Review - Nook Bakery & Coffee Bar

15 S. 20th Street (Between Chestnut and Market Streets)
215.496.9033
Website, Twitter, Yelp, Google Maps
M - F: 7 am - 5:30 pm, Sat: 8 am - 5:30 pm, Sun: Closed
Free Wifi, 1 Outlet, 7 Small Tables (and other seating)

Nook Bakery & Coffee Bar

At the recommendation of one of the readers of Philly Cacophony, my next destination was this relatively new (open just last July) coffee shop, located near Rittenhouse Square.  After hearing about it from my friend and reading about in on Yelp, I went with rather high expectations.  I must say, those expectations we're completely met as Nook is easily now on my top-5 list of best cafés in  Center City.  I was most impressed by their coffee and food.  They use coffee from One Village Coffee, which is a coffee roaster based in Pennsylvania that hand-roasts their fair-trade coffee.  Nook offers two different coffee options.  For $1.75, you can get coffee made from a French Press and then stored in a thermos.  In the alternative, you can shell out $0.50 more for coffee hand-brewed to order (you'll need to wait 5 minutes).  It's a bit more expensive, but if you enjoy high-quality coffee, it's definitely worth it.  They use a different blend every day.  I ordered the French Press coffee, with the blend of the day, which was the "Nor'Easter Blend," a blend of heavy Indonesian and lighter South American  coffee roasted dark.  The coffee was brewed perfectly and simply put, quite amazing.  Smelling the aroma of the perfectly-brewed coffee reminded me why I like visiting cafés so much.  Nothing beats sipping on a cup of delicious coffee and enjoying the culture of coffee shops in the middle of a city - it's a great break from the hustle-and-bustle of a busy urban area.  But I digress.  I also ordered the quiche ($5.50), upon the recommendation of several Yelp reviewers.  The quiche, along with all the other food assortments (cakes, pastries, muffins, macaroni and cheese, chili, etc) all looked quite tasty.  Nook makes all the food on premise, fresh each day.  The owners clearly put a heavy emphasis on the details of their establishment.  The quiche looked quite appetizing behind the glass door and was indeed quite tasty.  I was, however, a bit disappointed that they microwaved the quiche before serving it to me.


The service was impeccable.    The owners, Michael Caro and Edna Cruz, are both extremely friendly.  Throughout my time there, I observed many customers (presumably loyal customers) come in, order their usual, and have extended conversations with the owners.  If you peek through the back doors, you might be able to observe them baking up a new cake.


As for the environment, it's well-lit and well-decorated.  As many cafés do, they exhibit a number of paintings from local artists for sale.  They have soft-music background music, which was a bit too eclectic for my taste, but it was soft enough for me to drown out with my headphones.  I was under the impression that Nook would have limited seating, but I was able to easily find a spot among the 7 smaller tables.  In addition, there are a few sofas and 7 stools at an elevated counter. There's also free wi-fi as long as you make a purchase.  The only thing that could make it difficult to study at, is the fact that there's only 1 outlet.  During busier times, I would expect a race to get those outlets.  As an extra bonus, Nook seems to be a popular destination for many of the nearby business and law people.  If you're into doing some spontaneous networking, Nook may be the place for you.


Overall, this is a great café.  I would visit it frequently if it stayed open beyond 5:30 pm and had more outlets. But even so, its amazing coffee and friendly baristas make you wonder why anyone would patronize the Dunkin' Donuts down the street. Bottom line - great coffee, friendly service, OK place to study.  A solid 4.5/5 stars.  Check it out if you get the chance and share your thoughts!