4.5 Globes out of 5

Directly across the street from Insomnia Cookies on the South Side, nestled cozily in between The UPS Store and a Cricket Wireless retailer, sits Delanie’s Coffee. Immediately upon entering, I was floored by the unforgettable atmosphere. A loft sits above the bar with the words “DRINK MORE COFFEE” painted in all capital letters. Art from various local artists decorates the walls, and people sit and peacefully enjoy their coffee behind laptop screens and cell phones. It’s quaint, homey but also feels very open and welcoming. Above all: it feels genuine.

They serve CommonPlace coffee, a local Pittsburgh chain. The blend they serve is on the lighter side; it’s very sweet but has subtler aromatic qualities to it. It’s very flavorful but not too flavorful that it distracts from the coffee, but one thing I’ll note is that despite being a plain black cup of coffee, it’s not very bitter. If you’re into very bitter coffee, I’d recommend going someplace else.

One thing I will note is that the coffee was very hot when it was served to me. I had to sit and let it cool for almost 15 minutes before it was an enjoyable temperature. Luckily for me, Delanie’s is the perfect place to sit and wait for it to cool. I got some work done on my laptop before being able to savor the incredible blend.

Overall, the coffee made me feel very satisfied. A lot of times, when you drink black coffee, it’s more just to get a quick bit of energy. My good friend, colleague and former roommate, Luke Mongelli, once referred to it as “like a kick to the mouth, but a much-needed kick to the mouth.” Delanie’s is not like a kick to the mouth, but more like a nice hug. I felt very content drinking this cup, simultaneously nice and full but also ready to take on the day.

Delanie’s serves smoothies, something I wouldn’t usually discuss, but one of their smoothies is called “Pablo Honey,” and if you’ve read this column before, you know I’m a big Radiohead fan. So I greatly appreciated that reference, and the smoothie is also delicious. It’s berries, honey, yogurt, a banana and peanut butter. I got it without the peanut butter. I do not like peanut butter in my smoothies.

Delanie’s also serves cocktails on the weekends. I did not order a cocktail because it was not the weekend, and I am not of legal age to order a cocktail. And even if I could, it would be inappropriate to write about that in a school-sponsored column.

I could sit in Delanie’s all day. And I should note that I currently am sitting in Delanie’s writing this column. Why, you ask? Because the internet in Conestoga Hall has been out for an entire week, and the university has stated that they will not be fixing it until the summer. But if the school won’t fix the wifi, the silver lining is that I have an excuse to sit and enjoy a nice cup of coffee at shops like Delanie’s while I get my work done, which is somewhat of a positive, I suppose.

On the subject of the internet: Delanie’s wifi password is supportyourlocalcoffeeshop. I think that’s something that, with the pandemic continuing to affect businesses, we should all really consider doing. So I leave you with one request: support your local coffee shop.