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| - Not a big review person, but this place is worth writing about. Great atmosphere. Stopped in on a warm May evening, at around 9, an hour before close. The barista was engaging and knowledgeable and was happy to accommodate my request for a lactose-free blended drink. (They're the first shop in Pittsburgh I've come across to offer almond milk instead of simply soy.) She hadn't been working there too long, but knew that the place was originally an old time soda shop. (It has a large, beautiful wooden built-in case behind the counter.) The décor, layout and design is elegantly modern without trying too hard. My brother and I sat in two armchairs and read as a few others read, did homework or quietly socialized. I didn't inquire as to whether they had WiFi, but it's rather ubiquitous these days in coffee shops. A great move by the owner was to put a kid's area in with coloring books and a game or two. I could easily take my son there and enjoy my own time reading while he played. The drinks themselves were very good. I had a frozen mocha drink and my brother had something similar. They didn't have one of the ingredients to make the specific drink he wanted, but the barista worked around this issue. After the blended drinks, we ordered a French press of El Salvadoran coffee. It was somewhat tart (perhaps only because it followed the sweetened coffee from before) and citrusy, but it finished clean. We didn't try any, but they had a wide assortment of baked goods: buckeyes, cookies, brownies, dessert breads, biscotti, etc. The prices weren't any better or worse than any other coffee shop (especially as boutique as this was) I've visited in Pittsburgh. I will definitely be visiting here next time I find myself on the South Side.
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