This is my regular coffee joint so be prepared for a totally biased review.
I was drowning in a sea of Starbucks before Cartel came and saved my life. Now, instead of drinking Daniel Plainview-approved office sludge I can skip three blocks and belly up at Cartel's friendly bar, continue working using their reliable Wi-Fi, and chat up friendly staff and regulars while enjoying to-die-for drips. And now that Adam Reeder's kitchen is cranking out Digby plates and Downtown's best tuna sandwich (for best results, place the potato chips ON the sandwich) Cartel is able to meet your needs for breakfast and lunch. Check out their afternoon pastry happy hour and get tasty cookies (made daily by Adam's sister) for half-price.
Hopefully one day in Downtown's near future we can support a place like Cartel enough that they can stay open for dinner and on weekends.
Dare to dream.