Best of Philly 2005: Restaurants & Food
Coffee Shops
Fairmount: Mugshots Coffeehouse and Juice Bar An extensive menu of fair-trade coffees, homey homemade sweets and breakfast sandwiches attracts a morning-paper crowd, while balanced fruit smoothies and “recovery shakes” draw in the athletic types from the gym next door. Maybe Al Capone would have liked the ubiquitous big-house puns. (Mugshots. Get it?) (2100 Fairmount Avenue; 267-514-7145)
Mount Airy: InFusion This two-and-a-half-year-old Mount Airy coffee shop is the community’s center, popular for both its coffee and its casual vibe. You’ll find a mom playing Candy Land with her daughter on the velvet couch while nearby, a neighbor is curled up in a wingback chair with a cup of Torreo coffee and a book. At a long central table, a quiet group of professionals perpetually hovers over laptops and lattes (7133 Germantown Avenue, Mount Airy; 215-248-1718).
’Burbs: Steel City Coffee House This java spot has much more to offer than its European brews, Eastern Shore Tea Company loose-leaf teas, and satisfying light fare like melted brie with honey and crackers. It also has an impressive lineup of music and open-mike nights, from local artists and children’s entertainment to classical scores or poetry on Sunday mornings (203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville; 610-933-4043).
