Limu Coffee

Limu runs a drive-thru and a small dine-in space out of a New Brighton storefront, with exotic blends and cold press stocked alongside the core drinks. Most of the traffic flows through the window, which is what the operation is built for, and the rhythm of the morning runs through that drive-thru line.

The iced Americano is the volume order. The brown sugar shaken espresso has its loyalists, the kind of trendy drink that earned its spot on the menu rather than just chasing a moment. The cold press is the one to ask about when you want to taste the beans without the milk. Latte if you want the standard. The exotic blends rotate, so the bag program is worth asking the counter about if you want to try something different than the daily drip.

The interior is small, clean, cute, with a couch and a few tables. There is a pair of small sidewalk tables outside, which is the entire outdoor program. Outlets are limited and the indoor footprint makes extended laptop work tougher than at a shop built for it. This is a quick-stop operation. The drive-thru exists for a reason.

Locally owned, which matters in this corner of the Twin Cities suburbs where chains dominate the drive-thru market. The local-ownership flag is the whole brand position, and the cup quality has to back it up against the chain competition. It does, particularly on the iced Americano and the cold press, which are the two drinks regulars use to benchmark a coffee shop they are deciding whether to come back to.

Go through the window, take the iced Americano, get on with your day. If you want to sit, the couch is the seat to claim and the sidewalk tables work in good weather. Otherwise the drive-thru is where the operation makes the most sense and where most regulars live, ordering the same iced Americano on the same morning route.