Elixr - Philly, PA

Elixr is probably one of the only coffee shops that does rotating art well. Most coffee shops are trying to sell a particular print/painting/drawing, which in my opinion is both tacky and very hit or miss. Elixr instead has artists go to town on one wall making this one huge mural the focal point...

Blue Bottle - San Francisco, CA

For all who don't know, Blue Bottle did for coffee what the Beatles did for music. The name is synonymous with high brow coffee culture. (Along with Intelligentsia but that is for another post.) Blue Bottle specializes in pour over and syphon coffee. They also make espresso drinks and apparently...

Toby's Estate Coffee - Brooklyn, NY

The last time I was in Brooklyn, I was looking for a cozy place to work out of. Toby's Estate Coffee did not meet that need. However, this didn't effect my opinion of it greatly, because there are so many reasons to go to coffee shops. One thing I like about this shop is its design. I say that a lot,...

Black Tap - Charleston, SC

Black Tap stole my heart. Well, Charleston stole my heart and then Black Tap sealed the deal. This shop, owned by California natives, is a satellite of everything there is to love about West Coast coffee with the easy-going, historic feel of Charleston. The major thing Black Tap kills at is...

The Looney Bean - Bend, OR

The Looney Bean is one of my most memorable visits to any coffee shop. And the reason has almost nothing to do with the shop, and more to do with location. Situated with its backyard right on Mirror Pond, this Bend coffee shop has an almost euphoric view. Views like this are why Bend, OR...

Victrola - Seattle, WA

Victrola is a great coffee shop and roastery. It's very Seattle in a lot of ways. Their space is very usable. The bar positioning is perfect because it invites you in several steps. Even if there's a line, you'll still be safely inside, out of the rain. You can really see, above how...

FourtilFour - Scottsdale, AZ

This is one of the smallest coffee shops I've ever been in! That's it. Above. That's the whole place. I found this coffee shop was not for me. Firstly, it was not a sit-down place which renders almost all my other criteria moot. Secondly, I don't care about classic cars at all. Not at all....