A little recap of the first half of spring!

We started rating coffee shops at the start of Spring this year and we've been having a great time doing it! But we know your time is precious and you may not have time to read them all, so we've rounded them up for you in a nice little package. We'll give you the quick view (The Shots) if you've only got a minute, but keep reading for some insights (Spilling the Beans) on where we went and how we felt about it. Yes, the headers are bad coffee puns.

The Shots

Spilling the Beans

Quixotic Coffee

We started our journey back in March with Quixotic Coffee. Quixotic was the coffee shop where Juliet first started working regularly after having frequented it in college. It's comfortable, great for meetings, and they have a lot of tasty food options. Here's what we like most:

• Lots of booths! You can have your own personal space while still experiencing the vibrant coffee shop environment.
• Osmar's favorite blueberry muffin can be found here (if he hasn't eaten them all).
• Quixotic now has great smoothie and yogurt bowls.
• It's easy to find parking.

SK Coffee - Whittier

When SK Coffee - Whittier opened up just a few blocks away from our house, we knew we'd have to check it out. Someone had to do the community the service of quality checking the new coffee spot and we selflessly volunteered to try their drinks and food. Here's what we thought about it:

• We're big fans of the matcha lattes at SK.
• The food is top notch! They have a great lentil curry pastry that Juliet would like to eat daily.
• Taking meetings at SK can be hit or miss. The music is usually at a decent level but sometimes is less suitable as the background to your Zoom call.
• SK only has 21 seats so it's often close to full. Get there early to make sure you can sit! It's worth it.

Corner Coffee - Uptown

Corner Coffee was one of the first places that we regularly worked at after moving to Uptown. There's always a place to sit, the environment is laid back but still vibrant, and the baristas will get to know you if you show up often. Some key points:

• Corner Coffee always has reliable wifi and lots of outlets making it great for meetings.
• The breakfast and lunch sandwiches are great and are made to order.
• Get it while you can! The seasonal drinks are always a hit. We LOVE the Lavender Lemon Brew.
• If you need non-coffee options, Corner Coffee has got you covered with a variety of teas and other drinks.

Dogwood Coffee - St Paul

While Dogwood Coffee - St Paul was not one of our favorite remote work spots, it still earned itself a 3.5 star rating. Although we like their coffee, the food options are lacking and the environment is somewhat uninspiring. I'm running out of ways to introduce lists:

• Dogwood has great coffee. If you like to brew at home, it's worth picking up a bag of beans.
• While the food they have is good, there are very few options and their sandwiches sell out quickly leaving not many options for a meal.
• If you're looking for a non-distracting environment, Dogwood is a great choice!
• There is pretty solid wifi and there has always been ample seating available when we have gone to Dogwood.

Nina's Coffee Cafe

We love Nina's Coffee Cafe. But maybe not for remote work. It's a fun spot with great drinks, however, it may be too distracting and there aren't many outlets. You can decide for yourself based on our quick notes:

• The ambiance at Nina's is great! While it may not be the best for work, it's a great social spot.
• The food is pretty good but we've had better pastries elsewhere. Not bad, just not the best.
• Lots of dairy free milks at Nina's but beware - the drinks with caramel made Osmar's tummy hurt.
• Because it's such a fun spot with great drinks, it's often fairly crowded which makes it a bit ofa riskier option.

That's what we've got, folks! Stick around for more reviews and round ups, and check out our new TL;DR page if you hate our writing and just want the facts.