I take exception with the metion of Café du Monde in this listing... the coffee sucks ass especially for New Orleans style coffee.
TOP U.S. COFFEE BARS *
*according to Food & Wine magazine..
La Colombe Torrefaction
Great pastries and people-watching; silky cappuccino (130 S. 19th St., Philadelphia; 215-563-0860).
Ritual Coffee Roasters
Mission District hipsters love the French-press coffee here (1026 Valencia St., San Francisco; 415-641-1024).
Ninth Street Espresso
Owner Ken Nye pulls some of New York's best espresso at this East Village spot (700 E. Ninth St., New York; 212-358-9225).
Aloha Island
All Kona coffee, all the time, from the owners' Big Island plantation in Hawaii (153 S. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills; 310-786-8257).
Ruta Maya
Terrific coffee exclusively from Chiapas, Mexico, plus great live music (3601 S. Congress Ave., Austin; 512-707-9637).
Murky Coffee
This Capitol Hill spot is a hangout for politicos and staffers (660 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, D.C.; 202-546-5228).
Blue Bottle Coffee Co.
A 10-by-10-foot space that's more a stand than a shop, it grinds and brews terrific beans to order (315 Linden St., San Francisco; 415-252-7535).
Jack's Stir Brew Coffee
Owner Jack Mazzola has invented a coffeemaker that stirs the coffee grinds as it brews, giving each cup an even, smooth taste (138 W. 10th St.; New York City; 212-929-0821).
Gimme! Coffee
Ithaca, New York-based coffee fanatic John Gant air-roasts his beans so the roast level is perfectly uniform (495 Lorimer St.; Brooklyn, New York; 718-388-7771).
Café du Monde
Housed in a French Quarter landmark building, founded in 1862, it is still known for its coffee-chicory blends (1039 Decatur St., New Orleans; 504-587-0835).
Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company
Zoka's head barista, Phuong Tran, is the current United States Barista Champion (2200 N. 56th St.; Seattle; 206-545-4277).
Espresso Vivace Roasteria
Husband-and-wife owners David Schomer and Geneva Sullivan started Vivace with a single street-side cart; now they're a Seattle institution. Their espresso is known for its gorgeous crema (901 E. Denny Way, Seattle; 206-860-5869).
Victrola Coffee Roasters
The friendly neighborhood vibe and flawless espresso drinks here are augmented by a wide menu of panini (411 15th Ave. East, Seattle; 206-325-6520).
Metropolis Coffee Company
Father and son owners Jeff and Tony Dreyfuss run a virtual entertainment center at their coffee house with rotating art displays, music and a film series (1039 W. Granville Ave.; Chicago; 773-764-0400).
TOP U.S. COFFEE BARS *
*according to Food & Wine magazine..
La Colombe Torrefaction
Great pastries and people-watching; silky cappuccino (130 S. 19th St., Philadelphia; 215-563-0860).
Ritual Coffee Roasters
Mission District hipsters love the French-press coffee here (1026 Valencia St., San Francisco; 415-641-1024).
Ninth Street Espresso
Owner Ken Nye pulls some of New York's best espresso at this East Village spot (700 E. Ninth St., New York; 212-358-9225).
Aloha Island
All Kona coffee, all the time, from the owners' Big Island plantation in Hawaii (153 S. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills; 310-786-8257).
Ruta Maya
Terrific coffee exclusively from Chiapas, Mexico, plus great live music (3601 S. Congress Ave., Austin; 512-707-9637).
Murky Coffee
This Capitol Hill spot is a hangout for politicos and staffers (660 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, D.C.; 202-546-5228).
Blue Bottle Coffee Co.
A 10-by-10-foot space that's more a stand than a shop, it grinds and brews terrific beans to order (315 Linden St., San Francisco; 415-252-7535).
Jack's Stir Brew Coffee
Owner Jack Mazzola has invented a coffeemaker that stirs the coffee grinds as it brews, giving each cup an even, smooth taste (138 W. 10th St.; New York City; 212-929-0821).
Gimme! Coffee
Ithaca, New York-based coffee fanatic John Gant air-roasts his beans so the roast level is perfectly uniform (495 Lorimer St.; Brooklyn, New York; 718-388-7771).
Café du Monde
Housed in a French Quarter landmark building, founded in 1862, it is still known for its coffee-chicory blends (1039 Decatur St., New Orleans; 504-587-0835).
Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Company
Zoka's head barista, Phuong Tran, is the current United States Barista Champion (2200 N. 56th St.; Seattle; 206-545-4277).
Espresso Vivace Roasteria
Husband-and-wife owners David Schomer and Geneva Sullivan started Vivace with a single street-side cart; now they're a Seattle institution. Their espresso is known for its gorgeous crema (901 E. Denny Way, Seattle; 206-860-5869).
Victrola Coffee Roasters
The friendly neighborhood vibe and flawless espresso drinks here are augmented by a wide menu of panini (411 15th Ave. East, Seattle; 206-325-6520).
Metropolis Coffee Company
Father and son owners Jeff and Tony Dreyfuss run a virtual entertainment center at their coffee house with rotating art displays, music and a film series (1039 W. Granville Ave.; Chicago; 773-764-0400).
I more or less lived at Zoka during grad school. It gets kinda crazy on weekend mornings though when all of Green Lake descends upon Zoka. The place smells heavenly when they're roasting coffee 
.
