Lafayette offers variety of coffee shops

By Jenny Jones
Staff Writer

It Is Easy Being Green

College Town Coffee can be described in one word — topless. This has nothing to do with busty waitresses, but with its endless cups of coffee.

College Town Coffee on Northwestern Avenue is one of four coffeehouses near campus, and has been in business for only one year, making it the baby of Purdue’s coffeehouse explosion.

"We’re somewhat of an alternative coffee house," said Richard Mangione, manager of College Town Coffee. "We have a very different atmosphere; we’re all green."

Walking into the shop, coffee drinkers may first notice the lime green walls and hip music.

Open 24 hours, College Town, the only near-campus coffee shop allowing smoking, is a lot like a bar, said Mangione.

Getting most of its business at night, the shop features bands, a relaxed atmosphere, homemade doughnuts, and strong coffee.

John Baase, a junior in the Schools of Engineering, said he goes to College Town every day.

"It’s open 24 hours and the people here are always easy to get along with," said Baase. "It’s a big social gathering."

Although College Town is a good place to hang out, it is not designed for students who want to study, said Mangione. "It’s pretty dark."

But Baase said it’s the only place in town he can get food at 4 a.m. and enjoy a cigar at the same time.

"We’re quite a weird coffee shop," said Mangione.

Bright Lights, Open Books, But Who's Reading?

Village Coffeehouse, which opened four months before College Town, is down the block, but caters to a different genre of coffee lovers.

"We’re a real study place," said Katrin Parker, Village's manager.

Village even offers a conference room for study group sign up and meeting, said Parker.

Wagas Khan, a sophomore in the School of Management, and Sarmad Saghir, a senior in the Schools of Engineering, said they take advantage of Village’s atmosphere every other day.

"(Village Coffeehouse) just has many more lights," said Khan. "But we usually mess around more than we study."

But Parker said the atmosphere isn't just about study space.

"I think our employees are really friendly… Now, even high school kids seem to enjoy the atmosphere; it’s an alternative to hanging out at the malls."

Village Coffeehouse books a variety of entertaining attractions for its customers, including bands, commentary and poetry groups.

"It’s a relaxed atmosphere, a place you can hang out in and just talk," said Parker.

More Than Mocha at Moka

But while every coffeehouse serves coffee, Café Moka serves up much more.

"We serve a lot of international dishes," said Ahmed Alsoffi, owner of Café Moka on South Street. "More hot meals in addition to coffee," he said.

Café Moka has been in business for two years and serves a variety of Indian and Middle Eastern dishes.

"I know the people here well, and the food they have is authentic," said Khalid Elrifai, a senior in the Schools of Engineering who visits Café Moka every day.

"It’s a good place to go during class breaks when you want to go somewhere warm," he said.

Because of its fare, Café Moka appeals to international students; snippets of Hindi, Arabic and Spanish float above the sound of tabla music.

Complete with colorful wall hangings and embroidered pillows, Café Moka is getting ready to introduce even more international flavor to its customers with the Shisha.

The Shisha is a Mediterranean tradition, said Elrifai. "It’s like a water pipe that people can smoke flavored tobacco in," he said.

Coffee, Café, Kaffee

Purdue’s oldest coffeehouse is Vienna Espresso Bar and Bakery, also on South Street.

"We get mostly students, but we have a lot of staff members come in during lunch," said supervisor Matthew Clark. "Vienna is much more University-based."

Vienna also appeals to a large international crowd, and is a place where Japanese, Peruvian, Turkish and other international students gather to study and talk with American students.

Vienna offers a variety of sweets, all baked on site, and sandwiches named after Jazz musicians.

The most popular drink is Vanilla Chi, an Indian spiced tea with milk that is said to taste like pumpkin pie with whipped cream.

Although Vienna is dimly lit, the coffee shop is packed each week with students and professors.

Vienna also offers entertainment such as local bands and an open mic night for poetry and DJs.

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