Downtown shop poll results
We forgot to post this when it appeared in April. Downtown Boulder Magazine posted a poll (page 37 of the pdf) about the best downtown coffee shop (presumably from this list of 18 shops). (We posted during the poll’s run).
Here are the results (actual screenshot from the magazine pdf is below the fold, but we had the full results emailed to us), and I have to say I’m scratching my head on a couple of these:
1. The Cup (18%)
2. The Unseen Bean (15%)
3. Laughing Goat (10%)
4. Great Awakening (8%)
5. Tee and Cakes (7.5%)
6. Amante (7%)
7. Trident (6%)
I’m good with the top-3, but Great Awakening? Are you kidding? And Saxy’s or Sidney’s didn’t make the list? And while I like Tee and Cakes, Spruce Confections is roughly 346 times better. One of three explanations are possible: 1) all of 14 people responded; 2) Readers of Downtown Boulder mag are not representative of actual coffee shop denizens; 3) ballot-box stuffing. Either way, more grist for the mill that public polls like this are next to useless, which is exactly what one of our commenters noted on the post announcing the poll.
New Smiling Faces, Same Great Place
As noted in a previous blog, Sidney’s Coffee Shop recently changed hands. Matt and Heidi are at the helm now, and while we’ll certainly miss Trish, we’re stoked to support the passionate new owners. Whether you’ve experienced it firsthand or read about it here, Sidney’s has some of the most exceptional service in all of Boulder’s coffee houses. We also thoroughly enjoy their coffee (Conscious Coffee) and applaud their dedication, care and pursuit of consistently excellent coffee. And their food options, which I’ve just begun to sample, is top notch. Split pea curry soup (vegan and gluten free) is phenomenal. Whether you’re a regular or not, it’s time to check out one of Boulder’s longest running coffee houses and give a nod to two great new owners.
Coffee: 9
Food: 8
Another shop on the blocks
The venerable Tea Spot has a sign up on the cash register announcing their demise. Sad. The location is a bit awkward. You’d think the ice rink plaza would get more foot traffic but it’s just enough out of the way to be relatively unvisited. The Tea Spot sign says that the owners are doing well in their wholesaling business so that’s where they’ll focus their efforts from here forward, the end of the lease being a good time for them to pull away from the retail shop. New owners could jump in on favorable lease terms (seems like business leases are going ridiculously cheap in Boulder right now) and an already-completed buildout.
So where does that leave the Boulder coffee shop scene?
- Amante for sale
- Playgrounds for sale (and closed until somebody buys it)
- Organica folded about 6-9 months ago
- Sidney’s just sold
- Tea Spot closing
Who is doing well? The obvious ones (meaning they’re always full):
- Amante NoBo
- Folsom St. Coffee
- Laughing Goat
- Logan’s (full all day though?)
- The Cup
- Saxy’s (but see recent post decrying the “success“)
- Starbucks (hahaha) … actually, only the Hill location seems to be consistently busy
- Vic’s (Ideal)
shop transactions
From the fact file and the rumor mill:
Sidney’s just changed hands, from Trish to wife-husband team Heidi and Matt.
Amante is up for sale. The rumor price we heard initially was $1.3M, but I’ve since heard something more like $700K. (Good luck with that. There aren’t that many wannabe euros here.)
Playgrounds (we never got around to posting a review) closed doors in late 2008, the owners trying to find somebody to buy it. The rumor price we’ve heard is absurdly low, so low I’m not even going to print it. The owners of the shop also owned the NoBo space and spent oodles on the build-out (obvious if you’ve been), and are offering to either sell the space or lease.
The Cup still hasn’t figured out customer service….
We’ve written before about those who own The Cup (category check) and who live behind the counter and who aren’t really people people and who should hire people to do all their public facing. We’ve made this recommendation before. Yes we have. But one of us was once again put off a few days ago by the … well, let’s just say aggressive, clueless and inappropriate … reaction (s)he got to an innocent, tepid question. The Cup serves great coffee (we mention Conscious Coffees so much it’s getting boring, but nobody around the Denver metro area comes close to touching their quality) and has knock-out baristas (that’s Mark for you — nobody serves his coffee without his intent training). But the surly, grumpy tude from the owners is gettin’ old.
Compare to Trish at Sidney’s, whom every coffee shop owner should be emulating. That girl oughta be running for office and kissin’ babies every day.
Cappy Hour!?
Heck yeah! From 3-5 Monday through Friday, Sidney’s has “cappy hour.” 1/2 price cappuccino, latte and macchiato. With great coffee (Conscious Coffee!), the BEST baristas in town and and a new and improved food menu, how can you go wrong? The only gripe – the working environment is non-existent. There is WiFi but with only a few small tables and a pretty steady noise level, not a lot of work gets done. No worries though, Sidney’s is still top of the heap in my book!
So next time you’re looking for your afternoon fix – I’m thinking Sidney’s.
and then an argument ensued….
there was a beer meeting last night at the West End. one thing led to another. coffee came up. Vic’s came up. this author stood her/his (this is an anon blog after all) ground and bashed Vic’s vociferously. it became a two-on-two, with two calling Vic’s coffee bitter and sour and nasty and the other two raving about it, saying it was by far the best in town. But see, those other two so-and-so’s don’t have login access (yet). So I get the last word. And the last word is that Conscious Coffees (served at The Cup and Sidney’s and The Kitchen and probably some other joints) makes the Vic’s-served Allegro taste like black play-doh. So there. But I’m happy to register publicly that Vic’s has it’s strong supporters. But I would be remiss in not reminding our loyal readers that Vic’s screwed up bad and we haven’t been back since. And the Ideal Vic’s doesn’t turn on the wireless until 11am to discourage people like, well, us!, from working there in the morning.
Despite the acrimony over Vic’s, consensus was among the four that Saxy’s wins the reader’s choice award. Maybe not the best coffee (according to the Vic’s lovers), but definitely all around the best place in town. Now if they’d only lower the prices a tidge….
I ♥ Sidney’s but not huckabees
Newly discovered. Been working from every damn Boulder coffeehaus for the past year and a half, but surprises still creep up. Sidney’s is downtown, hidden along the north side of Walnut between 13th and 14th, next to Wachovia. It is somehow lego’d in amongst some other oddly shaped law offices, making appearances deceiving: the place seems tiny at the bar but if you can find the hidden spiral staircase to the upstairs you get the treat of a totally unknown and empty (read: quiet) but bright, comfortable workspace.
As long as the rest of you don’t start camping out up here, this is going to become my new fave. Bonus is that they serve Conscious Coffees, currently of Breck but soon moving down to Boulder, according to my chance meeting with CC’s roaster this morning. Somebody elsewhere in this space bagged on Allegro (served at Vics). No such complaints about CC — it’s good stuff.
Walnut between 13th and 14th
