Simon Says

Simon Says Café in East Greenwich is one of my all-time favorite coffee shops. I first stumbled upon Simon Says when I was about thirteen and thought I was just the coolest person because I could walk there with my friends and get something to eat. Now, however, I am pretty much addicted to Simon's iced coffee. I live on the Warwick-East Greenwich line, so it's really close to home. It's about a twenty five minute drive from URI, but I think the coffee (among other options) is worth the hike. Simon Says is located in the heart of Main Street, so there's usually a steady stream of cafe-goers coming in and out. Simon Says also features free Wifi, so it's an ideal spot to set up a computer and get some work done. If you're computer-less, Simon Says' storefront windows also function as great tools for people-watching. I'll admit, my friends and I have been guilty of drinking coffee while being entertained by the passerbys of Main Street.

Upon entering Simon Says, you will be faced with an impressive chalk board, listing all of the iced/hot coffee flavors of the day. Simon's has the classics, like house blend and hazelnut, but also features specialty flavors like "Jamaican me crazy," mocha vanilla, and mudslide. The flavors are brewed in, so if you are like me and prefer flavor brews rather than flavor shots, Simon Says is ideal.

Besides coffee, Simon Says features a variety of teas, fresh baked goods, and sandwiches. You can have any of their deli sandwiches grilled on their panini-maker which makes any 'ol sandwich taste infinitely better!

Warning: You might become addicted to this wicked good coffee! Fear not, however, because Simon's has a coffee card; for every six coffees you buy, you get one free!

Quick Info:

What: Simon Says Café
Where: East Greenwich
Price Range: Moderate
Best Feature: Iced coffee flavors

Sophie's

I tried Sophie's Coffee for the first time last week and was pleasantly surprised. Sophie's is located on the South County Trail in Exeter. It's about five miles from the URI campus, but has a more rural feel than most of the coffee shops in the Narragansett area.

Sophie's certainly has a lot to offer. They have an assortment of coffee flavors, including Snickerdoodle and Toffee Coffee. Sophie's also has sandwiches with vegetarian options. Finally, Sophie's has an ice cream bar -- an unexpected bonus in a coffee shop.

Although I am not very familiar with the Exeter area, (from a Rhode Islander's perspective, this is considered the boonies) I could tell that Sophie's is a favored destination among locals. The atmosphere is cozy and rustic. My friend and I did some homework there and were accompanied by two moms who had brought their kids there after school. They were having a casual meeting while the kids played with some of the toys offered in Sophie's. This kid-friendly, comfortable coffee shop is worth the adventure to "the sticks."






Quick Info:
What: Sophie's
Where: Exeter
Price Range: Moderate - High
Best Feature: Ice cream

Felicia's

One of my favorite coffee shops, Felicia's Coffee in East Greenwich is certainly a place to try. Felicia's features a drive-thru, several drink options, and a rotating coffee flavor of the day. Felicia's offers bagels, muffins, scones, and a mouth-watering dessert case stocked with cheesecakes, brownies, fruit tarts, and much more. Felicia's is not just for coffee lovers; stop by and share a dessert or try a high-fiber cookie (the best of both worlds!). What I like in particular about Felicia's is its personable atmosphere as well as its convenience. There was a point during the summer when my friends and I struck up friendships with the employees at the drive-thru!




Quick Info:

What:Felicia's
Where: East Greenwich
Price Range: Moderate (Medium Iced = $2.25)
Best Feature: Drive-Thru

Jitters

Although you might pass by this little coffee joint in North Kingstown without even noticing, it is certainly worth the stop. Jitters Café is small but has a lot to offer. I tried it for the first time today and would highly recommend it. They have a variety of fairly priced coffees, bagels, muffins, and sandwiches. I tried the hazelnut coffee which tasted similar to Java Madness' hazelnut blend. My friends enjoyed the caramel flavored coffee as well. I've also heard rave reviews about the Thanksgiving sandwich--I guess I'll have to return. We went in the early afternoon and could only stay for a few minutes, but it was pretty busy with a constant flow of customers, many of whom I assume to be "regulars."

Quick Info:

What: Jitters
Where: North Kingstown, RI
Price Range: Moderate ($2.20 for a medium iced coffee)
Best Feature: Deli sandwiches

Wake Up and Smell the Cawfee

As we coffee lovers know, a good cup (or more) of coffee is essential for starting off every day. Although my future posts will focus on my adventures to various coffee shops around Rhode Island, a February blizzard altered my plans for today. The heavy snow and gusty winds did not, however, prevent my roommates and me from trekking to Dunkin' Donuts.

The intention of this blog is to promote several local coffee places aside from the ubiquitous Dunkin' Donuts, but what better way to initiate this than by sharing my Dunkin' experience?

That being said, my outing in the blizzard today highlights some fundamental characteristics of many Rhode Islanders' attitudes towards coffee:

First, today's adventure exemplifies the fact that Rhode Islanders, like myself, will travel great lengths to satisfy their coffee needs. And by "great lengths," I am not referring to distance (in fact, there are 125+ Dunkin' Donuts shops in Rhode Island's mere 1,214 square miles). I mean that a vast majority of Rhode Islanders will risk health, safety, and overall well-being in order to get that cup of coffee. School cancellations and treacherous conditions were not enough to deter us from getting our coffee fix. Three of my roommates and I dusted off the car and made fresh tire tracks up the un-plowed road to the nearest Dunkin'.

Secondly, I learned today that Rhode Islanders (most I've encountered, anyway) will go out of their way to get coffee from their preferred shop. Case in point? Our adventure in the snow today was not limited to one, but two coffee shops. On our way to Dunkin', we stopped at Coffee Connection (a local café I'll discuss in a later post) so that my roommate could get a flavor unavailable at Dunkin' Donuts. Apparently, beggars can be choosers.

Finally, today's outing demonstrates the quirky Rhode Island preference for iced rather than hot coffee, despite unfavorable weather conditions. After rolling up at our second coffee destination, my other roommate rolled down the half-frozen car window only to order an iced (!) coffee. Of course, I am guilty of ordering a mid-February iced coffee, but something about the snow usually gets me in the mood for a piping hot cup of coffee.

Although today's adventure was not the coffee excursion I had had in mind, it proved to be informative. Not only did I learn that Dunkin' Donuts is not closed during snow storms, but I have discovered some Rhode Island coffee tendencies to keep in mind for future java-adventures.