Best place to drink a latte while eavesdropping on state legislators 2000 | Penn Street Perk | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best place to drink a latte while eavesdropping on state legislators

Penn Street Perk

Just two blocks from the State Capitol, Penn Street Perk is the perfect place to get the inside scoop on upcoming legislation. It's where Democratic representative Tom Plant goes to read bills when he wants to escape the bustle of the Statehouse, and it's across the street from Hays Hays & Wilson, the biggest lobbying firm in town. But it's also a great neighborhood hangout. The style is eclectic living room (plush couch, comfy chairs, exposed brick walls, Christmas lights in the shapes of gingerbread men, horses, cows, chili peppers and cacti, and Titanic posters, in honor of the nearby Molly Brown house), and the coffee is more powerful than a lobbyist's checkbook. You can also order off of a list of cold drinks that includes the granita, an orange-flavored slushy; the icebergaccino (a fancy name for a cold cappuccino); and the orange dream, basically an orange julius without the egg. For all this and more, Penn Street Perk gets our vote.

Best coffeehouse

St. Mark's Coffeehouse

Cassandra Kotnik
Once upon a time, the coffeehouse was where you went to drink your fill of an authentic, big-city experience. You might be served by someone sporting a nose ring and tattoos, and you could eavesdrop on the couple with matching purple hair sitting near you or brood in the corner and write poetry for hours. Then came the corporate cloning of the coffee experience, and suddenly even Rotarians in Littleton were slurping cappuccinos on their way to the mall. Thankfully, St. Mark's -- both the LoDo original and its slightly less big-city sibling -- keeps serving up true coffeehouse flavor. The staff is reliably eccentric but always manages to put the right amount of foam into the lattes. The work of local artists adorns the walls, and at the Market Street spot, many of the tables and chairs are themselves works of art. The 17th Avenue location has huge picture windows that open onto a sidewalk patio, and the outdoor action never disappoints. (Your cup will soon be even fuller on 17th, since this St. Mark's is expanding into the space next door, adding a bar and more food choices.) All of which goes to show that when it comes to character, locally owned places like St. Mark's will always trump chains run by corporate coffee-bean counters.

Best coffeehouse

St. Mark's Coffeehouse

Once upon a time, the coffeehouse was where you went to drink your fill of an authentic, big-city experience. You might be served by someone sporting a nose ring and tattoos, and you could eavesdrop on the couple with matching purple hair sitting near you or brood in the corner and write poetry for hours. Then came the corporate cloning of the coffee experience, and suddenly even Rotarians in Littleton were slurping cappuccinos on their way to the mall. Thankfully, St. Mark's -- both the LoDo original and its slightly less big-city sibling -- keeps serving up true coffeehouse flavor. The staff is reliably eccentric but always manages to put the right amount of foam into the lattes. The work of local artists adorns the walls, and at the Market Street spot, many of the tables and chairs are themselves works of art. The 17th Avenue location has huge picture windows that open onto a sidewalk patio, and the outdoor action never disappoints. (Your cup will soon be even fuller on 17th, since this St. Mark's is expanding into the space next door, adding a bar and more food choices.) All of which goes to show that when it comes to character, locally owned places like St. Mark's will always trump chains run by corporate coffee-bean counters.

Best teahouse

Gemini Tea Emporium

Tea-drinking turns over a new leaf at Gemini Tea Emporium. Owners Brad Cavender and Abdulkadir Omar get extra credit for opening their ultra-hip shop in the heart of Five Points on Welton Street. Gemini is a sign of faith in the neighborhood's capacity for revival, but this shop would be equally welcome in any other part of town. The chic, airy interior is full of plants and richly colored in purple, yellow, lime and red; the atmosphere is as conducive to conversation as it is to contemplation. Or poetry: On Friday nights, Gemini hosts Cafe Nuba, a poetry and spoken-word set from 9 p.m. to midnight. And then, of course, there's the tea -- more than 160 varieties from spots around the world, including China, Japan, Brazil and India. Drink a cup here, or take some leaves to go; either way, Gemini has tea-drinking in the bag.

Best teahouse

Gemini Tea Emporium

Tea-drinking turns over a new leaf at Gemini Tea Emporium. Owners Brad Cavender and Abdulkadir Omar get extra credit for opening their ultra-hip shop in the heart of Five Points on Welton Street. Gemini is a sign of faith in the neighborhood's capacity for revival, but this shop would be equally welcome in any other part of town. The chic, airy interior is full of plants and richly colored in purple, yellow, lime and red; the atmosphere is as conducive to conversation as it is to contemplation. Or poetry: On Friday nights, Gemini hosts Cafe Nuba, a poetry and spoken-word set from 9 p.m. to midnight. And then, of course, there's the tea -- more than 160 varieties from spots around the world, including China, Japan, Brazil and India. Drink a cup here, or take some leaves to go; either way, Gemini has tea-drinking in the bag.

