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Light pours in from the tall front windows at this diminutive café opened in the spring of 2008; if you can find a seat on the shabby-chic banquette, the triangularly shaped room makes for a cozy place to linger. MacBooks and feathered copies of the Sunday Times litter tiny antique tables—if you forget your own reading material, borrow a novel from the small bookshelf near the counter. The coffee here is brewed from Stumptown beans, and there’s also Mighty Leaf and Ten Ren teas on offer. Coffee blends rotate, but the Hair Bender espresso is a constant. Shots of the stuff are pulled from a Florentine La Marzocco espresso machine named Dorothy—customized with controlled settings that deliver consistently delicious drinks. For nibbles, there’s a rotating selection of housemade mini-muffins and cookies; the particularly cakey oatmeal-raisin-and-walnut cookies are as fat as a ball of ice cream. If you want something more substantial, the buttery ham-and-Gruyère croissant is delicately flaky but no less filling. — Edna Ishayik

Ham and Gruyere Croissant, $3.75