Philly Coffee Crawl With Brian's Coffee Spot

A year ago coffee blogger Brian Williams from Brian Coffee Spot contacted me about producing an Android version of CoffeeGuru.  We met in New York City at Stumptown's Midtown location at the Ace Hotel during Brian's yearly coffee explorations in the US and Canada.  Even though I decided not to expand CoffeeGuru beyond the iPhone platform, we got along really well and discussed the possibility of him visiting Philadelphia the next time he came to the States.

For years hometown roaster La Colombe was pretty much the only game in town.  But in the last few years a large number of micro-roasters and third wave coffeehouses have opened, suddenly making Philadelphia a must visit destination for any coffee lover.  I mapped out 14 and sent it to Brian (click here to view my Google Map: My Coffee Crawl Map).  It didn't take too much cajoling and he added Philly to his trip.

Just before Brian's arrival, I contacted Philly food reporter Drew Lazor about his visit.  Drew has been writing about the local food scene since 2005 for City Paper, Philly.com and the Daily News.  I pitched a story idea about our city quickly becoming a must visit for serious coffee "crawlers" from around the world.  He thought it was a great idea and arranged to hang out with us at a few shops.

1. Friday Afternoon

Brian Williams Photographed By The Philly Press

I picked Brian up at the train station at 2:30 pm and dashed over to Ultimo on Catherine Street.  Drew had arranged for  a photographer to shoot us for the article.  Ultimo's roaster is Counter Culture and they are considered one of the best presenters of those beans.  In fact on the second floor resides Counter Culture's Philly training center.  Barista Abby prepared me a Tsheya Congo pour-over and Nueva Ilusta Espresso, both excellent.  Although we were a bit nervous when the photographer showed up, I think Brian felt like a coffee rock star given all the attention he received bearly an hour after his arrival.

Google Glass

During our Ultimo visit, a group of well dressed guys strolled into the shop, one of them sporting the new Google Glass.  I've never seen them in person and I must admit they look better than I expected!

Afternoon At Menagerie

Our next stop was one of my favorite coffeehouses, Menagerie in Old City.  They are the only shop that uses Dogwood from Minneapolis and Ceremony from Annapolis, two fantastic roasters.  Brian adored the space, commenting that this is the type of coffee shop that he could see spending time in every day.  The design is well thought out, utilizing reclaimed wood throughout (the tables in the back are made from old bowling alley lanes).  It is also right around the corner from Brian's hotel, a huge plus.

Body Graphics Tattoo

Since the day started really late, we decided to pause our crawl and head out to dinner.  I was able to score a reservation at one of Philly's best, Zahav an Israeli tapas restaurant like no other.

As we strolled back to the hotel, we passed Body Graphics Tattoo.  They were having an art opening and we checked it out.  While the skate board art on the walls were not that interesting, the woman sitting in the window made up for it.

2. Saturday

About six months before Brian's visit I tweeted a picture of one of my favorite city diners, Jany's.  As it turns out one of Brian's other passions is good diner food so I had to make it our breakfast stop.  The place is a classic.  It's been in business for over 40 years and Jany makes sure the quality remains high.  The coffee is changed every 30 minutes, the eggs are fresh, and the prices are cheap!  However, as we left Jany shared some sad news.  She's selling the place and expects to retire in about three months.  So if you're anywhere near this place make it a point to visit before it's too late.

Jany's Diner

I had tickets to Pennsylvania Ballet's Coppelia so Brian explored on his own.  We made plans to spend Sunday together checking out more coffeehouses and I left him to it.  He was able to visit Elixr, Plenty and La Colombe's Dilworth Plaza location and like you, I'll have to wait to read in his blog the adventures he experienced.

Next Week: Bohdi Coffee, Ox Coffee, One Shot Cafe and ReAnimator...and an interview by Drew Lazor

Links

CoffeeGuru features over 7,000 independent coffeehouses in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland. Download the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coffeeguru-indie-coffeehouses/id547969523?mt=8

Brian's Coffee Spot

Drew Lazor's article "Tea for two, coffee for the rest"

Ultimo Coffee

Menagerie Coffee

My Blog Post, Menagerie Coffee, A Breath Of Fresh Air

Jany's Diner