Location
400 Penn Ave. S, Minneapolis
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Ratings
| Location: | ★★★★ |
| Atmosphere: | ★★★★ |
| Coffee: | ★★★★ |
| Food: | ★★★★ |
| Service: | ★★★★ |
| Vibe: | ★★★★ |
| Overall: | ★★★★ |
Pros
Interesting location and interior, good coffee, nice food selection.
Cons
A solid four stars: everything’s very good, but not quite exceptional.
Review
Another meeting with my Bryn Mawr neighborhood client has brought me to the area for a second time. At first I was considering returning to Bryn Mawr Coffee Shop, but then I remembered there’s another coffeehouse in the immediate vicinity, at the heart of Bryn Mawr — Penn Ave. and Cedar Lake Rd. Though Bryn Mawr is decidedly residential and very “Minneapolis” in feel, there’s still something about the small business district at this intersection that gives the area more of a Chicago feel for me. Perhaps it’s the strange angle of the intersection, which carries over into Cuppa Java — the space is essentially a right triangle, with the base and hypotenuse facing the exterior and mostly windows.
Inside, the space is a very welcoming mix of natural light, rich blue-gray walls, wood floors, dark brown curtains and just a touch of stone that helps remind us that this is a very old building, with a history. There’s a bar (so that’s why they’re called baristas), an assortment of round tables, and a few comfy chairs and rugs. Small LCD TVs on the walls help make the space feel a bit more lively without being intrusive.
Service is fast and friendly, and though there are a good number of customers, the place does not feel crowded. A pleasant assortment of alternative rock is playing (not unlike the playlist of The Current, but this seems to be a house mix).
Cuppa Java apparently serves beer, as there’s a Blue Moon neon sign in the window, but I am not seeing any on the menu. (Not that it matters at 9:30 AM anyway.) I ordered my usual cappuccino and a blueberry muffin, though I noticed Cuppa Java also offers breakfast bagel sandwiches, along with a nice assortment of cold and hot sandwiches and salads at lunchtime.
The cappuccino is good; a little bitter for my taste, but certainly nothing to complain about. The muffin is moist but not gooey, with crystalized sugar on top for a little extra sweetness and a pleasing crunch.
The biggest problem for me with Cuppa Java is that it’s in a neighborhood I rarely visit. But I was struck today by just how close it really is to I-394. Driving on that freeway past the Penn Ave. exit, the area seems fairly uninviting (with the view dominated by a railyard and a quarry), but as soon as you’re on Penn Ave. you enter a nice residential area and it’s just a couple of blocks to Cuppa Java. My only other complaint is that everything is just very good, in a way that makes me wish it were exceptional. But I will not hesitate to visit Cuppa Java again the next time I’m in the neighborhood.
