West Philly Review: Earth Cup

 Earth Cup is among my favorite West Philly destinations for a cup of coffee.  It's a cute little fair-trade coffee shop on 45th St. between Pine and Osage with super-friendly service and great tasting drinks.  It's not uncommon to find Leo and I there in the late mornings for a break between running errands.  In fact, there are at least three coffee shops closer to our home, but I often walk the extra blocks to visit Earth Cup.

In addition to coffee and tea they have a selection of baked goods and a couple lunch options.  They also conveniently carry some grocery staples like eggs and milk.  There is only one table in the cafe - but there are a couple tables out front and a nice sized outdoor seating area next door.  The decor is cute with teapots hanging from the ceiling and a whimsical lamp that looks like a teapot filling a cup.
What I like best about it is the vibe.  You know how sometimes you will go to a coffee shop and the baristas can barely be bothered to look up from their phones and the other customers look irritated that they have to be out in the sunlight?  Well at Earth Cup the people working are always friendly and strike up conversation (but not TOO much conversation, I hate that too.  Yes, I am hard to please.) and they remembered me after only a couple visits.  Even the customers are nice - always getting the door for others and engaging Leo.  It just feels good to be there.

I also like that there are usually healthy options so that Leo can have something - banana or fresh squeezed OJ are his faves.  There is a little room to walk around in the cafe and Leo has a ball
toddling from one side to the other (and taking the books off the shelves) as well as climbing on the child-size chair that sits against the wall.

My only complaints are that it's cash only (I'm quickly learning that this is the standard in Philadelphia), although they do have an ATM, and that the small AC unit can't keep up with the heat on really hot days.  Other than that - I love it.  If you do get a chance to stop in be sure and get one of their loyalty cards - I'm halfway to my free drink :)