Okay, so apparently this didn't become as regular of a feature as I thought it would be in February (or I've become more of a hermit since then), but after a long absence, I present to you: the Coffee House Junkie's Review (I added in the possessive form of Junkie, so that we'd clarify that the Junkie is reviewing, and we are not reviewing the Coffee House Junkie herself).
First, we should have another moment of silence for Magellan's. (This will end when I find a proper heir to the glory that was Magellan's.)
Coffee Shop: the new Atlantis Coffee, in the Avord Tower on Victoria Ave.
The atmosphere: It's set up as a sidewalk café; they extend this outdoor feeling to the inside part of the café, having a lot of glass walls.
Good for: Thanks to its outdoor tables and glass walls, this is a good place for people-watching. Bonus points for being downtown, and so there are interesting things to watch. My friend and I sat in a corner with glass walls on both sides of us, and so it wasn't necessarily the best for deep discussion: we kept being distracted by our surroundings. (We were counting the number of police cars, ghost cars, and police on bikes that passed us.) I wouldn't recommend doing homework here; it's more suited to having fun with friends. (I have heard that there is another room, where things are quieter, but I haven't seen it. This is just a preliminary review.)
The hours: Fantastic, as Atlantis hours tend to be (I think they're open until 11:00 pm every night).
Parking: This is the main drawback, because it's downtown. It's all parking meters. So, I only recommend going after 6:00 pm and on weekends (when parking is free downtown).
Good points: decent prices, and some neat coffees available. I had a Hazelnut Truffle Latte, which was very similar to my Nutellaccino, which shall be my doom. And the place looks so cool that it's exciting to go there. (Whenever we drove past, we would slow down and gush over how neat it looked. I'm glad I finally went.)
Negative points: I didn't see any mention of wireless, and my guess is that if there is wireless access, it's paid. But I'd have to check again. And again: parking.
Grade: A-, but I may be willing to bump it up to an A. It wouldn't be good for working on my computer, but I'd love to go back with a bunch of friends on some Friday night. I'd like to hear Meg's thoughts on this, because she's been there more than I have. (But she has different expectations than I have.)
My goals for reviewing after this, in order of priority: Abstractions (possibly my new favourite place in Regina), this new place near the old Magellans site that looks cool and is peach-coloured, 13th Ave. Coffee House, the original Atlantis Coffee (it has a different atmosphere), Roca Jacks (popular coffee house, but a place that I tend to avoid), and (just to be Canadian, and for comparison's sake) Tim Hortons. That's going to be quite a bit of coffee, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
5 comments:
I like Tim Horton's, but 2nd Cup was good too when I went there a few weeks ago. I'd imagine the same about Starbuck's.
Of course, I judge only on mood and pastries, as I dislike coffee.
Oh yeah: pasteries. The desserts were sort of middling. My brownie was okay, but there weren't any exciting options.
Hey Junkie;
So glad you didn't leave your grammer nerdiness at home.
Coincidentally, I ended up going to Atlantis today for my coffee break, and I actually do have a few thoughts.
First: the converted-bank-vault-meeting-room is beyond cool. So beyond cool, that I couldn't actually bring myself to go in, despite the girl's (sorry, barrista's) assurances that it's bolted open.
Second: Glass windows on cold days = cold sitting area. And I imagine, glass windows on hot days = hot sitting area. There really isn't much protection here.
Third: This place is so much like Starbucks it hurts. Trust me. Go to the Starbucks in West Van, or the one on Broadway in Vancouver, or the one on Commercial Drive in Vancouver, and they will look exactly like Atlantis. I've even heard a rumour that the guy that started Atlantis was a disgruntled former Starbucks worker. Not to mention that their logo has Poseidon rather than a mermaid. Can you say envious? I know you can.
Overall, for Regina I would give this place an A-, just like you. So far, the only A I would give out would go to both Java Expresses, despite their unfortunate loud noises. Come on, any place that sells Vancouver's Mario's Gelato is tops in my books.
P.S. I hope you meant the Roca Jack's at the University (which isn't open for the summer, as far as I know) or the Roca Jack's on 13th Ave, because I don't even want to think about you stepping foot into the Roca Jack's on Scarth Street. I shudder at the thought about what you could pick up there, and I don't mean coffee or men.
Luv you!
M.
Oh, I do mean the Scarth Street one, and I mean it entirely because it's so nasty. And it's so much poseur heaven.
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