Tell us what you want! Independently run coffee shops?

[onoff123go 10]

The most important things for me are

 

Good coffee, be able to buy a cafitierre. Different selections, Columbian, Java, French, Italian, which Utopia do.

 

Comfortable seating. Many cafes and tea rooms have uncomfortable seating, either hard metal seats like coffee revolution or hard wooden seats like in many tea rooms. Utopia has hard uncomfortbale plastic seats which look bright and stylish but they are rubbish for sitting on very long. However, I don't think deep sofas are a great idea either because you fall back into them and can't reach your coffee without hauling yourself out of the depths. Try and have a good selection of different seats and try and make them comfortable!

 

Music is always too loud, its not so bad for having a conversation but it's impossible to read. If you don't like the music and its very quiet you can deal with it. Possibly have one room or space where its medium loud and one where it's not on at all or quiet. Usually I move around in a futile attempt to avoid speakers

[onoff123go 10]

DO NOT put a big screen anywhere

[Burntlego 10]

Utopia was great, the variety of food and drinks was good and the music they played was awesome, I remember going in there once and a Boards of Canada tune was playing, I couldn't believe it - seemed like the perfect chill out music for a place like that!

I'd like to see fresh juices, teas as well as coffee, local produce, local artists' work on the walls and a later closing time.

[onoff123go 10]

Definately a late closing time. There's pretty much nowhere you can go after 5pm without being forced to drink and listen to annoying music. Apparently in the U.S.A they have a lot more opportunities for late night coffee. It's be amazing if it was open till 10 or 11.

 

Has Utopia actually shut I thought it was being refurbished

 

Cafe # 9 is the best cafe in Sheffield, except for its slightly out of the way location (unless you live there) and limited size. But the coffee is top drawer

[Dark Moomin 10]

When I spent some time with family in the states they had some great coffee shops, some were hang out for younger people - like we'd gop to the pub at 18-20 they went to the coffee shops cos they couldn't drink. Others were more wide ranging in their appeal. One thing they did seem to do pretty well was little nibbly food, plates of good nacho's mozerrella sticks, that kind of thing.

[ellielambert 10]

onoff123go Utopia has shut as a coffee shop, it's now a quite nice Moroccan restaurant.

[funfamily 10]

Great faitrade tea, coffee, hot choccies..

 

Smoothies, homemade cakes and scones...

 

Good lighting..

 

Reasonable prices and comfy seating..

 

Lunch bites i.e. paninis, toasties, jackets.. I tend to pop in somewhere I can get that too??

 

If you're going for 21 -35's don't forget they have kids in the daytime too! Or some of us do anyway.. so highchairs, kids drinks and organic fruit snacks.