Bordering Dinkytown

Bordertown Coffee is located in a beautiful building right outside of Dinkytown on the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus. Once an old abandoned house set for demolition, it's since had a long history as a coffeeshop following its purchase and restoration– still standing even after the 2002 Dinkytown riots. The building's interior matches its alluring exterior. The view of the wide window on the main floor is obstructred by trees but, nonetheless, allows for plenty of natural lighting. On that same floor, there is a (possibly functional?) fireplace under a cute caricature of Bordertown itself. On both sides of the fireplace, there are wall insets for a couple of benches, and there are other types of seating including couches, as well as high and top tables. Overall, it's cozy, sufficiently spacious, and a decent place to enjoy a beverage.

Borderline Prices

The prices at Bordertown Coffee are pretty average. Lattes and small drip coffee aren't the cheapest here, but they are also not as outrageously expensive compared to other places.

When Juliet and I first visited Bordertown, we were quite disappointed with the matcha: it was poorly mixed and we could hardly taste the matcha itself. I was also unimpressed with my chai latte.

However, after hearing a few good things about Bordertown since then, I decided to revisit it and was gladly surprised by how not-terrible it was that time around. I ordered two of their new seasonal drinks that ended up being phenomenal.

Important context: I have an obsession with lemonade. From Cane's to homemade and even (yes, shame on me) Chick-Fil-A. I have a strong preference for that perfect 1:1 sweet-to-sour ratio. And, although this lemonade was on the sweeter side and did not achieve that golden ratio, it was still pretty amazing and unique to the many lemonades I've had in the past. It's also cute, so I will definitely be ordering the berry lavender lemonade again.

The second seasonal drink I tried was the matchado: a cortado made with matcha. In addition to the clever, punny name, its strong matcha taste reassured me that I made the right choice. Like the lemonade, it was also kind of cute:

Remote Work Environment: on the Chill-Mellow Border

(Yes, that headline is a stretch shh). Bordertown's chill environment allowed us to be productive and get a ton of work done. Their seating area is separated from the ordering counter and the entrance, so there are minimal distractions from people coming in and out. They had enough outlets and it's simultaneously not loud nor eerily quiet that it makes it a good place to take a virtual meeting.

The one bad thing about Bordertown is the parking. Although there are quite a bit of parking spots, they are ridiculously expensive. I am talking $2 per hour and $4 when there is an event taking palce at Huntington Bank Stadium. Since most lattes can end up costing nearly $8, you'd be paying double what it's worth with 4 hours of parking (or 2 if you get unlucky).

Bordering on Hangry

The food was decent and they do have a range of options from muffins to quiches. However, they also advertise having sandwiches but were out of them all of the times I was there.

Overall, I think it's a solid place to work from remotely. If I was in the area more often, it would definitely be one of my go-to coffeeshops. Having said that, I doubt I will go out of my way to come here due to the cost of parking. But if parking is not an issue for you, we definitely recommend this place!

Pro tip: Definitely ask about their seasonal drinks. They might sound weird, but you'd be surprised!