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The “voice of the people” is the emphasis here, where there’s equal attention paid to raising consciousness and to serving coffee to fuel the impassioned conversations. For the latter, try the lattés, cappuccinos, and white chocolate mochas, all made with fair-trade-certified beans. For the former, owner Sander Hicks, founder of Soft Skull Press, has his own muckraking newspaper, The New York Megaphone. The school-bus-yellow interior has a comfortable, lefty feel, with a coffee bar made of salvaged mahogany and topped with recycled glass and cement. Wall décor features posters promoting self-publishing (available at discount rates), and chic Moleskin journals are arrayed among the radical titles near the cash register. A small stage hosts poetry readings and acoustic performances. Non-java libations include Six Points and Dogfish Head brews, as well as smoothies and excellent fresh-squeezed Granny Smith apple and ginger juices. A short, unremarkable menu covers pastries, sandwiches, and pizzas. On weekends in season, separate vegan and carnivore barbeques smoke away near the ramshackle sidewalk tables in front, for equal opportunity eats for all. — Ethan Wolff

Sundays at 7 p.m. are Open Mic nights. Additional musical performances take place throughout the week.

Hummus plate, $6.99

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