Knockbox Cafe — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I feel like my rating is the average of many years of having this be the nearest cafe, with the best hours to fit my schedule. Have I occasionally gotten a latte with grounds in it? Yes. Did I once get a salmon sandwich with a shred of plastic wrap embedded in the cream cheese? Yes. Are the lines ungodly long if you make the mistake of going there on a weekend morning? Also yes. But am I totally willing to forgive all this because of all the times it's been there for me on a quiet afternoon on my way home from work? Definitely. Even on off days, their coffee is pretty good; the beans they have for sale are consistently incredible; 99% of the time the staff are super warm and friendly; the zucchini bread and banana bread are usually spectacular (again, every once in a while you'll get a dry piece, but if you have a drink to wash it down, it's still fine). It's not the place I'd recommend if you're from out of town and only have time to visit one coffee spot. But for a neighborhood mainstay, it's hard...

As other reviewers have mentioned, the name of this cafe is now Earth Cup and it is now under new management from its predecessor Coffee Market. I used to come to this place periodically when it was under its previous entity as I used to live right across the street, and while I loved the coffee, I was put off by the lack of WiFi and the sometimes gruff customer service. HOWEVER, once they re-opened as Earth Cup, and since I have moved elsewhere in the neighborhood, I am more eager to frequent the cafe now that the service is significantly friendlier, there is free WiFi, awesome music playing, and the food selection has expanded. They also now host monthly open mic nights to which I unfortunately can’t make it due to work, but I’m hoping maybe at some point I can swing it. I especially love the apple cake, the danish (as pictured), and the bagels with salmon and cream cheese. Definitely one of my standard go-to’s in the neighborhood since...

By far my favorite coffee shop in the neighborhood! I mainly like how friendly their staff are (not snooty like other local spots), and of course their coffee is great! They sell very nice whole-bean coffee and espresso (which they are willing to grind for you if desired) as well; I love their Papua New Guinea coffee in particular. They have a cool take one, leave one book shelf area where you can grab a new book or donate an old one. The main negative here is simply that there's very limited indoor seating, so in colder weather you may not find a seat. In general, I see this as a good place to go and read a book or talk with a friend, but not a great place to go to work or type a paper (though I see some doing that there). I'm not sure they even have wifi, come to think of it, though they may now. They have a nice (albeit rustic/worn) outdoor deck that I like a lot when the...