Review - Cafe Mocha

263 S. 10th Street (Between Locust and Spruce Streets)
267.322.4050
Website, Yelp, Google Maps
M - F: 8 am - 7 pm, S - S: 9 am - 7 pm
Free Wi-Fi, Lots of outlets, Easy to find a table

Cafe Mocha

For the first Philly Cacophony review, I decided to check out Cafe Mocha, located right next to Jefferson University, on 10th Street between Locust and Spruce.  Though the café looked a bit shabby from the outside, I was pleasantly surprised by the decor inside.  The café is well-lit and boasts a collection of interesting artwork from local artists.  The owner / barista, Stan, doubles as a real estate agent, and is extremely friendly.  Their coffee is their own blend that they get from South Jersey and wasn't half-bad though a tad bit on the pricey side.  I did think that their Café Americano tasted much better though.  In case you're wondering, I'm not the biggest fan of Café Mocha's so I didn't try it.  I also decided to try a brownie upon Stan's recommendation, which was quite excellent.  As their website claims, they have a wide selection of vegan snacks and treats for those so inclined.

My favorite part of Cafe Mocha however, was the environment.  The barista was friendly but not over-talkative and didn't bother me while studying.  He had a radio station quietly on in the background, which was fine.  Moreover, the café wasn't crowded at all, which was surprising because I expected a huge number of Jefferson students to monopolize the tables.  They have about 5 tables a few couches.  I had no problem logging into the free wi-fi (no time restrictions) and was very impressed by their plentiful outlets (I counted one for each table)!  I should mention however, that the friend I was with was very bothered by the low-hanging lights over each table.  They didn't really bother me, but did bother my friend.  Overall, Cafe Mocha would be a great place to study or to just chat with a friend.

Of course before visiting Cafe Mocha, I had the sensibility to check out the Yelp ratings.  At the time of this writing, there are 13 reviewers giving an aggregate rating of 2.5 stars.  I can't see why Cafe Mocha warrants such a mediocre rating because I thought overall the cafe was pretty good.  Most reviewers complained about the slightly high price, and the scary bathroom.  Though the coffee was slightly more expensive, it wasn't out of the ordinary when compared to other café's in the area (e.g., Last Drop, Spruce Street Espresso).  The comments about the bathroom definitely intrigued me, so of course I checked it out.  I must agree that this bathroom has got to be one of the worst bathrooms I've ever seen for a café.  To even get there, you have to go down a flight of stairs and traverse across a cluttered and darkly-lit basement.  You'll then be greeted by a a toilet on top of a 2 feet-high platform surrounded by a curtain...

Bottom line - not bad coffee, great place to study (free wi-fi, lots of outlets, not too crowded), slightly expensive, super creepy bathroom.  I give it 3.5/5 stars.  Let me know your thoughts in the comments section!