Richard P.
Yelp
Today was not my first visit to Monon Coffee Company, though I'll confess that Broad Ripple's atrocious parking situation tends to keep me away from the area with the exception of non-metered Sundays.
I mean, c'mon. Broad Ripple's already pretentiously overpriced. I have to pay for parking now, too? While in most ways I've been fond of former Mayor Greg Ballard, I'll stand by my opinion that Ballard pretty much gutted the soul of Broad Ripple Village for the sake of a few bucks. Now, instead of a village you get hipster vendors and bored youth graffiti woven together into shops that are occasionally awesome, occasionally godawful and occasionally just the kind of shops that make you go "No, really. Who the heck actually buys this stuff?"
Monon Coffee Company fits nicely within the "hipster" vibe, a solid purveyor of indie brews and Rene's Bakery baked goods (including health-conscious and gluten free options) all decked out in a grunge meets steampunk meets just plain ole' funky decor. There's affordable local artwork on the walls, another small section along the wall for packaged coffees and other items for sale, and a unisex bathroom so incredibly funky, and I'm not talking quality funk like George Clinton, that you'll swear you've taken an underground tunnel and landed in my own funky ole' commode.
Boy, I wish I was kidding.
They also serve up smoothies and they have some tea options, both hot and cold, so it's hard to picture anyone arriving at the order counter and not finding a way to leave happy.
Located on Westfield Boulevard, Monon Coffee Company is, much like many businesses in the Broad Ripple area, not exactly stellar when it comes to wheelchair access. The good news is that there is an accessible metered spot one door down, a fairly decent but worn curb cut, and Monon itself doesn't have a step to get into it and is on one floor.
The bad news? They have this old wooden door that opens inward and feels about as sticky as the aforementioned bathroom.
Admit it, you visualized it.
Here's the thing about hipsters, at least in my experience. They aren't exactly the most helpful bunch of folks. Oh sure, they'll fight like heck for your rights. They'll just look at you like "I'm reading a book and when I've finished my reading I MAY get out of my comfortable seat to help you with the door." Before you start getting all defensive, since we known darn well that Yelp is filled to the brim with opinionated hipsters, this is not an absolute statement. I know perfectly groovy, fine and hospitable hipsters. I've just never encountered them at Monon Coffee Company, though that could be because the tables/chairs where you can sit and enjoy your brew/baked goods are so tightly organized that you start to feel like you've stumbled into a filming of the next "Human Centipede" film.
As a wheelchair user, I'd be hard-pressed to find a decent way to really relax in the funky yet claustrophobic setting.
There are good things, of course, about Monon Coffee Company. They start with the employees, who've never been less than helpful and today were patient, funny and hospitable. I ordered a 20 oz. iced coffee with cream ($1.99) and I was impressed that the male employee immediately stopped paying attention to the attractive female he'd been talking to (she was cute) and gave me his full attention.
In case you're wondering, I'm nowhere near as cute.
As I was leaving, some metal part fell off the door - I think it may have been from the mail slot, though I never did quite figure it out. That's about par for the course in this ultra-casual but still quite good local coffeeshop. Monon Coffeeshop has its own reputation for supporting local artists and businesses, always a great thing, and has definitely more than held its own despite being only a block or two away from a Starbucks.
Monon Coffee Company is never going to be one of my favorite coffee spots in Indy, though it's also not a spot I'll be hesitant to visit when I'm in the neighborhood.