By Ashley Fultz
With so many coffee shops to choose from, some are liked more than others according to students around campus.
From the Tulip Tree Café, to Old Louisville Coffee House and Starbucks, there are many options students have to choose from when they want to satisfy that craving for coffee or other goodies.
Not only do these places provide coffee and goodies, but also a place to socialize or study at the same time.
Coffee drinking is popular among college students which could be attributed to the fact that they are sleep deprived or the way it brings people together.
At noon on any weekday in the Tulip Tree Café, located in the Ekstrom Library on Belknap Campus, there is usually a line out the door and tables are filled with students.
The Tulip Tree Café is a popular spot for students because of the location and the large variety of items on the menu.
The café not only serves coffee, but many different lattes, cappuccinos, ice blended coffee drinks and sodas.
Gourmet sandwiches, salads, soups and sugary sweets are also served.
Nikki Stivers, a freshman biology major, said that she frequents the Tulip Tree Café on a regular basis.
“I like the Chef Salad Wrap and I always order a grande Chai Tea Latte when I want to perk up for studying,” Stivers said.
Though the atmosphere might not be quiet enough for some students to study, it appears to be a great spot to grab something to go and head into the library for study time.
The café does have many tables, chairs and computers with Internet access for those students or teachers wanting to stick around.
It is open from 7:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. weekdays, and weekends for the majority of the day.
The prices average $2 – $4 for gourmet coffee drinks, and $5 for panini sandwiches and wraps.
Another coffee shop close to campus is Old Louisville Coffee House, located on the corner of Fourth and Hill Streets, which has an atmosphere for socializing.
Upon entering, the artwork, oversized chairs, chessboards and sofas are waiting. The usual hours are 6:45 a.m. – 6:45 p.m. weekdays and 8:45 a.m. – 6:45 p.m. on weekends.
Sometimes they may have live music events and they will stay open later.
The shop’s signature gourmet coffee drink is called a Caramel Crunch, along with a wide array of drinks and foods to choose from.
A couple of menu items that are different from what other coffee shops offer include smoothies and Kizito cookies.
Lattes and other similar drinks cost $2 – $3, snacks like bagels, cookies, coffee cake and muffins are all around $1. They also offer free Internet access to paying customers.
There are the big coffee chains which are popular, but a little farther away from campus.
Heine Brothers Coffee has one location on the corner of Eastern Parkway and Bardstown Road.
This coffee shop offers the same fare for around the same price as the others.
One thing that does separate this place from the two previously mentioned, is it stays open until 11 p.m. or midnight every night.
Based on information from http://www.heinebroscoffee.com, the owners founded this chain to bring the community together while serving fresh coffee.
Another popular place to get coffee is Starbucks. There are two locations semi-close to Belknap Campus.
One is on Fourth Street near the convention center, and the other is on Baxter Avenue in Baxter Avenue Center. They both are about a 10 minute drive from campus.
“Starbucks is a good place to study because even though there are people around, it is not distracting,” said Catherine Wright, a senior marketing major.
“In the winter I usually order a grande non-fat vanilla latte because it warms me up and gives me energy,” Wright said.
Starbucks is open until 11p.m. most nights providing an atmosphere with music, the smell of coffee and many oversized chairs.
They also have Internet access and similar menu options and prices as the Tulip Tree Café.
So no matter where a student may find themselves, a cup of coffee, a snack, and Internet access shouldn’t be too hard to find.
