Owners are very friendly and serve Ethiopian coffee for either walk-in or drive-thru customers. Yes! This is one of the few non-Starbucks I know with a driver-thru. After all, the cafe has been converted from a garage, which adds to its charm. Outdoor seating popular on sunny weekend afternoons. The only negative is that the cafe is not open too late (til 6 on weekdays, I believe).

Since I've only partaken in their coffee drinks, I can only vouch for those, my favorite being the "Dark Toffee" which is a mocha with toffee syrup and dark chocolate powder by Ghirardelli. The "Florentine," which is half coffee, half hot chocolate isn't too bad, either. Soy milk can be yours for a little extra.

This is the one of my adolescence, so I have very fond memories of it. Local art, local musicians--shoo, even the Hills (Clinton) stopped by many moons ago. I went by recently and while they still have the same cozy seats and the same tasty drinks, it had a very different vibe, lots of upper middle-class folks at their laptops. Well, the change is in both me and the neighborhood, so I shouldn't complain, and Common Grounds has seen a lot over the years.

I'll always have a soft spot for Common Grounds, the coffeeshop of my adolescence, back when the immediate area was yet to be baptized "Highland Square," and deemed the Park Slope of Denver, back when nobody brought their Macbooks anywhere! And as with similarly low-paying jobs, there seems to be a constant turnover of baristas, and one can note a significant change in attitude. Oh, right, I was supposed to review the positive aspects of the coffeeshop, right? They've still got the comfortable chairs and ample board games for those who arrive technically challenged. I'm sure the cakes taste just as good, too, but last time I was there, I noticed that the was no IBC Rootbeer in stock.

) at each visit. This usually includes the Cheesman, a strawberry cheesecake concoction dedicated to the neighborhood in which its located and the lovely park where you can take a stroll, dessert in hand. For me, five stars says a whole lot; I love Liks so much that I visit throughout the whole year, whether during a blustery winter or an indian summer. And of course, it would garner an extra star if they offered options for our vegan friends.

A great gathering place that serves Pablo's coffee and offers innumerable nooks and crannies for working (DU is close by), chatting, or just lounging with your canine friend. The service can vary widely, from the quirky to the laidback to the super-friendly to the downright mean, but of course, this never deters the regulars, whether it's people from the surrounding neighborhood or stressed DU students. I'm giving it three stars only because I don't go often enough, and when I do, it's always packed. Take what you like from that assessment. I'm sure I'd frequent it if I lived closer.

Yes, I find their motto, "serious food...silly prices," only partially true, so I usually get stuff here that I can't find anywhere else, like two packs for $1 of Brazilian cookies I've never heard of, or 69-cent Brown Cow yogurt. I'm sure shoppers appreciate the free coffee--served in Dixie cups, of course, but no one seems to stop you for multiple refills. They also take off a nickel for every shopping bag you reuse, so remember to bring your own!