Beautiful Spaces: Penny's Coffee

Style isn’t just about what we wear: It’s about what we do and where we go.  Life is best spent in beautiful places, places that please the eye on a basic level yet hint at something deeper beneath their attractive facade.  In both senses, Minneapolis’ newest coffee shop, Penny’s Coffee, is one of the most pleasing rooms in town.

For one, Penny’s opulent digs are unmatched by any coffee shop in town - or elsewhere that I know of.  Situated in the lobby of a downtown office building, Penny’s is a marble-decked affair that evokes a grand space in a city much larger and more cosmopolitan than Minneapolis.  The tall windows let in plenty of light that bounces off the towering slabs of luxurious rock, and the long, phallic ceiling lights and neon sculpture of a classic emoji symbol add a dash of cheeky irreverence to the atmosphere.  The music is as curated as the environs, with a lush soundtrack of trip-hop and jazz-flecked soul audible from a speaker hidden in the café’s corner.  This is part of Penny’s attractiveness - it’s like living out a fantasy without leaving your own backyard.  

The drinks and bites are excellent, too.  The baristas work wonders with Spyhouse coffee roasted across the river.  Cold cans of La Colombe coffee are offered as well, which represent's the company's introduction in town.  Penny’s also offers a line of housemade crepes and a slew of pastries from John Kraus’ wonderful Rose Street Patisserie (including his famed double chocolate cookie).  

Already the most Instagrammed coffee shop in town, Penny’s is the perfect place to spend an afternoon writing or to catch up with friends.  The decadent decor will make you feel like one million bucks, even if you’re young, broke and have 1/1000 of the vaunted sum to your name.  Penny’s environment is also an impetus to dress for coffee, to see and be seen during the middle of the day over a casual cappuccino while watching the hustle and bustle of downtown Minneapolis pass by.