Beauty Shop Cafe

Went to grab a cup of coffee and read a book this morning, only to find the windows covered in brown paper. I assume Beauty Shop Café is no more? There were no signs up saying they were closed or remodeling or… anything. They’re just, not open without any explanation. Sad, as I liked this neighborhood joint.

Pros: The coffee is really good and the girl that works there is delightful.
Cons: Everything else! The owner is so nasty. Not only is he not polite, but actually rude! Also, a minimum on the credit card transaction? First of all, it is illegal, however, I usually look past that «rule» when I shop at a lower priced shop, like a farmer’s market, but for their overpriced selection, a minimum is unacceptable.
I will no longer give this place my business.

We ventured into Beauty Shop mainly to use their Wi-​Fi. We grabbed a cup of coffee and were pleasantly surprised by the quality. The cup they served it in was chipped though and looked like it came from a thrift store (which it very well may have).
Beauty Shop has a warm feel to it but we were quite cramped as all of the tables are very close to one another and every other seat and table were taken.
The 2 baristas bothered me a little bit as they were talking very loudly about annoying personal life happenings and everyone in the shop could hear them. They weren’t very friendly either. :-(
I would stop by again if I felt like changing my normal routine but I prefer OCF coffee house or Good Karma for a more spacious, relaxing place to enjoy coffee and use Wi-​Fi. This is more of a grab and go place for people living in Grad Hospital.

Good, solid coffee. The kitchen sink sandwich is AMAZING! Hard to get into w kids tho.

I came here after being frustrated with a different coffee place and just picking up my laptop and walking over. The first time I was at OCF by my house in Point Breeze and after they accused my computer of being broken (I worked with three computer systems in the Air Force, I understand the concept of wireless and wifi chick) I drank my coffee, peaced out and walked to Beauty Shop Café. The space is small, but perfect for one or two people who want to work away from home or read the paper.
The computer magically ‘worked’ again and I was left in peace. I asked for a drink I didn’t know they didn’t have and they still made it (I usually go with coffee, but am addicted to pumpkin).
I am now here on Veteran’s Day after La. Va made me realize kids don’t have school, I came here to a more calming environment and a sandwich. I like small space, make shift décor and something walking distance from home. This place is it.

I started coming to Beauty Shop Café because it is conveniently located a half-​block from my house. But I keep coming back because the coffee is fantastic, the owner and staff are friendly, and the crowd of regulars is a good source for scuttlebutt on local flavor, politics, and coffee-​counter culture. The folks are 100% more flavorful than the aloof staff boogers at La​.Va.; the coffee is better; and the ever-​present 90s indie-​rock melts my craggy, aging heart. I pray they can hold tight against the slow seep of Starbucks, that has recently spread as far southwest as Spruce and 18^th Streets.

Unpretentious cozy and great coffee. However, the downside is that they close early — so it’s not a great evening place. One of my friends who visits from out of town swears by it in the early morning — but I personally prefer OCF a couple blocks down.
They do host some quirky evening events once in a while that look great — but I’ve never been.

So I saw Lilli C.‘s review and decided to walk here today, since I am utterly bored with my regular places.
No amount of heat ever stops me from getting my hot latte in the morning. I don’t even drink water till I taste my latte first. This wait was worth it! The girl behind the counter was super nice and warm! I was telling her how I found this place on Unilocal and wanted to give it a try. She made my Latte and went like, let me make you another, this isn’t good enough! 5 stars to that alone! She was so sweet, she deserves a raise. My latte? Perfect! I loved the the beans they are using and suits my palette very well. I noticed they carry the same croissants and and pastries as that of La Colombe, so I know those are amazing without having to try it.
When I walked in they were playing my favorite song from my favorite band so that was a nice coincidence! I wish the place was a bit more neat and tidy [sorry i’m OCD ;[ ] Will have to make it a point to come here sometimes, since it is so far, but i would like to! Also, they have tonnes of books and newspapers inside, YAY!

A tiny, but cozy space with free wi-​fi. I was pleasantly surprised that they had strong, decaf, iced coffee, but I would have been happier with better snacks. (They had spotted bananas, croissants, one piece of chocolate-​chip pound-​cake wrapped in saran wrap, and some mediocre lemon biscotti.)
On the other hand, in addition to coffee and internet, they have tons of photos of cute dogs on the wall. I was charmed. I wished I’d brought a dog.

My go-​to neighborhood coffeeshop — I don’t know why I haven’t reviewed this place yet; it’s great and I come here a lot!
The place is small (but not crowded) and cute (but not cutesy). In addition to coffee and bagels and tea and pastries, they have cookies for your pup, Wifi for your laptop and copies of the New Yorker for your amusement. Just a lovely little spot that makes me happy it’s the closest coffeeshop to my house.

Great neighborhood spot to stop in and grab a cup of coffee. They have free dog treats inside for your dog and I think you might even be able to bring your dog inside (I saw someone else do it)…although I left mine tied up outside. I think her farts would probably blow up the place.
The coffee is good, they have a big grilled cheese selection, and they take credit cards, which is great since I never have cash on me.

