#Amuse @bullrunbar Exceptional coffee, comfy space, affable staff. Macchiato, Iced Nutz, & Johnny Clash are not to miss goo.gl/ps3c0
— Josh Page (@ILikeFoodJP) January 1, 2013
Happy 2013! Wishing you tasty, interesting food and drink in the New Year. Thank you so much for reading and contributing to the blog. May you eat and prosper!
Although not known as a coffee Mecca, Minneapolis seems to have more java huts than community theaters and bike shops—and that’s a lot! Luckily, intense competition tends to weed out most of the losers, leaving the area with a quality crop. And while I feed my caffeine addiction at numerous spots around town, I’m especially fond of Bull Run.
I judge coffee bars by their macchiato: if it’s subpar, I’m gone (only to return if there’s no other option… ahem, Starbucks). Bull Run passes the macchiato test and then some—mouthwatering, balanced espresso marked with a couple dollops of perfect foam. And then there’s the Iced Nutz (yes, you read that right), a smooth, cold combination of Nutella, cocoa, milk, and espresso. I’m generally not crazy about sweet coffee drinks, but this one’s ideal for hot summer afternoons (though, at $5 a pop, it’s not an everyday treat). A relatively small Uptown spot (in the old Cars-r-Coffins space), Bull Run gets its top-notch coffee from beans sourced directly from small farms and roasted at their own place in St. Louis Park (Bull Run Roasting Company sells beans by the pound and wholesale).
It’s not coffee alone that makes Bull Run great. Irresistible goodies from Patisserie 46 go wonderfully with the drinks, and the staff is friendly, skilled, and knowledgeable without taking their craft too seriously (I’ve yet to hear any references to a brew’s “fruity bouquet” or “chocolatey notes”). In all, Bull Run is a comfortable place to enjoy excellent drink and snacks, read, chat, write, and waste time on your gadget of choice (even their communal typewriter). I highly recommend visiting on “Johnny Clash” Monday: several hours in the morning/early afternoon when the staff plays only Johnny Cash and The Clash.
Theme Song
Johnny Clash (aka Billy Bragg), “Old Clash Fan Fight Song”
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For those outside Lyn-Lake, I want to also put in a good word for just-off-Hiawatha Angry Catfish, which is, to my knowledge, the only Mpls coffee bar serving Intelligentsia (now that Cake Eater Bakery is gone) and makes me happy by never scalding their milk (my pet peeve) and allowing me to drool over beautiful bicycles while I wait. Another good choice is Powderhorn’s Blue Ox Coffee Co., which has the added benefit of being just a couple of doors down from Wing Young Huie’s pics-and-ping-pong emporium, The Third Place.