Coffee Kingdom is a small cafe located on the west side of Worcester Massachusetts on the corner of Pleasant Street and Richmond Avenue. Open generally between 9 in the morning until either 11 or 12 at night, it gets the early risers through their day and the night owls buzzin until whenever the espresso they had at midnight wears off.
It has been the place I call home since I was twelve years old. It's been open for about thirty years now and has survived the exchange of 3 different owners. It has been remodelled, and remodelled again, and I must say that the latest improvements are quite appetising to the eye. By far it offers the best cup of joe in central Mass.
My favorite drink is a house specialty called the Andy, created by a long lost employee, who's name, to no surprise is Andy. It's a double shot of espresso, poured over ice, with a layer of milk or cream on top.
The best way to drink and Andy is to sip the espresso at the bottom, and then slowly sip the cream or milk. It is the ultimate caffeine buzz.
Other beverages on the menu, include the usual regular coffee,a wide selection of teas, the newest coffee alternative-Chai, as well a host of other specialty coffee drinks that have made the place famous. It is of note that their regular coffee is far better than just any cup of regular coffee. The blend of coffees compiled for the "House Blend" brew differs daily, and is usually kept top secret by whichever employee is on staff at the time. Todd McDonald makes the best in my opinion, but I am sure others would argue for John Dean's blend as well.
People go there for lots of different reasons.
Some just stop in for a quick coffee to go.
Others stay for hours on end.
Chatting with the staff,flirting with the staff,
playing cards,chess,
even the occassional game of Dungeons and Dragons.
Hence, there is a very
diverse group of individuals that
make up the
clientele.
One minute you may find
a bunch of
businessmen chatting about their newest
marketing scheme that will
work wonders on
the unsuspecting public.
The next you might overhear the
punks that live up
the road fighting over who is better;
The Ramones or
The Clash.
Then of course, there are the few solitary guests that come in, order their coffee, and just sit there,
observing, reading, and quite possibly contemplating any possible meaning in their ever-present
meaningless lives.
Regardless, there is always something to be said of any visit to "the Kingdom". Some would say that it is Worcester's version of Cheers, a place where, for us regulars, someone will always know your name. No one is judged there and everyone is always welcome.
Well as long as you are over eighteen that is. In the past two years Worcester has initiated a smoking ban in most public establishments.
I would say that 95% of those that frequent the cafe smoke, therefore the owner had no choice but to enforce an age limit.
All in all, it's a great place to just chill and mellow out. Course it's also extremely fun to go there when you're blazed and you want to get extra fucked up by adding a little jolt to the system all of a sudden.
I'm tired. I'm awake. I'm tired. I'm awake.
"What is happening to me! Aaaaaah!"
The tales are endless from my years of partronage. Some funny, some sad. Some just utterly pathetic.
Like the time I spent the entire day there
(wait, that's like all the time),
smoking cigaqrette after cigarette. Playing game after game of chess, and losing.)
There are loads of
classic stories that find their
origin at Coffee Kingdom. There have been
fights,
drag queens dancing on the counter tops,
naked parties...
of which I will happily admit I was not in attendance,
and all the usual drama that occupies our lives.
Since I desire to node for the ages, I won't bore everyone with too much babble on this subject.
There are too many inside jokes at Kingdom for people that aren't familiar with the terrain to understand.
It just wouldn't be funny to most of you.
I guess the most hilarious thing that sticks out in my mind right now is the fact that while they were doing construction, I came into the shop, only to
fall on my face
because I tripped over some object that was lying in the doorway.
This happened over and over again until they finished doing work on the place. I still think whoever was working would see me coming and purposely put something there just so they could
laugh at me, but of course I am alone in this
belief.
So if you are ever in Worcester and you are dying for a good caffeine fix, head over the the Kingdom. I promise you won't be disappointed.