Bar Nine

Not my thing. Super spacious with bathrooms and a good amount / variety of seating. Brutalist interior, very fitting as I think it is literally a repurposed warehouse. Menu is simple and you can also buy roasted coffee beans here. I've heard good things about their pastries, but I didn't get to try.

Reason why it wasn't my thing is the espresso and pour over brews are sour and bitter. Granted it could've been the beans used (I had Bon Bon), but I personally don't enjoy a sour coffee. It looks like they pay a lot of attention to sourcing beans and roasting in-house which is great, but it wasn't my cup of tea. Or cup of coffee I suppose. It did the job though, barely finished half of my iced brew before I finished working and left.

Service was splendid, one of the staff reset the server when we asked about the wifi being down. That fixed it for the rest of our time there. All drinks, for here and to-go, come in small glass jars. Once people leave tables, someone came and sanitized the table.

Not too good for working - there are two outlets I could see and they were next to each other. It also ended up being pretty far from where I was seated. Noise level is quiet with some conversation.

Love the ambiance of the space and the coffee is solid. They also serve ceremonial grade matcha. As someone who values aesthetics the ice cubes are very visually pleasing.

If you order your coffee to go you get it in a glass jar and if you bring back the jar they will waive the $1 glass jar fee on your next order.

Ambiance: it's super spacious inside the establishment, high ceiling, office and storage in the back, and coffee shop upfront, which serves as a combined mass production manufacturer for coffee beans and cafeteria for simple food, cozy and relaxing vibes

Service: very friendly and patient with questions

Drink: simple menu for seasonal specialty
BONBON - **** Gerba, Natural Guji, Atitian, Guatemala
Washed, interesting flavors, recommend
FLORA - *** Idido Washed Yirgacheffe, sour taste

Price: each coffee costs about $6, credit card payment only

Pro: great and welcoming service, good lighting, aesthetic.

Grow: outlets for working, parking.

Bar nine has been on my bucket list for quite some time. I finally got to visit at 11 am on a weekday. I had such a hard time finding it as a delivery truck was covering the entrance. Once I arrived I was surprised by the amount of space and natural lighting. The baristas were very welcoming and I enjoyed my stay overall. There were very few outlets which makes it difficult to work from here for more than a few hours. There is street parking for 2 hours and some metered parking spots which were hard to find!

Drinks: they have three different varieties to choose from (check blackboard). I opted for a cappuccino with a floral forward taste. The coffee did not disappoint as it was well balanced and strong. I am actually really sensitive to caffeine but love coffee. This coffee kept me up all night so you know it was strong!

Overall, this is a nice and welcoming cafe to enjoy a nice coffee.

Bar Nine, which was used to be known more for Chemix specialty pour-over, is now focusing on espresso-based drinks.

You choose beans Bonbon (chocolatey), Fruta (fruity), Flora (floral), or decaf by Pure Espresso to order your espresso drink (shot of espresso, latte, cappuccino etc.). They also have espresso flight to taste the different beans.

Matcha is Nekohama brand.

Con: I am more of a pour-over person and sometimes occasional creative sweet latte, so their offerings are bit different from what I usually like to order from a coffee shop. The atmosphere is very industrial and warehouse-like, which I found it to be too open for my liking.

Pro: Gratuity-free model! To-go comes in a jar with deposit system. A variety of beans to select for espresso-based drink is something I haven't heard before (usually you see it for pour-over). If you are into espresso-based drink but with good beans, they offer latte, cappuccino, or other espresso drink without tons of frills and sugar, this place must be a great place to explore your taste buds!

I wanted to like this so badly. the Baristas were so kind and informative, but I'm just not a fan of their patented "Pure Espresso".

It's essentially premade espresso that's been bottled and it doesn't taste fresh to me at all.

Some may love it. I prefer a quality, traditional extraction.

I had a really great whole milk cappuccino here! I had it sweetened with some simple syrup. I got it to go and they gave it to me in this glass cup. Super cool coffee joint!

Excellent friendly service. This made the visit memorable and makes me want to return! The ambiance is open modern and warehouse feel because of the very large space and high ceilings, but more polished. I appreciate that they know their art and even answered questions about my espresso making at home. So appreciated and I really respect the roaster, Josh, both for his knowledge and kindness. Also the house made cashew hazelnut milk is delicious.

Tasty coffee, lovely reusable glasses, and delicious homemade pastries + treats. I'm glad to see they cover their savory foods now. Though, I wonder if the flies still get into the sweets pastry case. The frittata I had was pretty good. I thought it was a quiche (or crustless quiche I guess) but was told it's a frittata. Why don't my frittatas taste like that?

The only thing I'd skip is their chai, it seemed more sweet and milky than spiced with anything. The matcha latte is pretty good with oat milk.

I thought I already wrote a review for this place, but I guess I have to write a new one since they reopened. It's OK, it's an easy one. 5 stars. Best chai latte in the city since I moved here in 2018, and I've been all over this city trying those chais. Consistently the best, every time I come. The baked goods are fantastic, my man says the coffee is top quality, and the space is minimal and at the same time is everything it should be.