Teresa M.
Yelp
Coffee loving couple turned first time visitors - stopping in to check out this listing of the top 10 coolest coffee shops in North Dakota.
Summary: Warm and welcoming decor. Overcrowded. A place for large groups of family generations to loiter. Expect to hear politics, religion, and crying children. Not modern, no place to plug in to work/study. This is a place to unplug. Huge drink selection - you don't have to be creative- they do flavor combos for you. Runs a bit sweet.
Upon entering, it was clear that this isn't a place people run in for coffee and then leave. It's a place where large families from infant to elderly lounge about for long periods of time to chat, without food or drink to be seen. They also appear to come in waves. Example: the table next to us had an elderly couple already sipping coffee when we came in. They finished and tossed the cups, then returned to their seats. About 10min later a younger couple with a baby showed up and joined them, without ordering anything. 5 people occupying the table, none of them having do much as an empty cup. 2 areas set up in living room style reflected the same scene - 6 couches full of people talking with neither food nor drinks... that makes for a very full establishment with no patronage. It was like peering into a neighbors window after a family dinner. Strange and uncomfortable.
The volume of voices can be overwhelming. You hear multiple conversations. The music is playing so quietly that you may not even notice it. Had it not been for a startling noise resulting in a collective gasp creating a moment of silence, I'd never have known there was a whisper of music. Seating is also bulky, which puts you close to your neighbor. The colors are warm and welcoming.
While the colors are welcoming, the staff are not. They weren't rude, but were cold and stand-offish. We browsed the drink menus on the counter, very extensive. Since we were first timers we waved a few people around. At last we selected and ordered. I ordered the :choc-orange:. The gal just stared. I said it a different way "choco-orange?" Blank look. "Maybe I'm saying it wrong?" Gal picks up the spin wheel of flavors and looks at it. (Still not a word since my first attempt at ordering) I say "chocolate and orange" - she looks up and back down without a word or gesture. I go get the menu I was looking at, walk back over and point to what I ordered. "Chocorange" with the description "chocolate and mandarin orange" - the hubs orders honey almond - she taps away and tells me $9.25. I pay, she walks away.
Not the best reception or service.
Drinks come up hot. I can taste chocolate and orange in mine. No burnt or bitter flavors. The hubs likes his. I tried it and I'd certainly say that the honey flavor was front and center. Drinks were a bit sweeter than I'm used to. Flavor combinations worked well together. [From people who drink undiluted espressos with citrus zest]
