MOKO Coffee + Tea

MOKO Coffee and Tea, located directly across from the Hanna Building in Playhouse Square at 1505 Euclid Avenue, is a true Cleveland gem. It was founded just three years ago and, as you can see from these photos (additional pictures available at mokocoffee.typepad.com), is in a location where transiency is truly the status quo. It is also in a location of prominence: it is next door to the Ohio Theatre, down the block from Cleveland State University, in the heart of the Euclid Corridor Project, down the street from Star Plaza ('Cleveland's Time Square' in many respects), and a stone's throw from the famed Marcel Breuer AmeriTrust Tower (in the midst of being re-developed by K&D Properties of Willoughby, Ohio).

When I walked into MOKO, I really had no idea what to expect. My experience with its neighbor to the East (the somewhat sketch, yet incredibly inexpensive, China Sea) was not a great introduction. Plus the awning that advertises MOKO just has to go. Regardless, I found MOKO's interior to be a modern, uncluttered, and chic - living up to the name of coffee they serve, Intelligentsia. I especially recommend either venturing to the upstairs balcony (/hideout) at MOKO (see above, left) or taking advantage of the outside patio, as Tory and I did.

To get to the coffee (finally), MOKO serves an excellent product. I highly recommend their iced coffee - brewed Toddy style (a cold-brewing method, but more on this to come). It is strong, very flavorful, and hardly bitter. MOKO's menu board advertises their Toddy iced coffee as $2.50 for a medium (on par with Phoenix's regular iced coffee; 75 cents cheaper than their Toddy-style iced coffee); however, the last few times I've been over to MOKO I've been charged just $1.70. This has been a true coup de grace to the competition for me (especially since I'm on an intern's budget...). Tory ordered an espresso as per the barista's recommendation when we went; I'm not going to comment on it, though, as this was Tory's first-ever taste of espresso. Any comments on the espresso from your experience?

Long story short, MOKO is fantastic and won't break your wallet. Check it out.