Location

600 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis
GOOGLE MAP • YELP

Ratings

Pros

Prime location on U of M campus, good coffee, calming lighting.

Cons

Crowded, small tables, so-so food offerings, unappealing exterior.

Review

I have resisted Espresso Exposé for ages, and for (mostly) superficial reasons. In short, there was nothing about the exterior that made me want to go inside. I think the name is ridiculous, and I hate both the font and color used on the awning outside. It screams 1988 to me, in the worst possible ways, which is saying a lot: I hate 1988. George Bush was elected to Reagan’s third term, hair bands ruled the music scene, I was a freshman in high school, and the future Rickroll phenomenon was made possible. And every time I drive down Washington Ave. and see the ugly mauve awning with this name I hate, in this font I hate (University… and it’s at a university… get it?), I have to think about 1988. So I didn’t want to go in.

But with SLP working at the U, I always knew from the day I started this blog that eventually I would be reviewing Espresso Exposé, and today’s the day. She had to practically drag me here kicking and screaming though. OK, not quite. I’m not 4 years old. But I was kicking and screaming on the inside. Ow.

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised when I walked inside (despite the somewhat odd smell) to see a larger, more contemporary-looking space than I had always expected when looking in from the outside. I especially like the calming effect of the diffuse, dim light provided by the orange glass light fixtures. Especially after the harsh spotlights of Sip in my last review, this lighting contributes to a very welcoming, soothing atmosphere, even when the place is really crowded (which it is right now). It’s a smart decision on the part of the owners… Espresso Exposé becomes a welcome retreat from the bustle of the busy university campus.

As soon as I stepped to the counter I noticed a large tray of plump, appealing croissants in the pastry case, and I had to have one. It was as good as I expected. Unfortunately, the overall selection of food is pretty limited — just a small number of pastry options, some premade sandwiches, and… well… that’s it.

I ordered my usual large cappuccino. It took a bit longer to make than I expected, especially since at that point SLP and I were the only people waiting for drinks. Hers came a couple minutes before mine, and I was disappointed and somewhat confused that it would take so long to make a single cappuccino. Nonetheless, once I did receive it, it was pretty good. Definitely not the best I’ve had in my travels for this blog, but still a cut above Caribou (my minimal baseline of acceptability, and so far I’ve yet to find a place that’s worse), and probably a bit better than the Starbucks across the street.

I managed to find a (small) table near an outlet when I arrived, but since then the place has gotten more crowded, and I doubt I’d be able to find a spot if I came now (10 AM).

I give Espresso Exposé high marks for its primo location, but in some ways that could almost be more of a detriment: the corner of Harvard and Washington is great if you’re a student, faculty or staff member at the University of Minnesota main campus, where it’s the first business you encounter walking east on Washington from campus into the Stadium Village commercial district. But this is a busy corner, and free parking is virtually non-existent. The Harvard St. garage is just diagonally across the street, of course, but unless you have other business on campus, Espresso Exposé probably won’t be getting yours.