MY FAVORITE PARK SLOPE: PLACE TO WORK AT, THEN DRINK AT

Finding the perfect Park Slope coffee shop to work in is work itself.  Upon moving here, I first tried Root Hill, which boasts the best coffee in the Slope (in my haughty opinion). But those cold plastic chairs can really only comfortably sit an elf on the shelf. And so the search continued.

I've since learned  that I'd never find everything I was looking for in one coffee shop: bold coffee, yummy food, ample comfy seating, hot baristas, plentiful sockets... but one place comes close: Tea Lounge. When it comes to coffee shops, I'm a bit of a size queen. I crave anonymity in these settings, and find the intimacy of Cafe Grumpy, De Luxe, Postmark... hell, any other coffee shop except Tea Lounge, to be insufferable.  I want to blend in witha sea of deadpan stares and bloodshot eyes hovering over glowing apples. I want to sink into some big old honkin' couch that is bad for my back, but I don't give a shit because *damn* I could fall asleep right now. I also want a place where I can nibble on more than some gourmet scone (the grub here is pretty good, especially their salads: mix pix with grilled chicken is the way to go.)

And the best thing about Tea Lounge -- that I didn't even realize I was looking for in a coffee shop -- is the ability to get drunk.  When I'm done with the daily 9 to 5 grind, I can retire the latte and get myself a real libation, because this coffee shop doubles as a bar! Brilliant. Since you asked (probably), their best summer drink is the berry and rose petal mojito, and their best winter drink is the hot toddy. 

Tea Lounge also has great live entertainment to soak up: music, comedy, open mics -- it's all good. Even when people go outside to have a smoke on the seat from some 1998 Pontiac, they're treated to the tunes of these old rasta dudes in their garage next door. For realz, have you ever walked by this scene? Attached to Tea Lounge is this tiny open air zen den where a few cool cats are throwin back brews, sharing knee-slappin' stories, and jammin' to some sweet reggae tunes. Sometimes I just sit and watch the buttoned up passersby do a triple take.

And if you're still not sold:  They accept credit cards with no minimum and don't require a password for wifi (hey, it's the little things in life). Oh, and the coffee? It's meh in my opinion. But hey, it's called TEA Lounge for a reason... 65 fresh loose organic teas, baby. See you there for work and play.