Joe Coffee Bar

after nightmare at brew cha cha i find this cool place… only to discover it’s their last day. bummer! good coffee, cool staff. awesome food.

For the past four, maybe five years, I’ve been a Joe regular, going and getting coffee and beans on a daily (sometimes more) basis. Yes, the news is true, Joe is closing at the end of May, and this really is a case of you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Joe has great fair-​trade coffee, a nice atmosphere, friendly employees, and an excellent selection of food, whether it’s Bobbi’s hummus or our Friday morning bacon egg and cheese bagel, with a locally sourced ingredients. Ever since we heard the news that Joe is closing, we’ve been discussing what we’re going to do next… Joe is an integral part of our day! I’ve been researching other local coffee shops, and it just doesn’t look like there’s a replacement for Joe in the area. Not to say there aren’t good coffee shops, but a shop that offers all the awesomeness that Joe’s does is going to be hard to come by.
Joe, thank you for 7 years of great coffee, great food, and great times. We wish you the best.

Sadly Joe Coffee is indeed closing it’s doors on May 26^th. According to City Paper it’s still going to be selling it’s goods online, and they’ll also be hooking up coffee at the Headhouse Farmers Market. But it’s going to be a big loss to lovers of Philly’s indie coffee scene. Get there while you still can!

Sadly, I just heard today this is due to close (maybe relocate?) VERY SOON. So, get in here while you can.
I love this place, very good coffee and service is second to none. The guys behind the counter couldn’t be any more friendlier. Get it to go, but I like to stay. and read my book or catch up on email or visit with a good friend (who loves their steamers!)
Good seating. couple tables, chairs. and even sofas. They have some yummy gourmet chocolate. very conducive for chilling out!
Fair trade coffee. Organic sugar, etc
Diverse crowd. interns, residents, nurses from Jeff (or patients like me hobbling in there!!). GREAT Anti-​Starbucks Coffee-​Cookie-​Cutter Joint!
LATEST: will close its doors on May 27, according to a release from owner Joseph Cesa. They’ll continue to offer products online as well as at the Headhouse Square Farmers Market, which opens for the season on Sunday, May 3.

LOVE this coffeeshop! I’m always on the lookout for «my» coffeeshop (and since my neighborhood has no coffeeshops, I search all over the city!). This one just might be my favorite; I’ll have to visit a few more times to be sure.
This coffee bar is super small. I was there on a weekday at around 4 pm, and it wasn’t very busy, so I’m hopefully that it doesn’t fill up very often. For being so tiny, it’s very cozy, but also packed with nik naks, sofas, tables, photographs, fliers, etc. It’s a little bit of sensory overload, but in a good way. Also, anyone that has read my other coffeeshop reviews will know that I’m always on the lookout for place with comfy seating, and the futons here definitely count!
While I’d like to be able to review the coffee and fully intended to order some, my plan failed when I saw the Aztec hot chocolate on the menu. I’m a sucker for spicy hot chocolate, and this one was perfect. Not too sweet with a definite kick!
The owner was working the counter, and we had a great shop. Considering I’m not a regular face, he made me feel super welcome there.
In addition, there is free wifi which works great! Hopefully, I’ll be back soon!

Joe has the best espresso in my Wash West experience. They care deeply about the coffee, and that scores points for me. Also, it’s a great stop in the summer, when tables are arranged outside for perfect people watching, especially around the time of theater matinees.
Unfortunately, the indoor experience is not good. The space is awkward with two entrances (often blowing arctic air in winter months), and the seats, well, they don’t inspire long conversations. Plus, the entrance is framed by Joe’s ongoing garage sale of unwanted books and junk.
I wouldn’t describe Joe as broke but it does need some fixing!

Joe’s is *almost* the perfect coffee shop… excellent coffee, superb treats (Pequea yogurt!), good variety outside of coffee (spicy hot chocolate!), friendly atmosphere, diverse crowd, free WiFi… so why did I deduct a star? The seats! After about a half-​hour your butt will go numb, while you simultaneously squirm to get comfortable as those cane chairs poke you in the back. Also it doesn’t take too big of a crowd to fill up all the tables, or at least the handful that are near wall outlets for your laptop. It sounds trivial, but because of those two issues I rarely come here anymore.
So Joe, pleeeeze get some new chairs and some power strips! I’ll be your best friend…

Wow, I really wish I could jump on the Joe’s love train, but my experience here was not good. Although the coffee was very good, the barista was condescending. The décor resembled an indoor garage sale. Is this supposed to pass for eclectic?

