Mountain View's coolest spots to get hot coffee

By Katherine Tolentino

Coffee: It's the fuel that keeps us going through late nights and early mornings, and it essentially runs through the veins of almost all college students.

As much as you love the soy lattes and iced mochas from our good friends at Sunstream Café and Mission Bakery, every so often you might crave the community that is only found in a coffee shop.

Try these gems in downtown Mountain View to curb that coffee shop craving: Dana Street Roasting Company and Red Rock Coffee.

Dana Street

Dana Street attracts an eclectic customer base. It has established itself as a neighborhood institution after serving up some of the city's best coffee for 17 years.

In the 15 years that coffee roaster Aaron has worked at Dana Street, he has seen regular customers from each and every walk of life. CEOs, tattoo artists, families and college students all flock to Dana Street to enjoy their award-winning, in-house-roasted espresso.

Apart from the great selection of espresso drinks, Dana Street serves up plenty of delicious specialty beverages and smoothies. Taking a sip of their steamed milk is akin to imbibing rich melted marshmallows, and drinking one of their Avalanche Milkshakes is like floating through a chocolate espresso heaven.

Dana Street also offers plenty of snacks, from knishes and quiches to lemon squares and coffee cake, with fresh bagels in the morning and sandwiches during the day.

Dana Street's décor is just as eclectic as its family of customers. It features mismatched chairs, tables of all sizes and a variety of artwork, including a giant Kafkaesque bug above the kitchen and regularly-changing satirical cartoons taped to the tip jar. The unique atmosphere is perfect for anyone looking to get away from the overly-trendy feel of mainstream coffee shops like Starbucks and Peet's Coffee.

Red Rock

Just down Castro Street is another independent coffee shop filling the two bottom floors of a beautiful historic building: Red Rock.

Though not as established as its veteran brother, Dana Street, Red Rock has seen a boom in its customer base in the past few years, especially after winning the "Best of Mountain View" award last year.

Young business professionals and local college students especially love the laptop-friendly, red-and-black-themed seating area on the second floor, which overlooks the bustling Castro Street.

Red Rock's employees take their slogan of "caffeine, culture, community" quite seriously. As a not-for-profit organization, the coffee shop donates a large portion of its earnings to local and global community organizations.

This month, a portion of Red Rock's profits go to fund the purchase of a water well in an impoverished region of Ghana.

Red Rock's awareness of social responsibility is a huge draw for college students. In an effort to support the local art scene, both Dana Street and Red Rock offer live music shows on weekend nights, providing an ideal break after a stressful week of midterms. Red Rock also houses a popular open mic night on Mondays. Show up, snack on locally-baked baklava or a delicious vegan cookie and check out the original performances, which include everything from poetry to songs to stand-up comedy.

Next time you're looking to escape from your monotonous daily routine and connect with others off campus, join the communities at Dana Street or Red Rock in Mountain View. They know the feeling.

Contact Katherine Tolentino at ktolentino@scu.edu.