As business and education become more digital, coffeehouses are now a prime location for employees and students alike to get work done. While warm and cozy cafes are obvious locales for studying, we have observed through our adventures a new style of coffee shop that’s trendy with working millennials. Bright coffeehouses with modern and minimalist…
Food & Drink
Coffee shops just outside the Macalester bubble
It’s easy to get trapped in the so-called “Macalester bubble.” We’ve all been there. Why leave campus when anything and everything a college student could need is a half mile away? It is difficult to muster up the courage to get out, especially when a city adventure can mean riding public transportation for the better…
Food & Drink
Quixotic Coffee offers warm soup, nitro brews and great atmosphere
Growing weary of the Macalester bubble, this week I set off to explore the neighboring bubble of St. Catherine University. I had heard rumors of Quixotic Coffee through the grapevine of fellow elite caffeine critiques in the 55105, and gosh darn it, it was high time I tried it for myself. I walked in and…
Food & Drink
T-Rex Cookie & Coffee Cafe: lattes and dinosaur-shaped cookies
Rating 4.5/5 Stars for exquisite creativity and childlike wonder, but coffee that also tasted like it was crafted with kids – and not caffeine – in mind! First off, I have to commend the T-Rex Cookie Cafe for coming up with what might be a foolproof marketing strategy! Dinosaurs + Giant Cookies = content customers…
Food & Drink
Kopplin’s Coffee: A little something for everyone
My experience at Kopplin’s Coffee can be described as nothing but joyful. Entering the cafe, you will be greeted by the bustling energy of young families basking in the Saturday morning sun. Throughout the shop, artists sketch quietly and small groups of friends catch up. Students breathe easily, now off campus and sufficiently caffeinated for…
Food & Drink
Ginkgo Coffeehouse: Chill local vibes, but a caffeine travesty
Are you looking for chill, down-to-earth local vibes? A location where you can find ice cream, mac and cheese and fair trade coffee all in one fell swoop? Look no further! Ginkgo coffeehouse offers everything you could want, need or aspire to want and need! This groovy coffee shop roasts its beans in our very…
Food & Drink
Café Bené: A space of warmth and soul-searching
4/5 stars for insulated sylvan dwelling space, and a cup of coffee that inspires introspection. Café Bené is located just off the 63 bus route, and provides the solace needed to accept the fact that it is nearly April and still not above 35 degrees. Feeling the chill, I came into the shop craving something…
Food & Drink
French Meadow: A close café for all Macalester students
3/5 stars for decent coffee, but bereft of charm and lack of atmosphere. This week, I didn’t want to travel far for my coffee column, but I did want to be somewhere warm after weeks of relentless winter. Thus I found myself wandering hopefully towards French Meadow Bakery & Café. Its name promised the warmth…
Food & Drink
The J&S Bean Factory: Midwestern gem with intriguing drinks
The J&S Bean Factory is a hidden gem nestled at the intersection of Randolph and Saratoga. Beautiful wood flooring, chairs and accents paired with floor to ceiling windows provide natural light, and a comfy cabin-like atmosphere out of the cold. Upon entering, it is noteworthy that local crafts are on display for sale, further contributing…
Food & Drink
Follow the Grinds: Vicinity Coffee is spacious, quirky, overrated
This Saturday, after spending most of spring break blissfully neglectful of my upcoming assignments, I decided to find a cozy coffee shop in which to at least attempt to get work done. My sister and I decided on the Lyndale Vicinity Coffee Bar, as we wanted to try somewhere new and were staying at our…