Fact: I love coffee. And wherever I go, I seek out the best java around.
So when I ended up staying near New Haven, Connecticut for most of the summer, I made a point to check out all the local coffee joints. In doing so I became way more familiar with this city and its charm. So to kick off this post I’ll share some photos from my long walks around downtown, followed by my review of local coffee spots.
The most prominent institution in downtown New Haven is Yale University. You can feel the gravitas of history just walking though campus, as its stone and brick architecture conjure iconic New England ivy league and all the scholars who have trod these paths over time.
Statue of Nathan Hale:
I happened to pass through during a barbecue for a summer program — the thick smoke calls more attention to sunbeams.
The New Haven green:
Skyline from the New Haven green:
Okay, now let’s get down to the good stuff — welcome to Erica’s caffeine tour of New Haven.
This was the first coffee shop I visited, and while it’s a perfectly fine place, I’ve since found way better options. There are a handful of locations downtown and all will suffice to provide a coffee or tea fix.
This next spot is my absolute favorite of the whole bunch — it hits the trifecta of a fabulously designed interior space, lots of tables and outlets for working or studying, and unique coffee drinks (I recommend the gingersnap latte; the nutella one is nice too). If you’re going to stay for more than an hour or so they ask that you purchase a second drink or food item, but I stayed about two hours both times and they never hassled me to buy more.
Iced lattes come in fun mason jars:
Blue State Coffee has three locations in downtown New Haven — each one is a solid choice for coffee. Great java and atmosphere. I dig the numerous tables and outlets; even on a busy afternoon I had no trouble finding a spot to plug in and get work done.
I ordered my standard — a vanilla soy iced latte:
A few more New Haven photos as we move towards coffee spots around Chapel Street… this is the Yale University Art Gallery:
Just across the street is a lovely bookstore called Atticus; they also serve coffee and food. I didn’t order anything to eat / drink but I did purchase several awesomely designed cards for upcoming birthdays. (Tidbit about myself: I love to find the perfect card for people. This extends to postcards, too.)
I super dig this bookstore. I was in here another time (not the day I took these photos) and it started pouring outside — so I sat and read for 45 minutes. So relaxing.
Just a few steps away from Atticus is the Yale Repertory Theatre.
With all of the theater I see, can you believe I have yet to catch a show here? But I have my eye on the world premiere of Paula Vogel’s new play Indecent, directed by Rebecca Taichman.
And just beyond Yale Rep is The Book Trader Cafe, a place I’ve popped into before but have yet to order a meal or beverage.
The indoor seating area is just lovely. If I hadn’t been in a rush on this particular day I would’ve grabbed a latte and a title from their PLAYS section.
Continuing along Chapel Street is Jojo’s Tea & Coffee — I walked in intending to hang out and edit photos over coffee only to find out that they don’t offer non-dairy milk (like soy or almond). What a bummer for someone with a dairy allergy like me! I left disappointed and stumbled across a new place called B! Natural (more on them below). But before walking out I snapped a few photos of Jojo’s.
While walking back down Chapel I passed by The Study at Yale — it’s a very upscale hotel with great design elements. I had dinner at their restaurant Heirloom with my uncle last year and it was just lovely.
And then I spotted B! Natural Cafe down an alley off of Chapel Street, right next to Union League Cafe.
Simple yet colorful interior. Menu looks tasty and healthy. Prices are good. Only a few other customers here (I dig the quiet) and wifi is strong — overall, high marks for this place!
Just to round out the block, this is Claire’s Corner Copia — I haven’t been here in years but I remember it being wonderful. It’s vegetarian and they have a great-looking variety of baked goods.
Moving on to a different part of New Haven, here is a store called vintanthroMODERN — it was closed the day I walked by, but I peeked into the windows. They sell work by local artists and my sister raves about this place.
A bakery called Marjolaine Pastry is just across the street. I didn’t stick my head inside because I didn’t need the temptation but my sister tells me it’s an institution.
I grabbed an iced vanilla soy latte to go at The Coffee Pedaler nearby and it was SO GOOD. Just a really high quality latte with subtly sweet vanilla flavor.
Sparse interior, but plenty of space to sit down and get work done.
UPDATED TO ADD:
I’ve since visited East Rock Coffee in my sister’s ‘hood and it’s delightful. They get props for a nice array of enticing sweets which I had to summon serious willpower to avoid.
I also enjoyed The Happiness Lab coffee shop on Chapel Street — they make a pretty great iced soy vanilla latte.
And how can I write a post about New Haven and not mention this cute guy?!
That’s my sister’s new dog Oscar and he is just the sweetest. He’s a newly minted New Haven resident and he digs this place (literally).
Hope you’ve enjoyed this round-up of New Haven pics. It’s been fun to get to know a city I grew up only 20 minutes from but never spent much time visiting. I still have to test out some of the more famous New Haven pizza parlors… in fact, that’s a great idea for a post. (I think I just gave myself permission to eat pizza in the name of blogging. Score!)
