Coffee in Uptown (Dallas, McKinney, Portland: credit, houses, neighborhoods)

[Renfrow]

I am looking for a place in Uptown (besides Starbucks) to get a good espresso. I would like a place where I can read the paper, maybe do a little work on my laptop (free Wi-Fi). Certainly there is a place that fits the bill . . . please tell me I am just missing it.

[Lakewooder]

Perhaps Breadwinners on McKinney?

[rosscountry]

Originally Posted by Renfrow

I am looking for a place in Uptown (besides Starbucks) to get a good espresso. I would like a place where I can read the paper, maybe do a little work on my laptop (free Wi-Fi). Certainly there is a place that fits the bill . . . please tell me I am just missing it.

That stinks because there is a starbucks right on mckinney that has shares an open air courtyard with a fire place with some other business. Its across from Lotus.
nice ambiance but charbucks coffee and not tooo busy.

[aceplace]

If all you want to do is use your laptop and read a paper while you sip coffee, then why is Starbucks not good? more appropriately, what are you looking for that a Starbucks cannot provide?

[Grainraiser]

Originally Posted by aceplace

If all you want to do is use your laptop and read a paper while you sip coffee, then why is Starbucks not good? more appropriately, what are you looking for that a Starbucks cannot provide?

That's also my question. Seems to me Starbucks pretty much as a strangle hold on coffee houses.

[Edward_from_Dallas]

I'm not sure what Uptown's northern border is but I'll guess that Motopia Cafe is a little too far north. But if you live in the northern part of Uptown it might be close enough. Here's the link:

MOTOPIA CAFE

It appears to be a motorcycle-themed coffee shop and cafe. Who would've guessed?!

Personally, I don't care why you don't like Starbucks. You wanted suggestions of places other than Starbucks and that's good enough for me.

[cityconvo]

Originally Posted by aceplace

If all you want to do is use your laptop and read a paper while you sip coffee, then why is Starbucks not good? more appropriately, what are you looking for that a Starbucks cannot provide?

One thing they do not provide that the OP asked for is free WiFi. Another thing might be good coffee that isn't burned.

[aceplace]

Originally Posted by cityconvo

One thing they do not provide that the OP asked for is free WiFi. Another thing might be good coffee that isn't burned.

Just as a question... is it easier for a hacker to invade your system if the WiFi is free? I used a few free places a while back and the next thing I knew my e-mail account was full of returned messages from individuals and sites all over the world... someone had been able to piggyback on my connection and use my computer to send out spam.

This issue, if it is one, would give Starbucks a relative advantage, provided their non-free Wifi was more secure. And I agree with the common opinion of the coffee... I drink chai tea when I'm there.

One possible flaw in my theory would be if I had not set the internet protocols correctly and placed every other laptop in the room on my network. If you know how to make Vista secure with free WiFi, I'd appreciate your help via private mail, since it is not really related to the subject of this thread. But the question of better security at Starbucks... or not... may be relevant to the thread.

[SmartGXL]

Regarding the coffee shops...it would seem to me that Uptown is the perfect place to have an independant coffee shop, that sells great coffee, and has that independant/progressive intellectual coffeehouse feel...I cant imagine that with all the great things that Uptown/Knox-Henderson/Oak Lawn/Lakewood have, that the ONLY coffee shop in this area is Starbucks. If it is true, then it is either a discredit to the area, OR, an amazing business opportunity!Other cities that have new-urban, walkable neighborhoods include: New York, Boston, Chicago, San Fran, Portland, Seattle...all of these cities usually have at least one local unique coffee house, I just cant imagine Dallas not offering the same thing.

[Macbeth2003]

Originally Posted by SmartGXL

Regarding the coffee shops...it would seem to me that Uptown is the perfect place to have an independant coffee shop, that sells great coffee, and has that independant/progressive intellectual coffeehouse feel...

Well that isn't really Uptown. Uptown has some great things going for it, but is more about trendy than independant. I don't mean that as a slur, just an observation of different neighborhoods.
Now The other areas you mention all have non Starbucks places to get a good cup of coffee.