Hardy Coffee Co.

The bakery is here. Hardy Coffee's North Omaha location doubles as the company's bakery, which means the pastries you order across town at the Benson shop are produced in this building, and the cinnamon roll you're eating came out of an oven a few rooms over from where you're sitting. The drink menu matches the Benson shop, and the chai and the syrups are house-made rather than poured from a labeled bottle.

The room is the opposite of the cramped neighborhood cafe stereotype. High ceilings, plants, natural light, a large seating area indoors and outdoor space too when the weather allows. Open and bright rather than cozy, and calm enough to work or to meet without feeling like you're disturbing anybody at the next table.

The house-made chai is the named drink and the one regulars order without looking at the menu. The honey lavender latte and the banana bread matcha with strawberry cold foam are the more inventive picks for people who want something that isn't on every cafe menu in town. The cafe au lait and the cold brew are the no-frills workhorses. On the bakery side, the monster cookie and the rich vegan cinnamon roll are the regular orders, the pecan roll and the vegan brownie cover the sweeter picks, and the cranberry orange muffin is the lighter option for the days you're trying to pretend.

Free parking, which matters more than it sounds like it should in any cafe conversation. Outlets are limited, so come charged if you're staying for a long session and don't count on plugging in when you arrive. Kid-friendly with the outdoor seating. This is one of the more functional remote-work cafes in Omaha that also happens to do real coffee and real baking under one roof. The bakery is here. That's the whole pitch.