Jaunted - Tag: Starbucks Alternatives

Vassalboro: Brrr! Maine's Topless Coffee Shop Reopens Just In Time For Winter

JetSetCD — 2009-11-11T14:14:25-05:00

Maine's Grand View Topless Coffee Shop has had a dramatic year. After only opening up in the town of Vassalboro back in February, the place has been had it's moment in the media limelight, been burnt to the ground by an arsonist, and then reopened in a tent. Now it looks like it's back for good, as the owner has received the permit to reopen in a business trailer on the property—not as great as the original, but it exists nonetheless.

According the Boston Herald, business so far has been slow, but it could also be because the arson fire from last June is still under investigation. But for those anxious to have a place where they can make "I like my women like I like my coffee" jokes, the Grand View is back in business.

Things get a little more NSFW after the jump

Stockholm: Stockholm Kicks Starbucks To The Curb With The Retro 'Konditori Valand'

JetSetCD — 2009-10-20T09:13:40-05:00

Starbucks might be attempting to create more of a cafe with their concept "15th Street Coffee & Tea" restaurant, but it will simply never equal the awesomeness of truly great, very authentic cafes that still exist and serve up homemade goods around the world. One such spot, which might not last too much longer as the owners grow old, is Stockholm's Konditori Valand.

The cafe, in the Surbrunnsgatan section of town, is run by Magdalena �str�m, who has maintained the original interior of the cafe since it was begun and designed by her husband in 1954. The result is a mid-century modern stunner, with well-worn teak furniture and an imported black stone floor from Italy. The cafe is a fixture in German guidebooks and on the lists of retro furniture enthusiasts, but that doesn't mean that a regular old, design-appreciating tourist can't enjoy a coffee and slice of cake here.

Los Angeles: Jaunted's Three Favorite (Non-Starbucks) Coffee Shops In LA

Heidi Atwal — 2009-08-27T16:09:41-05:00

In Los Angeles, coffee, just like filmmaking, is a serious business. The adrenaline-riling jolt of a good cuppa joe is what gets those movers, shakers, and dealmakers moving in the morning, and what fuels aspiring starlets as they trek from audition to audition.

Personally, we like to forgo stops at Starbucks and The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf; there are way more exciting places to get your heart-pumping fix for the day, especially if you have the luxury of lounging around the space for a while. And in a town where it seems like almost everyone is a freelancer, a free agent, or an occasionally-employed actor, trying different coffee shops is a surefire way to meet interesting new people—that is, if they can tear their eyes away from the brilliant screenplay they're writing.

Our favorite LA-area coffeeshops, after the jump.>>

Brooklyn: Cafe Grumpy Keeps Picky NYC Coffee Geeks Happy

BS — 2009-07-08T08:49:18-05:00

You never have to look far for a cup of coffee in NYC, but that doesn’t mean New Yorkers can’t make an obsession out of the search for the perfect cup—and we don’t mean the ubiquitous “best cup of coffee in the world” that Will Ferrell got so excited about in Elf.

Lately, NYC java is more about the super-serious independent coffee shops that have popped up throughout Brooklyn and lower Manhattan, attracting devoted followings by treating a cup of coffee as something akin to an art form. Beans are carefully sourced and locally roasted, baristas are trained on top-notch equipment with all the seriousness of a culinary institute, and customers not only know what country their favorite brew is from, but its town of origin and even the farm.

WA: 'Sexpresso' Stands Proliferate; Will They Put the Bux Out of Biz?

BS — 2009-06-19T09:07:13-05:00

We’ve been covering the saga of Maine’s Topless Coffee Shop pretty religiously here on Jaunted, so we’re pleased (and a little perplexed) to report that the concept of barely-clothed baristas has now officially spread from coast to coast.

We don’t know how we missed this one up until now, but it turns out the birthplace of coffee shops itself—Washington State—is pioneering a new trend of so-called “sexpresso” stands like Lakewood’s Hot Hut and the mini-chain Moulin Brew, which has locations in Yakima and Tacoma. The stands all feature lattes served by female baristas who wear outfits that Starbucks most certainly would not approve of. No one is actually topless, but there’s an awful lot of duct tape and not much actual clothing. It's a bit like the thrill of watching scrambled adult cable channels.

New York: Craving Peet's Coffee in New York? Then Book a Flight Out of JFK

juliana — 2009-06-15T15:59:55-05:00

Peet's Coffee is a revered West Coast coffee chain that keeps a humbler, lower profile compared to other java joints. We love their great roasts and powerful latte drinks, not to mention their refill policy (90 cent for a large coffee refill) and their two hours of free WiFi.

In our personal coffee rankings it's scores a solid second place standing ahead of Coffee Bean and Starbucks but behind Dunkin' Donuts and that's only because we live in Los Angeles where DD is forbidden.

While we pine for Dunkin' on the West Side, our East Coast friends do the same with Peet's. But they won't have to pine anymore if they are flying out of T4 at JFK. A small Peet's Coffee counter has opened right near the Virgin America gates. So anyone coming from the West Coast and already missing Peet's can have one last cup of joe. Similarly, westbound passengers can get a head start on acclimating by taking a latte on the flight.

Peet's is also available in NYC grocery stores but you know, it's much better when someone else makes it for you.

Vassalboro: Maine's Topless Coffee Shop Reopens as Topless Tent

BS — 2009-06-12T10:02:10-05:00

We've got good news for New England travelers who like their caffeine fix but hate it when their servers wear shirts. Turns out the nation's oddest Starbucks Alternative is down, but far from out.

The Grand View Coffee Shop, which was burned to the ground by a moral crusader last week, has already reopened. Owner Donald Crabtree erected a tent on the site of his destroyed cafe, and the topless waitresses have volunteered to work just for tips (to be fair, we'd bet they get better tips than your local Starbucks barista).

Topless Coffee one; moral crusaders zero.

[Photo: AP]