 "Photo: Brian Tseng")
When the sun sets beyond Mānoa, and Corner Market Café and Papa Lucks are closed for the night, students can walk a few blocks and find caffeine and more to keep their minds awake.
“If I study at home I have a tendency to fall asleep,” said Tom Gammarino, a graduate assistant in the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s English department. “At a coffee shop I’m sitting upright, surrounded by coffee and caffeine.”
The three coffeehouses open late near campus are Café 2600, Netstop, and Glazer’s, all located off of University Avenue and South King Street.
Homey feel and food
Café 2600 in Puck’s Alley seeks to offer that extra oomph.
Decorated with curtains to give it a homey feel, the café has large tables for students to work on, with armchairs and a sofa for more comfortable seating.
“We really pride ourselves on providing a place students can study,” said Cassandra Wagner, barista at Café 2600 and former vice-president of the Associated Students of the University of Hawai‘i. “This is where I used to study when I was a student.”
The café recently extended its hours to 1 a.m. to cater to students who study later into the night.
Café 2600 also serves food.
“We’re trying to offer something other coffee shops might not have,” barista Mimi Elliott said. “We have a lot of students here, and we provide alternatives to the dorm food.”
Its menu includes cereal with milk, bagels, fresh juice, hamburgers, hot dogs and create-your-own sandwiches. For breakfast, the café serves customized bentos with eggs, meat and rice, and croissant sandwiches.
The drinks include hot or iced espresso drinks, specialty iced teas and Italian sodas. And Wagner says that the kava drink, made from the root of the Hawaiian ‘awa plant, is a late-night favorite.
Laptop users have access to Wi-Fi with a $2 purchase, and there are six computers for customer use. Internet use on the in-store computers costs $1 for the initial fee and 11 cents for every minute after that. Printing and faxing services are also available.
The café is open to featuring music or artwork by students. It has a small collection of books patrons are free to take, donated by a bookstore that closed down.
widescreen computers
Netstop, located in University Square across the street from Puck’s Alley, is an Internet café that centers around providing widescreen computers that can do “pretty much everything.”
“We mainly focus on a business center where you can do anything that’s computer-related,” said Eric Uncangco, a 10-year veteran of the Netstop staff. “We offer the luxury of a living room and the flexibility and capability to actually play games or use high-end media.”
According to Uncangco, the Dell computers are new and have video gaming-card capabilities. Netstop features artwork by local artists that is available for sale.
The location has 15 computers for public use at the price of 10 cents per minute. Wireless services cost $3 by the hour or $30 for a monthly membership. Black and white printing is 20 cents per page.
Copies at Netstop are 5 cents each (“That’s cheaper than Kinko’s,” Uncangco said). Copies at Kinko’s on University Avenue and South King Street are 9 cents for black-and-white copies.
Netstop offers kimchee bowls, Cup Noodles, cookies and other snacks. Espresso drinks from lattes to cappuccinos and green tea are offered. A small coffee at Netstop is $1.05 and, according to Uncangco, is the most popular order.
Seattle-style coffee
When Sam Han opened Glazer’s three years ago, he wanted to design it like a Seattle specialty coffeehouse.
“There are not many specialty coffeehouses here,” Han said. “Glazer’s is special for its unique atmosphere, unique coffee and unique baristas.”
The coffeehouse features hanging lights and retro décor, from a 1950s-style phone to retro cameras. Betty Boop adorns some of the drinking glasses, and decorative teacups sit on the counter.
Glazer’s reflects Han’s two loves besides coffee – photography and jazz. Polaroid and fish-eye photos are on the wall, and jazz and new-age music is almost always playing.
His principle focus, however, is the quality of the coffee.
“The best coffee is (based on) how fresh the bean is,” said Han, who gets his coffee from a local roaster to optimize freshness.
Glazier’s’ specialty drink is its latte, which costs $3.25 for a small. It also offers espresso drinks, Italian soda, specialty iced and hot teas, and ice-blended drinks.
Although Glazer’s sells biscotti, cookies and muffins, the emphasis is on providing quality drinks in lieu of providing other foods.
There are no computers for public use, but Wi-Fi is available with the purchase of a drink.
“Coffeehouses in general are a place in-between school and home,” said senior UH political science major Christy Wagner. “They give you the chance to get away from school but not be distracted at home.
“It’s also a social place to meet up with friends, study over coffee, or share ideas.”
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