Cody Bond
With a bright blue and yellow geometric floor offset by crisp white walls, gleaming subway tiles and blond wood accents, A-OK has a postmodern cafeteria feel.
The coffee shop/hipster diner/beer and cocktail bar, located at 829 E. Washington Ave., opened quietly this fall. There’s no website, save for a Facebook page and an Instagram account, and they’ve done little advertising.
But perhaps the best advertising is an excellent product. A-OK serves Kin-Kin coffee and espresso, roasted locally by Gwen and Kyle Johnson of Johnson Public House fame. The beans are small batch and single origin, and the drinks are meticulously prepared — everything third-wave coffee should be.
The barista recommended the pour-overs (my date got a Kalita and said it was “pleasant”), but I opted for an Americano — an underrated coffee order, some might argue, and my current favorite thing.
It’s a simple beverage — two shots of espresso mixed with hot water. But the result is thicker, richer — and, dare I say? better — than your standard drip brew. A-OK’s version is perfectly, scaldingly hot, sweet like fruit and smooth like chocolate with a crisp, satisfying finish.
I didn’t need cream, but I got some anyway — “Sunshine of Your Love” started playing in the background. Nice touch, A-OK.