Best authentic English tea

The Gift Box

Along with cards, ceramic figures, earrings and ornaments, the Gift Box has always boasted several shelves lined with English jams, biscuits, chocolates, condiments and even cleaning supplies, along with a freezer crammed with crumpets, sausage rolls, pasties and bangers; homesick Britishers have been known to visit just to smell the Dettol. But owners David and Carole Scribner always envisioned something more: a genuine English tearoom. So this year, when they moved into a larger location a few doors down from their original shop, they added tables, chairs and china and placed lacy curtains over the windows. And in April, the Gift Box began serving tea -- a real English tea. The scones here are nothing like the huge, sweet, triangular pastries familiar to most Americans; they're small, warm ovals, waiting to be slathered with butter or jam and Devonshire cream. The assortment of crustless finger sandwiches includes cucumber on brown bread, of course. There are woolly tea cozies on all the teapots, inside of which the tea is properly brewed, fine and strong. And should you have any question about which goes into the cup first, the tea or the milk, Carole will be happy to enlighten you. This isn't the ineffably elegant tea served by big hotels and accompanied by harp music and obsequious servers, nor the display of mimsy tidbits favored by certain society hostesses. It's just what tea is supposed to be: a nice mid-afternoon pick-me-up; a proper cuppa with a bit of something savory, a bit of something sweet.

Best authentic English tea

The Gift Box

Along with cards, ceramic figures, earrings and ornaments, the Gift Box has always boasted several shelves lined with English jams, biscuits, chocolates, condiments and even cleaning supplies, along with a freezer crammed with crumpets, sausage rolls, pasties and bangers; homesick Britishers have been known to visit just to smell the Dettol. But owners David and Carole Scribner always envisioned something more: a genuine English tearoom. So this year, when they moved into a larger location a few doors down from their original shop, they added tables, chairs and china and placed lacy curtains over the windows. And in April, the Gift Box began serving tea -- a real English tea. The scones here are nothing like the huge, sweet, triangular pastries familiar to most Americans; they're small, warm ovals, waiting to be slathered with butter or jam and Devonshire cream. The assortment of crustless finger sandwiches includes cucumber on brown bread, of course. There are woolly tea cozies on all the teapots, inside of which the tea is properly brewed, fine and strong. And should you have any question about which goes into the cup first, the tea or the milk, Carole will be happy to enlighten you. This isn't the ineffably elegant tea served by big hotels and accompanied by harp music and obsequious servers, nor the display of mimsy tidbits favored by certain society hostesses. It's just what tea is supposed to be: a nice mid-afternoon pick-me-up; a proper cuppa with a bit of something savory, a bit of something sweet.

Best chai

Common Grounds

What's a coffeehouse doing making such a great cup o' tea? That's what we wanted to know, and here's the answer: Mary and Lisa Rogers, the owners of the two Common Grounds coffeeshops, are tea lovers at heart. After doing some research on the origins of chai, an Indian and Middle Eastern drink made from spiced tea and steamed milk, they decided that the only way to do it was the right way. And so Common Grounds's barristas don't reheat bottled chai syrup as they would at most places, but instead custom-make each cup. That way, tea lovers can order their tea cardamom-sweetened or cinnamon-spiced, made with whole, skim or soy milk, flavored with honey or apple cider, served hot, cold or even frozen. If at first you don't succeed, chai, chai again.

Best chai

Common Grounds

What's a coffeehouse doing making such a great cup o' tea? That's what we wanted to know, and here's the answer: Mary and Lisa Rogers, the owners of the two Common Grounds coffeeshops, are tea lovers at heart. After doing some research on the origins of chai, an Indian and Middle Eastern drink made from spiced tea and steamed milk, they decided that the only way to do it was the right way. And so Common Grounds's barristas don't reheat bottled chai syrup as they would at most places, but instead custom-make each cup. That way, tea lovers can order their tea cardamom-sweetened or cinnamon-spiced, made with whole, skim or soy milk, flavored with honey or apple cider, served hot, cold or even frozen. If at first you don't succeed, chai, chai again.

Best restaurant when you're on the see-food-and-eat-it diet

World Buffet

World Buffet won't go belly up as long as it keeps putting out a spread like this one. For $5.49 at lunch and $7.99 at dinner, diners can stuff themselves with no fewer than a hundred items. There's a staggering collection of Asian dishes -- everything from egg rolls to sweet-and-sour pork, sesame chicken and orange beef, fried rice and lo mein, and even sushi rolls -- as well as barbecued spareribs, snow crab legs, carved-to-order ham and roast beef, spaghetti, a full salad bar, an ice cream station and, if you must, fresh fruit. Amazingly, not only is all this stuff edible, it's downright tasty. Knock yourself out.

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