Happy Coffee

The coffee was amazing. Gluten free pumpkin muffin was amazing. I might have waited for the coffee but I was with someone I like so I didn’t notice.
Did «Metropolis» buy them?. I thought there was a Metropolis sign but the trees covered a little.
Pretty place and people were nice.

I wanted to like Happy Coffee, but I draw the line at waiting 15 minutes for an espresso. On one hand, the baristas clearly know what they’re doing and have an appreciation for their brew, on the other hand, I wouldn’t mind some extra help behind the counter. Nonetheless, I’m willing to give Happy three stars for its brightly lit, spacious interior, perfect for cozying up with a good book and a view of South Broadway.

It’s a toss up with this shop. There are an equal amount of pros and cons for me.
The pros are great quality coffee, they can make the elusive Cortado that I adore, has a nice location and cute interior, they carry smaller size servings, has a friendly staff, and super bright windows.
Downsides? Pretty expensive, not many options for flavor or style of drink, can feel a bit crowded or unwelcoming because of the lack of space, they don’t pick up dirty dishes, and it is a bit pretentious for my taste.
Overall, I don’t mind the downsides that much even though they may deter some. This is a coffee shop for solo adventures more than going out with friends or on a date.

I went to Happy Coffee on a Sunday around 11 a.m. I ordered a latte and they told me it would be a 10 minute wait for the drink. 10 minutes for a $ 5 latte? Why? It makes no sense. If you can’t handle your volume of business, adjust your staffing. Making customers wait 10 minutes is just bad business and demonstrates that they don’t understand what your obligation is to your customer. When you open your doors to customers, you are agreeing to offer them a quality product at a fair price served with courtesy and professionalism in a timely manner. That is the rule of consumerism.
Furthermore, the cashier was snotty, unfriendly and pretentious, a real turn off. I cancelled my order and went somewhere else.

Unsanitary Fowl Coffee
The absolutely worst espresso I have ordered in my natural life!!! It was served with a skunk smell and the barista had used his fingers all over the coffee instead of properly tapping it. Completely disgusting.
Most injurious to my ego was paying with tip $ 4.00 for this drink.

This is a tough one. Absolutely great coffee, and no ambiance at all.
It is a storefront at Ellsworth and Broadway, and the coffee is sublime!
That is all.
Uncomfortable seating. No music. Lacks any warmth.

Happy Coffee just doesn’t do it for me.
1. The coffee is good, but is pretty expensive for this city.
2. There are basically no outlets for your computer plug. This is very difficult for me because I go to coffee shops to get a bit of work done here and there. Not to just sit and stare out the window. Maybe this is good for other people…
3. The ambiance is a bit… sterile. Idk. It’s hip and is pseudo Netherlands looking, but it’s just lacking some character. I am not walking in here and expecting cozy, but something about having to sit facing the dark back half of the room or facing forward but not being able to see much is weird. That’s nit-​picky, I know. Something is just weird in there. Maybe some art would help liven it up?
4. The clientele. Okay. I know I shouldn’t go here, being a hip coffee hopping, bike riding designer myself, but everyone here is white, wearing skinny jeans and black glasses. Don’t believe me? Just look. It’s even worse than the Intelligentsia on Sunset in LA. You can’t rate the store down, but it just adds to the strange feeling, only having über hip folk populating your establishment.
Happy is just so sterile. I’ll give it another try in a few months when I have an afternoon where I want to just sit and read. The plugs thing has got to change though.

No drip coffee after noon (unless there’s leftovers), a healthy dose of elitism, prices that make San Francisco seem affordable, tiny serving sizes, slow service, and the overwhelming feeling that I should feel honored to spend my money there have all led to me going elsewhere. The coffee is good, but I can make good coffee at home.
What’s so hard about a tall mug of black coffee for a couple of bucks from a happy person in an inviting space?

This is the place to be if you like slow, tiny, expensive drinks with a side of snobbery. The coffee is really good for sure, but it takes… FOREVER to make. Cups aren’t standard, so the largest beverage you can get is a 12 oz. Prices are high, even considering that the coffee is good – you can get a lot of good coffee in a lot of places for much less $$$.
As for the snobbery thing, I live in this neighborhood, and I like foodie joints. But there is a big difference between being genuinely enthusiastic about quality food, and having that exasperated holier-​than-​thou attitude. Happy tends to be the latter – sadly!

Holy-​hipsters Batman!
I mean, who cares, but that is VERY much the vibe of this place, so be aware, as I know not everyone digs the hipster scene.
I like the décor and the vibe. However, I have a little bit of a problem having 12 ounces being a large and paying $ 2.75 for it. I may be ignorant and not know all the ins and outs of the coffee making and quality, but still.
That aside, I was having a terrible morning a few weeks ago and I just needed a cup of coffee in a pinch — drip coffee wasn’t available within the 5 minutes I needed it. So they offered me a few viable alternatives (instead of condescending me because I had no idea what I could get quickly) and got me out the door as quickly as possible, which I greatly appreciated!