I tried to start a writer’s group, and someone suggested we meet at Joe’s. Not surprisingly, the group flopped, but in the process I found a new coffee shop to love. I don’t get down that way too often, but it would be my first choice if i were nearby and looking for a place to sit and chill or write.
People who work there are really friendly. The coffee is fair trade and delicious. Besides a selection of vegan treats, there are some locally made pastries and sandwiches. There’s always some interesting art hanging up, and the general atmosphere is comfortable and relaxed. I really can’t think of anything wrong with the place.

Great atmosphere. The staff are friendly, and Joe is the nicest guy. It’s a great place to study or just people-​watch. Very neighborhoody feel with lots of groups meeting throughout the month (Philly Photo club, men’s knitting circle, etc.).
Organic coffee (of course), a wide tea selection, liquid nirvana (rich chocolate concoction) and a range of eats (salads, bagels, sweets). In house drinks are served in real cups, and there are metal spoons available to further reduce waste. Nothing to feel guilty about here.

Okay, so the coffee here is great – there’s no doubt about that. And the owner, Joe, is one helluva guy. I learned from a brief chat with him that Joe Coffee Bar was one of the first, about ten years ago, to feature fair-​trade coffee. Kind of a center-​stone in the fair trade movement in Philadelphia.
The place is really lax, with coffee being cheap and refills being cheap too. There is an large assortment of local artwork on the walls, grinders for buying some coffee for the go, and even local products (I think there were containers of honey being sold?). The food menu, though I didn’t try it, looked delicious and pretty cheap.
The only problem I have with the place is the seating. There are plenty of couches, some comfortable chairs, and some table setups, but all in all there’s just not a whole lot of space to do anything but lounge. It’s just a personal preference, though. Oh, and when I went in mid-​October, the place was a sensory overload of chai scents. But it’s cool if you’re into that kind of thing.
When I went, World Can’t Wait did a presentation of a documentary against going to war with Iran, and they had the movie projected onto the ceiling/​wall. I’m not sure but there’s probably a good chance that other events go on here.
The bottom line: definitely check this place out, as it’s one of the cultural hot spots in Center City. The patrons seem nice, the coffee nicer, and the owner the high point.

This is a nice little place tucked away in one of the TJU buildings. They have really good coffee. Both the drip coffee and the espresso drinks are good. My favorite there is the Americano. The coffee is a tad on the expensive side, but its worth it if you really want some good tasting coffee. One minor annoyance is that they only take cash.
As far as the baked goods, I really haven’t had anything there except for a brownie, which wasn’t bad. My guess was that they used some good for me stuff instead of the normal very bad for me things I’m used to so my body was confused.
The table/​seating can get cramped if there are a lot of people around.
Wi-​fi is free and fast.
Joe’s a cool dude. Support indie coffee.

I think Joe’s has the best coffee in the city. And it isn’t too expensive for fair trade/​organic coffee, especially when compared to Whole Foods. You can tell the owner really cares about the quality of the product they are selling. The baristas are always friendly and helpful.
I’m not a big fan of the interior, but I usually grab a pound to go, which comes with a free cup of coffee.

GRAB LIFE BY THE BEANS
how can you not love a coffee shop with a slogan like that? or that so fervently supports locally owned businesses and fair trade coffee?
plenty of seating and great if you need to bring a laptop.

I consider myself one of the world’s biggest coffee snobs, and the area around Jefferson can be a little sparse for quality independent coffee. That is, until you reach Joe’s.
Awesome baristas, wonderful coffees, and yummy food. The only thing I am not too fond of is the atmosphere, but I suppose they have to work with what they’ve got, being physically a part of a Jefferson building.
And Joe is totally an awesome dude.

Stopped in the other day to get some writing done and was pretty happy with the atmosphere. It’s a big space with plenty of seating and weird furniture. I think the coffee was pretty good, and the music wasn’t played loud enough to be distracting.
A decent place. I’d go back.

Decent coffee made all the better by the fact that it is entirely fair trade and organic! They have a nice outdoor sitting area in the summer, and it’s in a great location. The staff behind the counter has always been very nice to me, and the prices are pretty standard for a nice coffee shop. Definitely come here rather than any of the thousands of Starbucks within a few block radius.

Joe has a strange little atmosphere, sort of like being at a youth group for gay kids that also caters to med students. But their coffee is good, their couch comfortable and their staff accomodating. I also like their fair trade chocolate. Mmmm… chocolate.
It is a coffee shop worth going to if you happen to be in that weird hospital zone between 8^th and 11^th and between Locust and Market. I detest that area but I like Joe.

Good coffee. All organic, fair trade coffees at this Jefferson Hospital-​adjacent location. Sit at a table or on a comfy couch. The art on the wall is by locals and is for sale. Nice people behind the counter. Skip the baked goods.
You can also get some great gift items here. Last Christmas I vowed to buy local for the office. Joe filled many of my gift needs. They even do custom gift baskets. The prices are surprisingly affordable. And unlike those generic elsewhere the food items are GOOD!