Bird Tree Cafe is another one of those establishments that, one, I have passed by on plenty of occasions but never gone into, and two, toes the line between a coffee shop and restaurant. But the beauty of writing this column is that I can make and bend the rules to my choosing, and Bird Tree is a place that deserves a ranking. It’s also the first recommendation I got from a Substack follower (and former teammate, shoutout), so it was a no-brainer to rank it for this week’s edition. I’ll get right into it below.
Location: 9.5/10
Bird Tree is right across the street from Story Coffee—a shop I ranked a few months back and gave a 9.8/10 in this category, so it only felt fair to give a very similar location ranking. The only reason it doesn’t get that extra 0.3 that Story has is that it’s not in Acacia Park. But it’s in the heart of downtown, and only a 10 to 15 minute walk from campus, making it a perfect spot to go after class or on a weekend, as you’ll find yourself in one of the best parts of Colorado Springs (in my opinion).
Vibe: 9.4/10
The vibe of this place can be encapsulated very well by the logo font—known as dosis—that epitomises the hip, millennial core aesthetic that a lot of the restaurants and coffee shops in downtown Colorado Springs have. It’s very similar to the “metal cup and plates” type of vibe that taco shops will use to justify charging $15 for chips and guac. Anyways, with that slight rant out of the way, I actually do really enjoy the vibe and social atmosphere it harbors. There’s a solid mix of people talking, doing work, or just hanging around, and the ceiling decor—which was Chinese New Year themed—was actually pretty sick, even if it feels like April might be past the socially accepted cutoff of when you can use that decor. The only point I’ll take off was for the aux, which seemed to have absolutely zero theme or continuity. I heard some EDM, pop, 1980s rap and random other songs that made me feel like I should be racing in Rainbow Road.
But what I want to highlight the most, and the reason it’s got such a high vibe score, are the baristas. More specifically, the barista who took my order, as her pink beret and communication, is something I can only compare to a flight attendant, in the best way possible. It felt like every word she said was perfectly constructed, and not a breath was wasted on unhelpful information. Either that, or she’s just a very good saleswoman.
Price: 6/10
Overall, I’d say my best comparison to this place is Good Neighbors, and the price category epitomises that. $6 for a cold brew is pretty steep, but it’s aided by the fact that instead of ice cubes, it comes with frozen cold brew cubes, so that the coffee “isn’t diluted,” according to one barista. On the food side of things, while the Early Bird Breakfast Bowl I ordered ran me $15 and felt overtaxing, it was well worth it taste-wise. Although the prices aren’t as bad as Loyal Coffee’s overpriced avocado toast (I have a personal vendetta against that specific dish for some reason), it’s definitely not on the cheap side. It’s a perfect middle-of-the-pack contender: in no way great value, but it also won’t set you back and put you in decades of debt.
Taste: 9.6/10
To keep a bit of fairness in these rankings, I’m gonna focus on the coffee part of the cafe, rather than the food options. But I have to admit, the cold brew was something special. I think a large part of that is because of the frozen cold brew ice cube, which is something I’ve never seen before and am a huge fan of. Going to start a petition to pass legislation that says every coffee shop that serves cold brew has to do this.
I’ll briefly mention the food side of things, because the bowl I got has to be one of the best coffee shop meals I’ve had. The fact that Loyal’s sad avocado toast costs the same makes me despise that place even more.
Bottom Line
Whether you want to come and get some work done, have a bite with a friend on a weekend, or want to see quite possibly the world’s first and only flight attendant barista, Bird Tree is well worth a visit. I’d honestly say it’s worth a trip just to try the frozen cold brew ice cube. And if you’re off drinking age, they’ve also got a bar with a few beers on tap, as well as a wide range of cocktails. While Bird Tree narrowly loses out to its next door neighbor, Story Coffee, both offer very good coffee and vibes if you’re in the downtown area.
Current Rankings
- Misty Mountain Collective: 37.8/40
- Subaru Service Cafe: 35.5/40
- Switchback Roasters: 35/40
- Story Coffee: 34.8/40
- Bird Tree Cafe: 34.5/40
- Good Neighbors: 32/40
- Loyal Coffee: 29/40
- Frankly Coffee: 28.5/40