Comments (0) BEST COFFEEHOUSE - 2007

Mapps Coffee and Tea

Like all quality coffee shops, Mapps is a microcosm of the surrounding neighborhood. This sunlight-specked, high-ceilinged West Bank caffeine emporium attracts an eclectic crowd. College kids from the U of M and Augsburg cradle lattes as they take advantage of free wi-fi. Somali men from the nearby Riverside Plaza towers talk animatedly in small groups while sipping East African tea. Shaggy-haired, middle-aged washouts who have been hanging out in the neighborhood since its counter-cultural heyday in the '60s get buzzed on espresso. The rotating art shows also offer evidence that Mapps is well tapped into the community. Recent offerings have included a collection of photographs by Abdi Roble documenting Somali life in the United States and a display of pictures taken by employees of the American Refugee Committee. Owners Yildiz and Erdoan Akguc recently opened up a second location in the Midtown Global Market, but it lacks the neighborhood charm of the original.