I have several favorite third places in Cincinnati – places where I can
take my books/laptop/self to, plop down on a chair and spend some hours
relaxing and people watching. Some are better than others, but
Awakenings never fails me. The Hyde Park coffee house/wine bar has
great coffee and a calm, cool atmosphere.

I spent my Monday afternoon at Awakenings, with a medium coffee ($1 for
a refill) and a delicious almost croissant (turns out they’re homemade
– that explains it). 

There was a bit of a delay when I had to stealthily wait for/pounce on
a table near an outlet, but then I was able to waste time online with
in peace. The store was decently full for a weekday afternoon, with
several laptop-wielding customers scattered among a couple tables of
two.

But despite the group, Awakenings manages to stay open and airy. The chairs and
tables are light and well-placed; Thanks to a large window overlooking
the square, most of the light inside is natural. Where the walls aren’t
taken up with rows of wine bottles, there’s multiple shows by local
artists.

There’s more to discover about Awakenings – looking around on their
website, I found they have 45 varieties of coffee, 500 bottles of wine
and regular tasting events. But that just gives me another reason to go
back.

Awakenings Coffee & Tea Co.
2734 Erie Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45208

www.awakeningsco.com