Royal Flamingo: Bliss

Easily made the top two list, so far. It's like a live-action Where's Waldo with coffee to kill for. This one is worth building your morning around.

One of many adorable nooks.

Overall Rating: 12.63/15

Food & Beverage: 2.4/3 (pro: superb coffee, con: small selection)

Service: 3/3 (pro: good recommendations, con: none really)

Ambiance: 3/3 (pro: everything!!!, con: none really)

Bathrooms: 1.9/3 (pro: Glenn Ave Soap, con: quite dark)

Other: 2.4/3 (pro: overtly friendly, con: none really)

EZ's Review: Dear blog, Royal Flamingo is a nice coffee shop. Really cheesy. Good place for punk rock lovers, nook lovers, and cool guys like me.

Just as some details, a couple of these things were cool: one of the nooks there was a jukebox, decorated things on the wall, and a table (or two or three) of little tinkers. In another nook there were more things on the wall, plants (the room was awfully green), a door to the patio place to eat, and a mirror.

The food was good, too. We got a Nutella croissant and an onion croissant. Both really good foods. And the drinks, hot chocolate and a signature latte, all the good stuff!

Mom's Review: It is with zero surprises that Royal Flamingo rates at the top of our charts. It is the rare place that seems built for kids but with enough inside jokes that the parents adopted it as their own. It’s the coffee shop equivalent of watching The Goonies with a rum and coke in hand. Blissful nostalgic delight.

The decor alone can be the beginning and end of the “best coffee house for kids and grown ups” argument. A neverending Eye Spy with My Little Eye contest is not out of the question. This is the land of kitsch. A midcentury fever dream set on Christmas eve. If Mad Magazine had a home and garden section, this would be the cover art. And and it all seems pretty touchable, so no worry over wondering little hands.

But they don’t rest on the atmosphere, the food and drink bring it home. I had the House Latte with tarragon simple syrup, giving it a subtle earthiness. There was probably too much sugar for my taste, but the espresso was forward enough that I really didn’t notice. EZ’s hot chocolate came with foam art, a big hit on presentation, but also delivered a creamy homemade texture. This is a real coffee place with a connoisseur’s appeal. Highly recommend taking a bag or two of beans home to extend the experience.

There’s no meals, but a rotating pastry selection from Three Bites Bakery is plenty to complement the coffee. The gruyere croissant’s onion and garlic flavors were strong and savory enough to feel like a small breakfast, especially when followed with a few bites of the kiddo’s nutella fold-over. They do lean towards the pricey side ($20+ for two drinks and two baked goods) but I felt we got more than our money’s worth.

The building doubles at Natalie’s at night, so the restrooms are utilitarian and only made for quick in-and-out at a concert venue. But they’re clean and spacious and have a much-appreciated changing table. Be warned, restrooms are the other side of the music hall, so you may need to escort the little ones or risk having them stop and explore the stage, as EZ did.

There are enough nook-and-cranny spaces for a quieter conversation. The shop felt friendly enough that i wasn’t worried about EZ finding a nook in another room to write his review The music was a mix of millennial retro and classic quirk, loud enough to set a tone but quiet enough to feel in control.

Add free parking, free wifi, and fantastic service to make this way easy to recommend for families. Bring a book and stay a while!