By Erin Mccoy
Coffee: it’s the college student’s diet staple, whether it’s time for a horrific all-night study session or a night on the town. But luckily, a student with no money and no time doesn’t have to sacrifice quality coffee and atmosphere to looming tuition invoices. Louisville offers plenty of venues for affordable coffee and food, many of them close by campus and all with something unique to offer.
Sure, Heine Brothers is a classic hang-out and Starbucks is unavoidable. There are three Heine Brothers locations on Bardstown Road alone, each with an inviting atmosphere – talkers inside and smokers out – but these sites loom over some of the smaller coffee shops that give Louisville its flavor.
Old Louisville Coffee House and Sunergos Coffee are both within walking distance of campus, and Expressions of You and Breadworks feature distinctive entertainment and eats that will justify the drive.
Old Louisville Coffee House
The outdoor tables set up at the corner of Fourth and Hill Streets for Old Louisville Coffee House announce it as one of Old Louisville’s few businesses. Indoors, it’s a classic example of area architecture, with high ceilings and exposed brick walls. Comfy, broken-in chairs and couches are arranged around tables in several pods. The walls are hung with local art, obligatory for a coffee shop, and there’s a rack of local literature along with free Internet access.
The regular coffee can be a bit too bitter, and you get less coffee for what you pay compared to other local coffee shops. Old Louisville Coffee House’s original Cafe Glace, though, is a bittersweet blend of vanilla ice cream and espresso shots, a delicious encouragement for the post-summer jitters.
Old Louisville serves sandwiches that average about $4.50 a plate, along with warm burritos. It also offers bagels, cakes, pastries and scones.
Plenty of U of L students drop in daily to study or relax over coffee, said employee Laura Quimdy.
“It’s a good mix,” she said. “We definitely are busier during the school year, so obviously a lot of our customer base is students.”
Another appealing twist is the live music acts that visit regularly. The Olsens and Tony Hall both stopped in last week, but because of the St. James Art Fair, Old Louisville hasn’t booked any acts for the coming weekend.
Sunergos Coffee
Sunergos Coffee also features live music, but its main focus is the roastery. The micro-roastery produces about 16 different blends of coffee, which Sunergos imports from all over the world. Co-owners Matthew Huested and Brian Miller not only run a coffee shop, but also distribute their blends and invent new ones for local coffee shops, restaurants and stores. All of this is situated two steps off campus, at 2122 S. Preston St.
“We’ve definitely developed a local clientele,” Huested said. “Neighborhood people, a lot of students, and really people from all over the city drive over here. I think the roastery – attracts them.”
Inside, the walls are a warm yellow and hung with area artwork. Huested encouraged U of L art students to bring in their portfolios and display their work.
The coffee lives up to the care and attention paid to it. U of L senior John Keown, a regular at Sunergos, also recommended the smoothies. There aren’t many options, but there are some oversized blueberry muffins are fluffy and almost irresistible.
“It’s a real comfortable atmosphere. It’s good coffee, of course, and it’s a good place to come and get my stuff done and study, and to hang out with my friends,” Keown said.
Sunergos can only accommodate smaller singer-songwriter performances. One regular act there is U of L student and guitarist Chase Dabney, who also performs on didgeridoo. Dabney will next appear on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 9-11 p.m.
Expressions of You
Expressions of You, located at 18th and Muhammad Ali Streets, approaches business with a different angle altogether. Owners Camille and James Linton formed the coffee shop nearly three years ago in an attempt to create a refuge “where people from diverse backgrounds can come and have common ground,” James said. “And that’s what we wanted to do, is become a safe haven for all races and all people.”
Expressions, besides making a delicious cup of chocolate raspberry truffle cappuccino, serves up sandwiches, soups and salads all day long at an average $4 a meal.
The sense of community, bolstered by performance poetry every Saturday night, creates a sense of closeness right when you walk inside. “We want people to have ownership of Expressions of You,” James said.
Poetic Expressions draws three featured poets or musicians as well as up to 16 impromptu performances every Saturday. It starts at 9 p.m. and can sometimes run past three in the morning. Tickets are $5 at the door, but James said that in three years, “Poetic Expressions” has sold out every Saturday. And there are always people lined up waiting to get in.
“It’s really some of the most talented and creative people in the city who are coming to the microphone every week,” he said.
Randy Johnson, a U of L junior, catches the show every other week. “It feels like they’re doing something enlightening rather than going to a club and dancing,” he said.
Breadworks
Last but not least is Breadworks. The location closest to campus is in the Douglass Loop off Bardstown Road. Breadworks serves a lightly sweeted mocha, just right for the black coffee drinker on his day off. But Breadworks trumps other coffee shops when it comes to fresh-baked bread.
This artisan bakery bakes its bread fresh daily. They offer loaves, muffins, bagels, danishes, giant cookies, croissants and cinnamon rolls. The scones are delicious, and come in seasonal flavors.
Breadworks employee Rebecca Faris said that students are more prone to stop in at the Heine Brothers across the street, but after all, times do change. Only Breadworks can offer up freshly baked crispy scones and a delicious cup of coffee.