Cheers to the BF for finding this new gem! He was strolling Broadway while I was getting a haircut. He returned with iced coffee in hand, saying he found an awesome coffee place that I just had to visit! He explained that it was a coffee shop that made cold brewed coffee using the Kyoto method. LOVE IT!
Turns out Happy Coffee opened this location in April 2012. They used to have a coffee stand in Salvegetti’s. If you are in the area and looking for a caffeine fix, then this is the place for you!

My new 2013 Unilocal quest is going to try as many local coffee places as I can. Don’t get me wrong I still love my Starbucks Gold Card but I want to give my support to the local coffee joints and see what they all have to offer.
Happy Coffee offered up a warm vanilla nonfat latte that was creamy and delectable with some fun espresso art in my foam (nice touch). The space is fun and is perfect for the Broadway crowd, very hipster. The staff is friendly and takes their coffee pretty seriously. Vanilla is there only flavor so if you’re looking for flavor varieties seek someplace else. They was the espresso to shine through and oh how the espresso warms me up on a cool day.
Stay, sit and enjoy a book with Happy Coffee serving up some delicious espresso on any day and I guarantee you will have a great day!

It’s not like Happy Coffee is trying to raise your expectations insurmountably with the name (at least I don’t think so). They’re preparing you for the friendliness within, because that’s how they roll.
Confession: I don’t know coffee that well. Not enough to confidently snob up a coffee-​versation, anyway. I’m not that embarrassed about this, but I feel like it affects the impact of a positive review from me. So while I am unable to wax poetic on the nuanced robustness that the unheated, steel coffee grinder lends to the overall appeal of the whatever, I will tell you, dear reader, that the folks who work here CAN. And they’re more than pleased to explain it to you, even if you are obviously vacantly nodding your head at everything they say because, hey, coffee is serious business and you’ve gotta look like you fit in.
I ordered the vanilla latte because I seem to remember them telling me that their vanilla is house-​made? At any rate, it had that naturally-​sweet taste; not overbearing and certainly not fake. Inviting, maybe. In short, they infused enough good that my friend who never drinks coffee drank it down with aplomb. And, reader, when coffee can inspire confidence in a newbie, I think the maker has done something right.
The shop feels nice. It’s open and minimalist. There’s some IKEA-​looking benches and tables, a bar area that seemed pretty popular, and a few pieces of neat abstract expressionist art hung on the wall with care in a meticulous grid. I only stayed in the main room and sat at one of the aforementioned bench-​tables*, BUT I did spy some stairs leading to a second story?
I guess what I’m saying is this: don’t forget to appreciate the workers’ desire to inform, the mostly inspiring work environment (if that’s your thing), and especially the design in the coffee. I think they’re all a part of that happy thing.
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* Probably the worst choice for two people, as the people coming in later were forced to do that weird roaming thing, and I have to do that weird thing where I am ‘too preoccupied’ to notice that I am sitting and you are definitely not sitting and oh no there is a disparity and am I complicit in some kind of unintended hierarchy?

Oh Happy Day! How many people have said that in their review about Happy Coffee? Probably a lot, but it still stands to be true. What a joyful coffee shop lining the exciting avenue of Broadway. I am not sure what I enjoyed more — the beautiful, simple, and clean lines of the décor or the sweet gentlemen baristo dressed in charming garb reminiscent of the 19^th century.
Nestled in a secluded spot in the back with views of all the coffee house action, I was feeling the happy vibes. Looking around I noticed a wonderful coexistence of mothers and children, solo coffee shop goers plunged deep into their work, and good friends catching up on good times — the thought, could this mult-​leveled space, with free wifi, and the very stylish staff serving up some solid bean be any better? Nope. Don’t think so.

I was on my happy little way to Michaelangelo’s, only to discover that they aren’t there anymore. Enter Happy Coffee since they are a half a block away.
It has a cute trendy vibe to it and the workers are definitely friendly… and best of all… they have Toddy’s! If you don’t know what those are, they are a slow drip cold brewed coffee, which gives coffee a really sweet flavor. A lot of places don’t offer this fun type of brewing system, so I was really excited about it.
This is a fun place, and I will definitely visit again, but it didn;t have the «I want to hang out here for hours» vibe to it for me, thus the 4* review.

