Intermezzo Cafe

RIP Intermezzo. Your WiFi/​coffee/​full bar combination made doing work fun.
And drunk.

I fell in love with this place when I first walked in, 3 years ago.
It’s charmingly decorated, not too hipster/​coffee shop, not a diner.
It’s comfortable, has wi-​fi, and you don’t get harassed for making yourself comfortable.
Lots of organic/​fair trade coffees and teas, all scrumptious. Also, yummy edibles.
I’d love to artistically photograph this place, but instead I wrote a paper on its décor and atmosphere.
The counter folk seem to love life.
AFFORDABLE.

If I lived in the area I would be blowing my money here regularly. Don’t be deterred by the stupid name or «snotty-​pseudo-​European-​café» exterior; stop in.
— Café + bar ambiance is really nice– tiny, dark and cool, a perfect escape from a muggy night (thanks, Philadelphia).
— As others have mentioned, the seating isn’t exactly… cushioned. But this isn’t a place that should be characterized by ragged couches or dirty hippies anyway. (Clean hippies, yes.)
— Iced coffee was surprisingly good and served in a beer tumbler, which tickled me.
— Open late! Since leaving New York, I’ve learned to appreciate the rarity of cafes that actually deign to stay open past 8pm.
— The guy (definitely the owner) was helpful and friendly and did it all without smiling much. Points to anyone who can pull off this level of coooooool.
— Intermezzo sells beer! By the bottle! To go! An exciting thing, as I had not yet figured out/​accepted «state stores» in Pennsylvania. A Dogfish 4-​pack was vaguely cheaper ($ 14) than at a Whole Foods (outside PA, obviously). I wasn’t committed to buying all 4 so the guy just split the price by 4 for each bottle. (Then I bought all 4 anyway.)
— Live music on Friday nights, open mics on Wednesday nights. Get your to-​go beer before 9:30pm when the display cases are blockaded by the band.
— Slight thumbs down: It was just before 10pm on a Friday night and the teeny place was mostly empty. If not for the musicians literally bringing along a cohort of their friends, the live act might have been pretty awkward.

I came back here after seeing The Meat Puppets do XPN Free At Noon at World Café Live (review updates coming later!) since I was in desperate need of coffee. And I’m happy to say that a lot of my original theories held true.
Since I was originally here for a New Year’s Gathering I didn’t get to sample it on a normal day. But it was so good that I had to give it it’s due anyway. I was intending to try it sooner, but by now you can pull up a long list of reviews that reveal me as a slacker so you probably get the trend. No matter though because what counts was the fact that I had the biggest egg and cheese with bacon that I’ve ever had. And it came of two fresh pieces of wheat toast instead of an english muffin. The sandwich was tasty, the coffee was equal exchange and totally fresh, and the service was pretty damn good. They also have a bar and an open mic night. So what’s not to like?

Delicious cakes and other baked goods.
Mighty leaf teas.
Sweet staff.
Live music some nights.
Randomly came here, but enjoyed the eclectic mix of people on a Sunday afternoon.

Intermezzo is always friendly and open late. I am skeptical of the food — especially with Picnic next door — but the coffee is great.
More importantly, they are expanding their beer-​to-​go selection!

I really like Intermezzo. I think its a shame that everyone seems to overlook the fact that they have a full bar. Its a great place to have a few drinks. I am especially fond of the foxy bartender who will create drinks for me if I can’t decide what I want. Ask for the bartenders special, he knows whats up.

Whenever I used to walk by Intermezzo I thought it was a crappy knock-​off Starbucks. Today I stopped in and I have to say, it was pretty good. They accept credit cards and the baristas are super friendly. The coffee was passable, not the best ever but not bad.
As a side note, to my knowledge, Drexel University’s Student Liberty Front meets here regularly during the school year. So if you’re into psuedo-​insurrectionary upper middle class suburban libertarianism, you might want to check it out! After all, the Founding Fathers did liberate us for the sake of wanting to save money on stamps and caffeine, so why is complaining about the illegality of music piracy and marijuana so different?

Nice, comfortable space, but the coffee aspect needs work. For an iced latte, the barista didn’t pull a fresh shot of espresso; instead he poured something out of a pitcher. Huh? Look, for $ 3+ I expect fresh espresso. Also the coffee was very weak and bleh… kind of like someone reused the grounds… at whatever earlier time the coffee was made. Could just be the one lazy guy though. I’d give it another try when someone else is working behind the counter.

More casual than it looks. I passed it by the first night because it looked like a dinner caf, but when I went in at nineish on a Saturday, there was a random guy on his guitar and a couple people sitting at the bar. It was quiet but not dead feeling, and the proprietor was friendly but not intrusive: exactly the atmosphere I was looking for.
The food was decent, under-​grilled panini but good soup and cake, plus the coffee is served in ceramic cups.

A winning combination of coffee bar, wine bar, full bar, and café. Sandwiches — pre-​made and fresh-​to-​order. Hospital staff enjoying beers at 9a coming off the overnight shift (at least I hope so). Never too crowded, comfy chairs, and ²⁄₃ of staff are super friendly. Some gruff staff, but as I’ve come to expect in many parts of the city…
*Aug 2007 update: new owner, the booths have been removed, blinds have been installed, potato chips have been replaced with carrots and celery, and there’s now a space for small live music performances. Hopefully everything else will stay the same…

What a great coffee shop. It’s open, it’s bright, the selection of drinks and food is great. I truly enjoy having good conversation here. It’s just a great atmosphere in a secluded part of town. Oh, and the art of the wall is pretty cool as well.
I like Intermezzo more than the crowded city coffee-​houses, and they’re defiantly nothing like chain places. They make you feel at home, don’t bother you, and have good product and great atmosphere. What’s better?

This is my spot. Great coffee, amazing chai tea (seriously. try it), and its open till 12.
I think this is because it also has a bar in it, but it still feels like a café, and having some place to get coffee at night is priceless.
Interesting art on the walls, decent music. You’ll never have to goto starbucks again.

Not my kind of place to hang out but it’s right next door to my work. The coffee is always good. The staff are all good people. The bar however seats about 6 but it’s a decent place to stop by if your just getting of work or happen to be walking by. I really can’t say anything bad about any place that has a «city wide» for those of you who don’t know that’s a can of pbr and a shot of jim beam for 3 bucks.