Osmar
Osmar
After dropping out of bartending school, Osmar is now a computational neuroscience researcher at the University of Minnesota. His favorite espresso drink is an iced vanilla americano (light ice), and he's also a big fan of iced chai and london fog lattes.

SK Coffee

SK Coffee

New coffee shop alert!

Anyone living in Uptown knows the clusterf*ck that driving and parking can be. Sometimes, the last thing you need on a Monday morning is to deal with, well, anything. That’s why we decided to walk to a nearby coffee shop that recently opened up on 24th and Lyndale: SK Coffee!


Let’s set the stage

Located on Lyndale where Misfit Coffee once stood, this coffee shop’s atmosphere is welcoming to both hipsters and young professionals alike without that hint of snobbiness. I love the pops of color against the white and the wall of plants. The high ceilings and wall-length windows makes it a very bright, open space. They also have a beautiful couch surrounded by plants, and who doesn’t love a couch for those dreadful Monday mornings during which your video and microphone are always off?

Wifi Speed (mbps) Noise Level (dB) # Tables # Seats % Crowded # Bathrooms
410 83.5 6 21 50-80% 1

During that latest winter storm, neither Juliet nor I had the bravery to take either of our cars out (not because we refused to shovel and deeply regretted it soon after) and walked to SK for a whole week. Since then, we have become regulars at the expense of our budgets, and here’s a few reasons why:


A matcha made in heaven (I rolled my eyes too)

During yet another short-lived phase of swearing off coffee, I started buying matcha at any place I could get my hands on it. I can say without a doubt that my favorite place to get it is– you guessed it– SK Coffee. I typically order the classic vanilla oatmilk matcha latte (yes, unapologetically dairy-free… most times … sometimes.. if you know, you know). I didn’t realize until a few matchas in that it had galium and not vanilla. Through that conversation I learned about their partnership with 3Leche . 3Leche are a group of three mixologists and bartenders that specialize in fermentation and have been expanding to non-alcoholic beverages such as coffee. SK coffee also carries their dolce de leche syrup, which I have not tried yet.

And yes, since this is a coffee blog, I guess I should talk about coffee. Here’s the bean juice stats for all you caffeine addicts!

$ Small Drip Coffee Coffee Taste $ Small Latte # Dairy-Free Milks Non Coffee Options Seasonal Drinks
$3.50 5 $4.50 1 Few Yes

The staff are also one of the best features of SK. As a chaotic person who’s always on the go and frequently forgets to feed himself, I have had a few occasions where I asked the staff to list out their pastries (sorry for being that person). They are very nice about it and make the ordering anxiety bearable. Oh! The food! It definitely deserves its own mini heading:


Pecans, lentils, and cheese

I know, you’re probably like what the heck but don’t worry those ingredients can all be found in separate pastries. But wow their pecan bear claw is truly divine. The only thing more splendid than that– if you’re in a ~savory~ mood– is their lentils pastry. Trust me, as a kid who was forced to eat lentil soup and still has nightmares about it, the lentils in this hot-pocket-like pastry (idk, I don’t bake, but I’m sure Juliet knows what it’s called so you could ask via comments) are WORTH it. I haven’t had one of their cheese croissants because I’m trying to be better about being dairy-free. However, my fellow lactose-intolerant folx know that will not last long especially with the quality of these pastries. (Wow, I’m really hungry right now and realizing I forgot to eat dinner). Anyways, it feels weird to not have a data table follow this so I’m just going to casually drop one now:

Food Options Food Quality
Few 5


Working from SK Coffee

Last section, I promise. If you’ve stuck with me this far, then I commend you for having a better attention span than I do. But, in the words of queen Rihanna herself, THIS is what you came forrrr (unless you’re one of my friends being forced to read this)...

Outlets Work Environment Suitable for Meetings
Many Chill Maybe

The table speaks for itself, but I will add...

  • I’m slightly more picky than Juliet about where I take meetings, but to be fair I rarely have any.
  • The staff is allowed to play their own tunes, and while I personally am an occasional fan of screamo/light metal, it was funny to see Juliet taking a meeting with that as background music. I should point out this has only happened once!

Overall, local coffee shop, good vibes. Will definitely keep working from here and might venture to their St. Paul location which I only recently found out about. Stable wifi and good drinks. Juliet and I both give it a 4/5 and would definitely recommend it!


Pro tip: SK is also a roastery! If you end up becoming obsessed like us, they have subscription plans for delivering coffee beans to your door. Sigh, if only they delivered the matcha.

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