Menagerie Coffee — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Order: Iced Latte, Cappuccino Price: $8 Pros: Espresso was incredibly high quality, the staff was very friendly with offering suggestions and advice on the coffee, the seating was very well done given the peculiar dimensions of the space, centrally located to many of the historical sites. Cons: Parking was very difficult but given the area I think that's just a given for all places here.

Thoughts: Continuing in our coffee adventures in Philly we walked into Menagerie coffee around mid day after trekking through a decent chunk of downtown. As soon as we walked in the aroma of espresso washed over you like a glorious preview of things to come. We browsed around for coffee beans for a bit and after talking to the employees on staff we settled on the espresso drinks as opposed to standard pour over coffee.

The inside of the shop was very well designed given the limited space that they had. It was much longer than it was "wide" and they used that space very efficiently to create as much seating as they could while still keeping it from feeling overly cramped. I'm not normally one to comment too much on just they layout of a place but I was very impressed with what they were given.

The espresso was killer! Both the cappuccino and the iced latte were strong, full of flavor, had great body, and what was more impressive is that both the hot and cold were on point. Often a coffee house gets one or the other right but not both and they pulled them both off.

I’d definitely come back here if I was ever in the area, but I can also understand how it would be frustrating to try and park in order to come here. It’s so close to the historical sites that parking was almost nonexistent. If you happen to be anywhere near the area thought you owe it to yourself to grab a cappuccino...

The vibe of this place is chill and has potential for being productive. Tables have plenty of space for laptop and notebooks. I got an iced latte which was alright. Note: if you want a vanilla iced latte you have to add in the syrup yourself (there’s a counter with the syrups). The almond croissant was really good to the point that I considered asking where this cafe gets their almond croissants from. The almond filling is ample, which I sincerely appreciate since usually places skimp out on that part and it’s my favorite. Unfortunately I had to knock down a star solely because there is no AC here. Going here in the afternoon during the summer would be unbearable. In the morning when I went, it was still pretty stifling, but I toughed it out. No AC is such a turn off for me 😭😭😭😭 I can’t physically return again...

Menagerie is one of the first cafes several years ago that I returned to again and again after moving to Philly. Even in the throws of COVID, the staff of Menagerie found a way to lift up their desire for the shop to be welcoming and open to folks. First things first: the coffee is some of the best in Philly. Execution is perfect every time. Roast and brew yields an espresso that is complex and surprising across each sip. The only knock on this excellent experience is, unsurprisingly, the cafe can become noisy and packed with other customers in ways that can make for a busy and quick visit. Having been here in busy times and quiet times, this is fault of success rather than design or neglect. This popularity is well-deserved and I cannot think of a shop that is more worthy of your consideration in this...