I remember back in the 2005, 2006 time period while I was working in an office building on Rittenhouse Square, co-workers invited me to join them on an afternoon coffee break to a place around the corner called La Colombe. Afternoon? Coffee break? La Colombe? It was the start of a new era in Philadelphia. La Colombe had been at this location since 1994, I had been working at this office location since 2004. 12 years of operations and I had never heard of La Colombe. Over the past three years, I've been to over fifty coffee roasters and local coffee shops in the greater Philadelphia area. I've gone from not knowing what a coffee shop is to the coffee shop being THE destination of my trips around town and the broader Philadelphia metropolitan area.
La Colombe's presence has paved the way for others to follow and I truly think Philadelphia has an impressive coffee scene as any city in the world. No exaggeration. High costs keep would be entrepreneurs from starting up in the NYCs, Los Angeles, and Chicagos and the smaller or widespread, suburban like populations temper the growth in cities like Pittsburgh, Denver, and Atlanta. You want proof that Philadelphia has a better coffee scene than NYC? You know what coffee they serve in independent NYC coffee shops? La Colombe. If its not La Colombe its either Counter Culture or Intellegentsia - this almost universally holds true in Manhattan and it isn't until you reach the Outer reaches of the Outer Boroughs will you start to see local, independent roasters. You want good coffee in New York? It was roasted in Philadelphia.
La Colombe's presence has paved the way for others to follow and I truly think Philadelphia has an impressive coffee scene as any city in the world. No exaggeration. High costs keep would be entrepreneurs from starting up in the NYCs, Los Angeles, and Chicagos and the smaller or widespread, suburban like populations temper the growth in cities like Pittsburgh, Denver, and Atlanta. You want proof that Philadelphia has a better coffee scene than NYC? You know what coffee they serve in independent NYC coffee shops? La Colombe. If its not La Colombe its either Counter Culture or Intellegentsia - this almost universally holds true in Manhattan and it isn't until you reach the Outer reaches of the Outer Boroughs will you start to see local, independent roasters. You want good coffee in New York? It was roasted in Philadelphia.
LA COLOMBE
130 South 19th Street - www.lacolombe.com
A Philadelphia landmark since 1994 and the standard bearer to which all other coffeeshops are / should be judged - when visiting another cafe I ask "is the Americano better than La Colombe's $2.50 version?" - it rarely is and I only continue my pursuit to see different parts of the city. La Colombe's beans are available in other Philly restaurants and throughout the country; the company has also expanded and opened other outlets in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, and DC, however, I'm always partial to the Rittenhouse Square location even if it has been recently remodeled.
130 South 19th Street - www.lacolombe.com
A Philadelphia landmark since 1994 and the standard bearer to which all other coffeeshops are / should be judged - when visiting another cafe I ask "is the Americano better than La Colombe's $2.50 version?" - it rarely is and I only continue my pursuit to see different parts of the city. La Colombe's beans are available in other Philly restaurants and throughout the country; the company has also expanded and opened other outlets in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, and DC, however, I'm always partial to the Rittenhouse Square location even if it has been recently remodeled.
The rest of the coffee shops are organized by neighborhood and I'm intentionally starting with my hometown neighborhood, Northwest Philadelphia, and Manayunk.
NORTHWEST PHILADELPHIA - Manayunk
In the five years I lived in Manayunk we went from one coffeeshop (not counting a Starbucks) to four coffeeshops (and the Starbucks left). Plus, special mention, a Persian teahouse. All good places.
Pilgrim Roasters
Volo Coffeehouse
Valerio Coffee Roasters
Artesano Coffee Shop
Safa
Roxborough - yeah, you know, a coffee shop is needed somewhere on Ridge, High Pointe cafe not withstanding.
East Falls
Vault and Vine
Founded Coffee & Pizza
Thunder Mug Cafe
Chestnut Hill
Chestnut Hill Coffee Co.
Mount Airy
Highpoint Cafe
Adelai Coffee House
Avenues Cafe (formerly Cafe Tata)
Germantown
Uncle Bobbie's
Ultimo Coffee
Germantown Espresso Bar
Brown Street Coffee
My opinion of Brown Street Coffee may be slightly skewed - I found a parking spot catty-corner from the cafe which immediately created a great first impression. Brown Street is one of the few Coffee shops in Philly serving Stumptown Coffee, who's bolder, less butter taste I prefer over La Colombe. There's counter seating against the two windowed walls, which is my most favorite feature to be found in coffeeshops. If there's no seating available at the counters there's also a communal table. Brown Street has a limited sandwich menu but one with a Vietnamese twist.
The Lucky Goat
Two blocks north of Brown Street coffee is The Lucky Goat. If you've ever wanted to do a taste test between Stumptown and La Colombe coffee, here's your chance. The Lucky Goat serves La Colombe in a slightly more cramped space than Brown Street and The Lucky Goat was more popular making the cramped space seem "crampier".
OCF Coffeehouse
If you want to pander to OCF's owner Ori C. Freibush you could say "What does OFC stand for, Operating Cash Flow?". As one of Philadelphia's top real estate developers, I'm sure that Freibush would appreciate the snarky compliment. The OCF Coffeehouse brand as expanded to other outposts throughout the city but the location on Fairmount is its busiest. More than a coffeeshop, OCF offers a full service menu and the hustle and bustle of wait staff provides excitement which you may or may not want depending upon the reason for your visit.
In the five years I lived in Manayunk we went from one coffeeshop (not counting a Starbucks) to four coffeeshops (and the Starbucks left). Plus, special mention, a Persian teahouse. All good places.
Pilgrim Roasters
Volo Coffeehouse
Valerio Coffee Roasters
Artesano Coffee Shop
Safa
Roxborough - yeah, you know, a coffee shop is needed somewhere on Ridge, High Pointe cafe not withstanding.
East Falls
Vault and Vine
Founded Coffee & Pizza
Thunder Mug Cafe
Chestnut Hill
Chestnut Hill Coffee Co.
Mount Airy
Highpoint Cafe
Adelai Coffee House
Avenues Cafe (formerly Cafe Tata)
Germantown
Uncle Bobbie's
Ultimo Coffee
Germantown Espresso Bar
Brown Street Coffee
My opinion of Brown Street Coffee may be slightly skewed - I found a parking spot catty-corner from the cafe which immediately created a great first impression. Brown Street is one of the few Coffee shops in Philly serving Stumptown Coffee, who's bolder, less butter taste I prefer over La Colombe. There's counter seating against the two windowed walls, which is my most favorite feature to be found in coffeeshops. If there's no seating available at the counters there's also a communal table. Brown Street has a limited sandwich menu but one with a Vietnamese twist.
The Lucky Goat
Two blocks north of Brown Street coffee is The Lucky Goat. If you've ever wanted to do a taste test between Stumptown and La Colombe coffee, here's your chance. The Lucky Goat serves La Colombe in a slightly more cramped space than Brown Street and The Lucky Goat was more popular making the cramped space seem "crampier".
OCF Coffeehouse
If you want to pander to OCF's owner Ori C. Freibush you could say "What does OFC stand for, Operating Cash Flow?". As one of Philadelphia's top real estate developers, I'm sure that Freibush would appreciate the snarky compliment. The OCF Coffeehouse brand as expanded to other outposts throughout the city but the location on Fairmount is its busiest. More than a coffeeshop, OCF offers a full service menu and the hustle and bustle of wait staff provides excitement which you may or may not want depending upon the reason for your visit.