are good for the location that we are at. I usually opt for the red eye (espresso shot in coffee) when I am looking for a boost during the day. One morning the staff were handing out samples for both the Kenyan and Dominican Republic coffee. I tried and the DR coffee with my coworker who had just moved from Australia. He mentioned that it was one of the best drip coffees that he has had since moving to the states, and he is in New York now! This has definitely turned into our daily caffeine routine and will continue to be given its convenient location and good coffee.

Maleko Coffee and Pastries – Menu with Prices – 444 Niu St Ste 106, Honolulu

A friend of mine told me about how she fell in love with their malasadas when she tried them at a Farmers Market, but they had a store location where you can get them fresh along with your coffee, so I paid them a visit today. Very glad I did. I was very impressed with the overall quality of what they call a malasada but is more like a beignet in my book. One nice thing about going to the shop location to get their malasadas or again for me, beignets is that they fill them with the filling upon ordering. It really adds to the freshness of them filled doughnut. They had a number of other freshly made pastries to select from as well that looked equally as good and fresh. You can really tell they are made with care and perfection. They do have an espresso machine, so you can get a cup of your favorite classic coffee drink as well. Their is limited seating, so it is a mostly a to go place. There is also fresh made pizza as well, but I think I came to early for that and didn’t see any to critique. This place is not easy to spot from the street, so you have to hunt a bit to find it. It is also closed by noon, so it is strictly a morning place for your morning pastry and brew. They do setup at the Waikiki Farmer’s Market on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so you can find them their in the late afternoon till early evening. Check them out, you won’t be disappointed.

Sunergos Coffee – Menu with Prices – 1647 Norris Pl, Louisville

My first time at Sunergos Coffee! After a relaxing yoga session an iced coffee sounded great. I wasn’t sure what to expect for parking but Sunergos has a small parking lot and the street offered much more. The shop had its garbage doors opened to show everyone sitting inside. A few tables and chairs offered a 70’s vibe and picnic tables sat next to the building to provide more seating. I also noticed a high top ledge next to the door where a gentleman stood working on his laptop. The staff was very friendly and took my order right away. I waited only a few minutes to get my iced latte. One shot of vanilla was included at no charge. With tip, the large was slightly under $6. Overall it was okay. It didn’t have a strong coffee or vanilla flavor which made it “meh” compared to other coffee shops. I drink coffee for the flavor as much as the caffeine punch so if I revisit I would try another drink. Sunergos has a great vibe from the open doors to the music and vintage furniture. I enjoyed cracking open a book and browsing my phone. This would be a decent spot to sit with a friend but the tables are fairly close so don’t come and expect privacy. Besides the drink menu they offer a small menu of food. This is also a dog friendly shop with dog bones on the counter.