Sipping & Studying: Top 5 Coffee Shops Rated
Here’s the guide of Fort Collins coffee shops if you need a place to write your next CO-300 paper, if you just want to hangout and take a load off, or if you’re looking for a nice balance of the two!
5. Alleycat
The place everyone goes to and enjoys being at…but I’d love to see someone actually study there. It’s almost too popular most of the time and it certainly can get distracting with the amount of artwork on the walls, ceiling and tables. I’ve also had pretty hit-or-miss service, sometimes the people behind the counter are friendly, but most of the time they seem in a rush and disinterested.
Alleycat has tasty food and coffee and the atmosphere is fun, plus who wouldn’t like to sit down and play Sorry with some friends on a Saturday afternoon? However, for a student that might just want a coffee and some light chatter while they work on a paper, I wouldn’t suggest Alleycat (that’s of course unless you want to do it at 3 am, because they’re open for 24-hours!)
Scores out of ten:
Atmosphere- 9
Coffee- 10
Noise Level (0 being too loud, 10 being nice and quiet)- 2
Entertainment- 8
Staff Approachability- 5
Ability to Study- 6
Total Score: 40/60
4. Mugs
Mugs was always my second option freshman year because it usually wasn’t too crowded, but they could also whip up a really good latte. I’ve gone there to study or write a paper a few times and I’m usually content with the place. It’s not a super distracting coffee shop, which is nice, though that does have its flaws because it can be more of a study spot and less of a “hangout” spot.
While you may not be super excited to hangout with some friends at Mugs, you are guaranteed really good service. The employees are always down to joke around a little so you’re never scared of approaching the counter.
Scores out of ten:
Atmosphere- 7
Coffee- 8
Noise Level- 6
Entertainment- 5
Staff Approachability- 9
Ability to Study- 8
Total Score: 43/60
3. Starry Night
Starry Night (just barely) inched ahead of Mugs on my list.
Starry Night can be found in Old Town and is nice and quaint with a really delicious coffee selection and serves as a great spot to study. The people working the counter weren’t super friendly, but it wasn’t off putting by any means, either.
I did notice a decent amount of people milling around and just talking with friends in some of the nice, comfy armchairs. If you have not checked out Starry Night, I would definitely look into the place because it might just be the next best place to grab a coffee and work on some homework!
Scores out of ten:
Atmosphere- 8
Coffee- 10
Noise Level- 6
Entertainment- 6
Staff Approachability- 6
Ability to Study- 8
Total Score: 44/60
2. The Artery
I found that the Artery on a Sunday is pretty barren besides, in the case when I went, a nice solo artist playing on an acoustic guitar. I grabbed a pretty average cup of coffee from the guy behind the bar who was relatively friendly and then took a look around.
The nice thing about the Artery is it is definitely a place to hangout, and I think if you come on a Sunday, you could probably get some work done. I wasn’t ecstatic about the coffee I got, but the atmosphere and comfort you get from the Artery was enough to overlook the coffee. There was art to look over leftover from “First Friday” (where they have a bunch of art created by local artists) along with their normal amount of interesting murals and art scattered around the place.
Scores out of ten:
Atmosphere- 8
Coffee- 6
Noise Level- 9
Entertainment- 7
Staff Approachability- 9
Ability to Study- 8
Total Score: 47/60
- The Little Bird Bakeshop
The Little Bird Bakeshop in Old Town Square was a cute little place with really, really nice service. The women behind the counter were happy to chat a little, plus the little pastries offered in shop looked, and smelled, amazing.
As for a studying location, I saw a few people tucked away in corners working on some homework and it wasn’t loud or crowded so it looked easy to concentrate. It was a quaint shop but I wouldn’t have considered it a superb place to hangout. It did, however, seem like a nice place to sit and chat quietly with a close friend and a hot cup of coffee.
Scores out of ten:
Atmosphere- 10
Coffee- 7
Noise Level- 9
Entertainment- 5
Staff Approachability- 10
Ability to Study- 10
Total Score: 51/60