I am eating my very first Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip cookie. A little bit crunchier than the Pillsbury counterpart, but just as delicious. I’m at the Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar in Orlando.
You could miss it if you weren’t looking for it. But you’d be glad you didn’t. There are red ceilings, the walls adorned with paintings for sale that are rich in hue. The couch in the corner I’m nestled on is comfortable. Resting on the windowsill behind me is a collection of books. A hand-made sign above them reads: “Feel free to take a book.” I’m sitting among others with similar notions of a pleasant Friday morning. Some are intertwined in the black and white palettes of their books, others affixed to the glow of their laptops, and still another studying the phone.
Point being, this isn’t Starbucks. The garbage disposal noise that is the gargle of everyone’s mumbling at those crowded places radiating around UCF is not present here. And after lodging myself in the library this past week with stale coffee, or cramming my head into my hands at the Barnes and Noble Café, it’s nice to be somewhere different. I wish I’d taken advantage of the atmosphere for the duration of midterm chaos.
I am not concerned with a lack of seating here. This deficiency of chairs is a prevalent issue at places around UCF. Case in point: I find myself walking into Starbucks in the vicinity of UCF equipped with laptop and pad of notebook paper, eager to spend an afternoon in solitude, satisfied with my own productivity. As I swish open the door, I notice the line of people progressing to where I stand, the tired cashier asking What can I get you today? There is a person to every chair, and I swear I can hear the girl’s conversation next to me in place of my own thoughts.
It is not the case here. That’s not to say the place is empty, there is ebb and flow to the quantity of people. I can understand why, with the quality of the food and coffee. But the atmosphere is a quiet one. I can focus. And this is a feat in and of itself.
The soup menu is categorized into Vegan, Vegetarian, and Meat options. It is the first place I’ve been to that sells vegan and gluten-free items generously. There is a diversity playing in the window where the food rests.
There is a picture of a man with crazy white hair on the cash register. Adjacent to this funny guy in the picture are the words “Death Before Decaf.” I couldn’t agree more.
My iced mocha is gone five minutes after the barista walks it over to my table. It is rich chocolate heaven interlaced with caffeine. The website (http://www.drunkenmonkeycoffee.com/) boasts that the coffee is roasted here. I officially feel prepped for denting in that colossal pile of homework I’ve been avoiding.
Also on the website, I learn that Tuesday nights are Improv nights, Thursday night is Science Fiction Club night, and Friday night is Board Game night.
The Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar is located 444 North Bumby Av. Definitely worth a try if you, like me, want to spark change in where you study.