Beauty Shop is a great example of a nice neighborhood institution with some character. They secured their wifi fairly recently, so it’s a great place to get some work done! The baristas are great, as is the tea selection.
You’ll note that the baristas often recognize the patrons … I’m infrequent, but I have overheard a barista call out a patron’s order as he walked in the door. That’s true neighborhood love.
On the quirkiness … once when I visited, they had a chair with a hair dryer still attached (a la … the beauty salon!). Much of the décor is a pale pink, and it really reminds me of – yes, what I imagine my grandma’s beauty salon looks like. But it’s cool to be into what your g-​mah was into, right? Vintage.

a sweet little lo-​fi café with simple food and drinks. Philly needs more of places like these and less La Colombe snootiness and Starbucks corporate-​ness.
the Beauty Shop Café is small, cozy and quiet. we came here on a Sunday afternoon, and the staff was in no hurry to make our lunch, and we were in no hurry to get it. i ordered a Bam! Right in the Kisser and my partner ordered a bagel with cream cheese, tomato and vegan bacon. he was really craving smoked salmon, but we belatedly realized this was all-​vegetarian café (maybe it could have been advertised better?). my sandwich was excellent — fresh, simple and delicious. i also ordered a Pumpkin Pie Latte, which was not too sweet, which was really refreshing — too often the solution these days is to simply pile on the sugar to the point that it’s all you can taste.
if you are in rush, an overly fancy yuppie, or a young litigator on crack, don’t come to the Beauty Shop Café. if you want a friendly, lo-​fi, laid back DYI atmosphere with freshly made food, this is place to go.

This local shop sits in a quaint, up and coming area of downtown Philly. I stopped by because I was visiting a friend who lives around the corner, but doesn’t own a coffee pot. I was jonesing!
The staff was very friendly and laid back. Lots of windows and light green paint bring a lot of light to the petite space. Ordered a large Americano and bagel w/​cream cheese for just about 5 bucks. No pretense. Mix of local dwellers in and out-​some staying to enjoy their morning while others head out to start the day.
Pet Friendly.

My new favorite café, for sure.
The place is small but I’ve never seen it crowded in there for some reason, which is actually nice. I kind of hate when people buy one coffee and then take up an entire table with their laptop all afternoon. Haven’t seen that happen in here, yet. Yet if you do stay to do some work or to read for a bit, it’s pretty quiet compared to most shops.
The reason I love it so much is because of their lattes. I don’t know what they do to them… something is different (in the best possible way)… they are foamier or creamier or something. It’s like the baristas actually care about the drinks they are making and put a lot of effort into making them the best they can. The staff is always super friendly, too.
Just wish they opened a little earlier in the mornings and closed a little bit later.

Two bucks for a large
Odd name for a coffee shop
Great neighborhood place
I’ve been loving Beauty Shop recently, and for good reason. Of the three easily walkable coffee shops from my apartment, they have the best drip coffee of the bunch. In the morning before work, there really isn’t a worse way to start than bitter or burnt coffee, a problem happily absent from the brew here.
Unlike the two other shops in the area which rely on the popular La Columbe, Beauty Shop uses the Chestnut Hill roasters, which seems to make a difference. Whatever it is, it’s a cup free from bitterness for the same price as the others in the area.
I’m a big fan of their pastries as well, especially the iced cinnamon croissant thing that looks like a cinnamon bun but isn’t really. You’d be wise to try it out if you see it under the cake dome. They always have a few bananas and apples as well, enabling me to occasionally steer away from the baked goods and make a healthy decision (note: this is rare.)
I’ve never sat inside the shop for more than the time it takes to wait for an espresso (also good here), so I can’t speak for the atmosphere over the duration. It always seems pretty laid back though, free from the crush of crowds but not completely barren either. Definitely a nice atmosphere to get an hours worth of work accomplished.
I had a bad first impression here a few months back, but I’ve definitely come around. It wasn’t the coffee but a guy at the counter on which I initially soured, but I’m glad I gave the place a second shot.

There are a variety of coffee shops in the area, and Beauty Shop is definitely one of the great ones. I don’t give it anymore than 3 stars simply because when I went there, the crowd was always nonexistant, and super quiet. Which is annoying b/​c I need the buzz of a coffee shop to be more productive. However, they have a great selection of coffee’s and teas and pastries. Additionally, it is a great space, very sunny. The food is definitely overpriced. And they have wonky hours.

It is very close to my boyfriend’s place so we’ve been a few times. There aren’t too many «kick-​around» places in that area so it is nice to have a place to hang out. We usually either order specialty lattes or black iced coffees — both have been great. My boyfriend always has more success ordering than I do (chalk that up to me finding the strangest thing on the menu) so I usually like his lattes better.
Sitting outside at one of the two small tables and reading through their well stocked paper/​magazine collection is a great weekend morning.
As a marketing/​branding person, I appreciate the naming story — from the fading, painted window image of the space’s previous (and then some?) tenant.

Yeah, this place is pretty alright. I mean, it’s no Gleaners, but what is?
The owner is quite friendly, and they always have pleasant and inoffensive indie pop rock playing, which makes me feel all twee inside. Free wifi, and it seems like a chill spot to kick it for as long as necessary.
I do find it to be a bit spendy, but since I’m certainly not going to walk the extra 3 blocks to crappy ass (and equally spendy) LaVa, I guess they can get away with it. One thing that does kind of blow is that they closer super early. For me, anyway. If they stayed open til like.8…that, sir, would be bangin.

Such a beautiful little coffee house. Kristin and I made the trek over after the Dim Sum outing and I’m definitely glad we did. I instantly got a kick out of décor touches like the vintage hair salon chair and old school radio. The art display they had for the month was worth checking out too. and they had a great selection of children’s books for little and bigger kids (Curious George stole a bucket of bananas, and rescued a boy’s red balloon while visiting the zoo. Is there anything that monkey won’t get into?).
But enough about monkeys! You’re all wanting to know about the coffee and it was some pretty awesome stuff. I needed it iced to the max, so I jumped on a Jack Frost Mocha the moment that I read it. It had all kinds of cinnamon and peppermint blended in. So it was the perfect taste of winter. I also grabbed a regular iced coffee for the road and it really hit the spot.
Great décor and artwork, awesome unpretentious staff, and excellent coffee. I think I’m sold!