Deviant Craft Coffee & Donuts - Bryce Bishop

 Deviant Craft Coffee & Donuts - Bryce Bishop

Mystic CT

        I had a wonderful experience visiting this wonderful Cafe in April. I got to explore this lovely place just after a visit to the Mystic Aquarium. If you are ever in the area and would like to sit down and enjoy a very reasonably priced coffee with a very unique and tasteful donut, I couldn't recommend this place enough.

            With only a five minute walk from the aquarium entrance, you will stumble upon a building that is shown above. The atmosphere inside is wonderful, as even when it gets very busy the people inside are a delight and take pride in each cup of coffee and donut they craft and serve. 

 

            The food and coffee that I ordered was just delicious, and I definitely recommend their cherry cream donut shown on the right image. If you are ever in the Mystic Village area, please stop in to this great Cafe. I will definitely be making this a regular stop when I am visiting that town with my girlfriend and her family.

Angel's Cafe in Sharon, MA - Fog Pokrovskiy

Angel's Cafe 

Reviewed by Fog Pokrovskiy

Location

Angel's Cafe is an American-Mediterranean restaurant and cafe. It's located in the Sharon town center, and the cafe has the "Welcome to Sharon" sign on its property. Its address is 3 Post Office Square, Sharon, MA 02067.

Picture of the front entrance with the "Welcome to Sharon" sign in front.

The Angel's Cafe is in a walkable area since it is located in the town center. There are pedestrian crosswalks and sidewalks leading up to the cafe that connect it to other nearby areas. There is an MBTA station about an 8-10 minute walk away from the cafe. The cafe also has a back entrance connected to a sizable parking lot with a wheelchair accessible entrance. 

The cafe's front entrance. It's connected to the sidewalks and outdoor seating. 

The cafe's back entrance connected to the parking lot with the ramp. 

The exterior seating is a lively environment despite the busy intersection nearby. The exterior seating has seating option with large umbrellas. There are also plant beds nearby that increase the appeal of the outdoor seating in the spring and summertime. 

A picture of an outdoor seating option, with plant beds and cars near the intersection visible.

The interior of the building has a cozy environment, with natural lighting and comfortable artificial lighting. It can be a bit crowded though, despite the plenty of seating options including window views, high chairs, and regular tables. 

A picture of one of the interior seating options, the high table, with cafe logo and decorative picture visible on the brick wall.  

Customers

Based on my observations, people either came in for a quick order to go, or ordered and stayed for a short while. Though, there were several individuals or people in a group of two who stayed in the cafe for a long while, like I did. Some even stayed for over two hours (as they were there before I arrived and there while I left). I also noticed that several people also switched between the indoor and outdoor seating, like I did. The people who visited the cafe were also a variety of ages, with no particular age group appearing as the main demographic. The staff were nice, polite, and seemed busy. 

Criticism

Despite the lively and cozy atmosphere of the building, I have noticed a discrepancy between the owner edited location detains on google maps. On google maps, the location details for Angel's Cafe list the cafe as both 'LGBTQ+ friendly' and a 'transgender safespace'. However, there is no gender neutral bathroom option despite both the men and women's bathrooms being single stalled. Some other things to note are that only the women's bathroom contained a baby changing station and the women's bathroom seemed to have a dysfunctional lock. 

The hallway viewed from the back entrance of the cafe which leads to the interior seating and registers. The bathrooms are in the middle of this hallway.

Menu

From the cafe's menu I tried their Turkish black coffee, cappuccino, and pancakes. Their Turkish black coffee was relatively full-bodied. The cappuccino was relatively light and pleasant. Their pancakes, served with a side of fruit and syrups were fluffy, but not too remarkable. 

The Turkish black coffee.

The cappuchino.

The pancakes and sides.

Though, I was unable to try either of their signature dishes, the Angel's brunch and Shakshuka due to allergies/sensitivities/intolerances (jury's still out on which). The Angel’s Brunch includes two eggs “your way,” house salad, and a bread basket with an assortment of spreads – cream cheese, tuna, feta, sundried tomato, basil pesto. Their Shakshuka includes two eggs poached over caramelized onion tomato sauce served with three falafel, tahini and seasoned ciabatta. 

On a related note, on their website they claim that many of their menu items can be modified for gluten-free diets, but also disclaim that "since the kitchen works with gluten regularly, cross-contamination can happen." 

Map

Map of the Sharon Town center, the Sharon historic district, local businesses, and Angel's Cafe.

Contact

Website: https://angelscafesharon.com/ 

Identity Coffee Co.

  

Identity Coffee Co. is located in Taunton at 49 Main St., MA, 02780

In modern America, there's a flood of chain coffeeshops pasting themselves into any available space. Instead, choose local. In Taunton Massachusetts, one of the best options is Identity Coffee Co. Here, you'll find a vast array of drinks, food, and even ice cream should you so desire. I decided to try it out on a weekend, and even during the midday Saturday chaos, there was a sort of peace to the babble inside.

 

At Identity, you'll find a vast array of options to choose from. Everything from cold coffees and teas to specialty hot-brewed drinks are made to order by a host of friendly staff who make the experience all the better. With fresh-baked goods that rotate frequently, you'll never have the exact same options each time you come to Identity. If coffee isn't your exact taste, there's plenty more to choose from. Additionally, their reasonable prices make the trip far more worthwhile.

 

Immediately across the bar, you'll find the roughly placed stage. Among the wide variety of chairs populating the comfortable space, a well-kept space for musicians is maintained for events hosted on various nights. Here you'll get to listen to everything from easy jazz to relaxing low-fidelity tunes.

 

In the upstairs section overlooking the main cafe, you'll find a curated space for gatherings of friends and family to play games like billiards, table tennis, and a selection of board games. It's removed from the main room and allows the din to filter out, which is perfect for a friendly match or just calm isolation. Additionally, there's wheelchair access via an elevator so that everyone can enjoy the upstairs.

 

For children who prefer a quiet, solitary room, you'll find the Florence Room. The inviting warm maroon scheme colors a peaceful section of the coffeehouse away from the main chatter of the greater cafe. With a window to allow parents to keep an eye on the younger ones, this room is perfect for children and even adults who need a minute away from the madness.

On top of the Florence Room, the Lewis Room is a reservable space for many meetings and gatherings to be hosted at the coffeehouse. When I visited Identity, there was a business meeting that seemed of the utmost importance, so no pictures from me. When I was visiting, they were even building an art room dedicated to local artists.

 

Currently, Identity has a detailed vision board that explains to the public just what they plan to do for their community space in Taunton. A maker's market, a proper youth center, a library, an outdoor patio—Identity aims to be more than just a coffeeshop. They're a community center.

 

Seeing as how Identity is only six minutes away, always choose locally owned businesses like Identity. America needs more community spaces, and if you're in the area, stop by Identity and make their community space better with your presence.