Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Tynan Coffee and Tea = Big Win for CH

I spent some time at Tynan on Saturday night and I do believe it will prove to be some serious competition for our Starbucks and a great local meeting place.

The space was a lot bigger than I had expected. It's bright, open and comfortable with different types of seating - tables, comfy chairs, a laptop friendly area.

The staff was really friendly and my drink was excellent - I couldn't decide between espresso or hot cocoa, so I went for the mocha. They made it extra hot since it was chilly and rainy out. I didn't try any of the food items - but the menu isn't small. Breakfast options include quiche and waffles, lunch boasts a long list of sandwiches and wraps - like lemon pepper tuna and roasted turkey & havarti, and they also have salads, chili, hummus, pastries, bagels and fruit. They also have beer, wine, and spirits to spike your coffee.

The drink prices seemed to be Starbucks-ish. My drink was just more than $4 for a medium. More than I'd like to pay, but I liked Tynan enough that I'll probably pay it fairly often.

I had a seat and did some reading. Others were chatting or on their computers. The only complaint I've heard so far is that you have to renew your wireless code every hour (probably keeps the neighbors from stealing bandwidth), and when someone I know inquired for the new code - she was told that the owner preferred you buy something every hour. It seems reasonable to avoid people camping out on a $1.25 coffee drink, but also not terribly friendly for opening weekend.

They are open 8AM - 8PM on weekends and 6:30AM - 8PM on weekdays (I wish it was later). You can visit them online here: http://www.tynancoffeeandtea.com/.

2 comments:

ArtBart said...

Dear Tynan -- I know you only have been open less than a week but please extend your hours to at least 10 pm. Thanks.

Mr T in DC said...

I've been there twice so far, and really liked the coffee, but they do need a limit on laptop use during peak hours. I couldn't get a seat either time, despited repeatedly circling the room, hovering over people who looked like they had been there awhile. One woman didn't even have coffee or food, and another person was poring through a ream of Lexis printouts as if it was their personal law office.