Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with coffee and cafe

Good baked goods?

disillusioned — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:56:56 -0800

What great baked goods would make a coffee shop/cafe AMAZING for you? I've got a friend who has an opportunity to bake for a coffee shop that has an emphasis on local, organic, and sustainable stuff (as all good coffee shops should). They're wanting her to come up with some cool and off-the-beaten path baked goods that will work well in display cases and taste great. (And old standards as well!)

Thoughts and recipes and experiences with fun baked-goods selections at coffee places would be great. It'll be relatively limited space and smaller batches, so not a HUGE production, but in general, throw it at us!

Welcome to "_____," would you like a bagel with that?

firei — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:00:00 -0800

If you were opening a cafe that primarily served bagels (and their variations), pastries, coffee (and coffee related drinks), and tea, what would you call it? The wittier the better! (Non-witty are also welcome to apply.) I previously asked a question about opening a bagel store, primarily asking for tips, advice, and ideas. I received a few name recs.

However, I've since decided that I'd like the business to be part coffee shop, part-bagel store - so all of my names that directly pertained to bagels (and I had pages and pages of name riffing on pop culture, where the word bagel was inserted into popular quotes and movie titles) have become moot.

I know the hive mind is clever, and I want my coffee-shop/bagel-shop/thing to be clever, too!

(If it helps: we'll be located in Carmel, NY, in a plaza off of route 6. I don't know why it would. But then, I'm not very witty.)

High caffeine, low rent

Acheman — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 11:08:33 -0800

Where in London can I buy a filter coffee and read undisturbed for hours? Should be quiet, needn't be 'nice', Bow or London Bridge locations a bonus but all considered. When I lived in Cambridge, I used to go to the food court at The Grafton Centre, a slightly grotty shopping mall, to buy a cheap and nasty filter coffee from a takeaway pizza place which had used to be a Sbarro. The owners had painted over the Sbarro signage but retained many of the trimmings, presumably because it seemed like a waste of money to buy new ones. It wasn't heavily used - they had many, many more chairs than patrons - or heavily serviced, so I didn't feel bad about stretching my drink out while I read books on Lacan and Critical Theory, pencil in hand, headphones in. Sometimes when I got hungry I'd have a slice of pizza for about £1.50. I went there about three times a week after work, and always had the same thing, but they never acknowledged me as a regular or guessed my order before I gave it to them. It was heaven. I only stopped going when their coffee jug broke and they made it clear they had no immediate plans to replace it.

Now I'm living in London and haven't found anywhere comparable. I'd like to go somewhere where I can buy a cheap filter coffee - none of this latte bullshit - and make it last for hours without being made to feel bad. Somewhere with a lot of space and no atmosphere, where I can be invisible. Preferably somewhere within easy reach of home - Bow - or work - London Bridge - but I'd travel further afield if necessary. I travel to and from work via Canary Wharf, but all the coffee establishments there seem pricey, only serve latte bullshit, and have the kind of table service where they glare at you after half an hour. I'd prefer somewhere where you could die in your seat at 10 AM, have teenagers use you for chip target practice all day, and only be discovered late in the evening by a lady with a mop and a tragic backstory. That serves cheap filter coffee. Do I make myself plain?

Good spot for a blind date in SF near BART?

Anonymous — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:40:36 -0800

Good spot for a blind date in SF near BART? I have a semi-blind date on Saturday in SF. The idea is to meet for an afternoon cup of coffee. Here's what I'm hoping to find:
1. near BART.
2. not too hipster, a little hipster is okay, but a little on the quiet side.
3. decent coffee, food isn't so important.
4. not too crowded.
5. am I missing anything?

Best Coffee in the Square Mile?

vacapinta — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:06:40 -0800

Best Flat White in the City of London? Coffee-lovers, please advise! I'm a big fan of Monmouth and in fact I often get my morning coffee at their Covent Garden store before heading to work.

But I work in the City, not too far from Moorgate station and all there is here is the Starbucks/Costa chains! Are there any cafes around here worth checking out? Perhaps ones using Monmouth beans?

At the moment, I'm going to try out the Coffee guys on Whitecross but even if that works out, any other options?

Best places to write in Venice, CA?

np312 — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 12:26:52 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations on best places to write in Venice, CA. Mostly in the realm of coffee shops or writer-friendly cafes, libraries, or anything else that comes to mind. I've just moved to Venice, CA from Brooklyn to work on a major writing project for the next few months. I don't like to write from home, and would prefer to walk to places on Abbott Kinney or Main Street to spend a few hours writing on my laptop. (So outlets are necessary.)

Free Wifi is nice, but mostly I'm looking for places with a cool vibe, other writers working there too, etc, where you can park yourself for a few hours without having people giving you the hairy eyeball. (I always buy a lot of coffee, but I don't want to feel like I'm being timed.)

Any suggestions? Thanks to all!

Quiet places to work and drink in New York

godawful — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 13:44:08 -0800

New Yorkers: where are the best coffee shops, cafes, bars for a spot of work or a quiet read? Help me get the most out of my me-time, or at least minimize the pain of having to work out of office hours.

Desirables:

Friendly staff
Decent regulars
Not too cramped
Laptop friendly
A quiet atmosphere conducive to concentration

I quite like the sorts of places that have esoteric books on the wall and a bit of history in the decor. My own recommendations would be Vbar on Sullivan Street, and 71 Irving. Both of them are excellent establishments, but I'd love to hear about other great places for quiet Saturday afternoons and weekday evenings.

Many thanks in advance.