Location
430 1st Ave. N # 101, Minneapolis
GOOGLE MAP • YELP (Edina location) • WEBSITE
Ratings
| Location: | ★★★★★ |
| Atmosphere: | ★★★★ |
| Coffee: | ★★ |
| Food: | N/A |
| Service: | ★★★ |
| Vibe: | ★★★ |
| Overall: | ★★★ |
Pros
Great location by Target Field, manages to outshine its bland surroundings.
Cons
Pretty much everything else.
Review
Yes, Virginia, there is an independent coffeehouse in downtown Minneapolis.
At least, in the Warehouse District.
True, it’s not Skyway-connected, but that’s probably a good thing. Get outside and get some fresh air! (Well, as fresh as the sewer gas and bus fume laden air downtown can get.)
Located across the street from Ramp B, and just a block northeast of Target Field, Ambrosia Coffee (or is it Ambrosia Cafe? I hate it when businesses can’t make up their mind about what they’re called) is in a prime spot for both downtown workers (at least those commuting in on I-394) looking for their morning caffeine fix and for those who need a quick jolt on their way to a Twins game.
In my experience, 100-plus-year-old buildings in the Warehouse District come in two varieties: those with interiors renovated to look like the most nondescript suburban office park (but with creaky floors) and those with interiors renovated in a spare, rough, loft style. Unfortunately, the building housing Ambrosia falls into the former category, although the interior of Ambrosia Coffee itself features the high ceilings and exposed ductwork (painted black) and original plank floors typical of a loft renovation. So it’s a loft-within-an-office-park. In addition to the tables one would expect (but, unexpectedly, with marble tops), the potentially sterile environs are also improved with some comfy leather sofas and a Persian rug.
The interior space is smaller than I expected, but the seating is adequate, as most patrons are just popping in for coffee before heading back to their cubicles. I had no problem finding a table right next to an electrical outlet. Unfortunately, although Ambrosia offers WiFi, I am experiencing the same problems I had last week at Overflow: I can connect to the WiFi network, but not out to the Internet.
Technophobes can skip the next paragraph…
I’m not sure if this is an issue with my computer or with these networks, but I suspect it’s a combination of both — that my MacBook’s AirPort card is temperamental on certain networks. (I am still able to connect to my home WiFi at all times with no issues, and I’ve been to numerous other coffeehouses in the area recently where it worked just fine, too.) YMMV, but consider this a word of warning — you may have trouble with Ambrosia’s WiFi. It’s probably worth noting that I am also unable to connect to the Internet through Ambrosia’s WiFi on my iPhone, and typically in the past when I’ve had this problem with the MacBook, the iPhone has been able to connect.
…OK. Welcome back, technophobes!
It’s a standard part of these reviews that I will order food along with my cappuccino, so I can… you know… rate the food. It’s probably due to the awkward timing of my arrival — 10 AM (too late for breakfast, too early for lunch) — but the meager remaining selection of pastries just didn’t appeal to me, so I’m not getting food today. I should note that Ambrosia does offer salads and (pre-made) sandwiches for lunch in addition to a few other prepared food options.
My cappuccino is so-so. The biggest problem is the temperature: usually when I get my coffee the first thing I do is grab a cardboard sleeve so I don’t burn my fingers on the sides of the cup. Not necessary in this case: the espresso itself was hot but the froth was barely room temperature, and the drink overall took on a dissatisfying lukewarm temperature soon after it arrived.
The service was fine… not chatty, but courteous and efficient. Ambrosia has quick turnover, and they’re able to keep up with the queue — although, as noted above, the quality of the beverages may suffer as a result.
I don’t usually bother to comment on coffeehouses’ restroom situation, although I know that, erm, certain of my readers consider this matter highly important. (I do too, as I make a habit of visiting restrooms several times per day.) As is often the case with these kinds of warehouse-to-office building conversions, the individual units do not have restrooms, and the restrooms in the publicly-accessible spaces are — insert musical phrase of doom here — locked.
The independent coffeehouse options downtown are extremely limited: Ambrosia is on the edge of what I would consider “downtown” and to my knowledge it’s the closest, if not only, indie to the main skyscraper core. I know there are a few other places as you get farther into the Warehouse District, and farther away from downtown proper, but Ambrosia’s main selling point remains its location — within a block of both Target Field and Block E. Unfortunately, based on my experience today, I can’t say it has that much else going for it.
Now I’m off to US Bank Plaza, to grab a lamb kabob wrap at Good to Go and mooch some reliable WiFi off Caribou so I can post this.
Note: This review applies only to Ambrosia’s Warehouse District location. They also have locations in Edina and Rockford (wherever that is).