I mean, pretty much any coffee makes me happy these days (baby, no sleep, blah, blah, blah.) Well, any coffee that doesn’t taste awfully burnt (I’m looking at you Starbucks.) But, Happy Coffee kind of makes me ecstatic because this shit is good son. It’s individual-cup-of-coffee-crafted-with-love-by-someone-who-knows-a-lot-about-what-they’re-doing beauty in a cup.
If you like syrups and drowning your coffee out with milk and sugar you may not get the nuances of these coffees (but I bet it will be delicious anyway.) But, if you like a cup of coffee that you can taste the differences in you should go here.
Also, they get baked goods from somewhere nearby (my memory of where fails me at the moment) and these include homemade pop tarts. Pop tarts people! And wi-​fi. Maybe they should change the name to Heavenly Coffee?

Noteworthy coffee. Pitiful name. I drink a sh! thouse of coffee, most of it adequate. Those that know me understand that I have a certain fondness for coffee, but I am most definitely not that discerning when it comes to glugging liquid tons of that addictive, beguiling stimulant.
That may now have to change thanks to my first visit to Happy Coffee — jeez, I loathe that name, so I’m just going to call it Hipster Corner.
Ordered a latte, grabbed a seat at a table, and was delivered an artistic cup of the smoothest, most flavorful, and robust cups of coffee I’ve had in Denver. No sugar needed, just one sip made me realize what I have been missing from my twice daily regimen.
The space at Hipster Corner is basic: minimal colors, hardwood floors, with most of the floor space occupied by the coffee making machinery. There is seating around the coffee bar, some narrow elevated counter type tabletops with uncomfortable looking stools you can pull up, and a limited amount of more traditional tables for two along the wall and in the windows facing Broadway. There is also a loft.
As for the crowd, well since I have renamed this place I think you can guess who comes here. What I found fascinating was that on a Saturday at least, that so many babies and young children were here. Who knew that the tattoo stained, batik wrapped, ear plug wearing crowd was actually sustaining the traditional family values of Phyllis Schlafly?
Hipster Corner is easy to find and it does in fact occupy a corner spot on Broadway & Ellsworth. Although parking can be tough on that stretch of Broadway, there is plenty to be found on any of the adjacent side streets and if you go just one block there is free 2 hour parking in the neighborhood, just read the signs.
Go for superb coffee, people watching, and the pleasure of hanging out in one great neighborhood.

I have to love someplace that actually brews and pulls real coffee and espresso.
Hipster? True. But it’s Denver. That’s to be expected. So I grab it and go. But if you’re so inclined, it’s a chill little space to sit and nonchalantly yet somewhat ironically discuss music and poetry that nobody’s probably ever heard of before.
And that notwithstanding, this is some Legit Coffee.
I am absolutely guilty of going to that S*place waaaaay too often, but each visit only reaffirms my love for good quality, properly prepared coffee and espresso.
Happy Coffee does that for me.
Echoing what Amanda said, they pull a perfect latte. Just enough creamy foamy milk to make the entire drink disappear quickly without overpowering the latte with foam (which would be a cappuccino. I’m a latte girl.) I asked for and got Vanilla Flavoring (I like a little sweetness in my brew) and it was flavored just right.
The Man devoured his Iced Mocha too (I told the Barista that he wanted something cold and chocolatey and left him to it.) He drained it, so it seems it was good.
Pricing was in line and service was friendly. (Goodbye Aloof Baristas of some of my other haunts.)
Happy Coffee makes me… Happy.

Desperate for a decent coffee while canvassing Baker on foot, Happy made me a happy camper. I hadn’t had a good coffee in days, plus the schizo storm clouds were threatening to open up on us and we needed somewhere to duck into and wait out the rain before heading back toward downtown.
Upon entry, I see the mad science lab set up of Chemex and toddy bottles. Yep, we’re in the right place. Next, I spy with my little eye Heart (
) beans and I swooned a little bit. I got a perfect iced toddy, my brother a fancy mocha made with single-​origin chocolate, and we drooled over the homemade poptarts on the counter.
Really nice gentlemen working; asked me about some of Portland’s finer roasters (like Heart, Coava, Water Ave), and wished us well as we headed back out into some stormy walking weather. Perfect neighborhood addition. Baker needs more artisan love like Happy.

Hooray! So excited to have another spot in Denver serving up the type of espresso drinks I love with no frills and good, small batch roasted beans. They even sell Heart beans from Portland here (seriously). My only question is: how did such a hipster saturated street not have a place to get a respectable, well-​crafted espresso beverage until now?
Very similar vibe/​clientel as Crema (my neighborhood coffee shop), and in some cases, the same baristas. One plus is that it’s just a tad cheaper than Crema. One downside is they don’t have the full kitchen that Crema does (and they’re not as close to me). Both are convieniently on the way to work. Parking can get a bit more dicey on Broadway.
I also dig the giant cold brew equipment in the glass case to the left side of the counter that looks like some sort of Nutty Professor lab equipment. They also sell Chemex (both for home use as well as Chemex brewed coffee) if you’re into that.
All in all, a very welcome coffee addition to this neighborhood and a long time coming, too!