Java Monkey is that independent coffee house that we are always complaining we can't find. The atmosphere is quite mellow -- not so in-your-face hip that yuppie moms and dads (or moms and moms, being Decatur) can't sit down next to the Kant-reading-grad-students. There's both an outside patio, and a shut-in one that is shaded in the summer and heated by a fire in the winter. The coffee is terrific -- and unformly so -- especially the blends that JM makes themselves. And while the sandwiches are a little steeply priced, they are also delicious. You get a sense that you belong to a community here, and that you are investing in the community by choosing to spend your money here. Since I've become one of the stroller set, I no longer get to stay at night, when the place becomes the site of performances and the wine bar opens up. But I'll be back as soon as I can.
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