Fifth Coffee Element
Looking for my quintessential coffee shop? The ether to my java? YJ’s Snack Shop is it.
This little joint, nestled into the northwest edge of the crossroads district, is comfy, tasty, and friendly. Exactly what you want first thing in the morning. Good news is, though, they’re not open just in the mornings, or even just the days– they’re open 24 hours a day from Thursday till Sunday, when they cap off the weekend with live jazz before closing. Speaking of caps, YJ’s employees all wear fedoras at work. Is there some sort of mystical coffee and fedora connection I’m missing here? The baristas get to choose what music is playing. The music selections are often eclectic, ranging from jazz to rock to country to hispanic to punk to electronic.
On top of all this, YJ’s used to employ my favorite barista in town, Iris. Alas, no more. The quality of the mochas haven’t quite recovered yet. But I doubt the biscuits and gravy have deteriorated at all. Or the baked grapefruit. Or any of the other wonderful small meals YJ’s serves us. Stop by for a morning coffee, a light lunch, a hearty dinner, or a midnight snack. They won’t let you down, and they’ll certainly grin :).
May 26th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
I was intrigued by the fact that this coffee house was ranked by this website as being the best coffee house in Kansas City, so I had to try it having high expectations. Needless to say I was sorely disappointed by YJ’s Snack Shop. While certainly an eclectic venue, I found their espresso to be very very average. I would even venture to say on the low side of average. The service was good and very friendly which was nice, but the coffee was nothing to write home about.
October 21st, 2008 at 4:11 pm
I found myself in the Crossroads neighborhood again, so I decided to give YJ’s another shot thinking that perhaps the last time I went there was an “off” day for their espresso. I can say that my experience this time was exactly the same as the last time. Their espresso tastes burned, with a bitter aftertaste. I’ll give any coffee shop two attempts to woo me, as I realize that we all sometimes have “off” days, but if after the second attempt at getting a good latte, they don’t deliver, I won’t be going back. Sorry YJ, but I won’t be back. Furthermore, I have now sampled a latte from every Coffee Shop on kcperky.com’s top 10 list, which I consider to be a fairly accurate ranking of the KC independent coffee scene, and I don’t know how YJ’s even got ranked on the top 10 list, let alone in the number one spot.
November 24th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
I have to agree with Luke. The only thing I like about this cute little shop is that it’s always open!
I didn’t really care for the espresso there. The menu is ecclectic, but the shop is too small to really enjoy a meal there or hang out for a while, I feel. I would definately return if I found myself in the area in the wee hours of the morning when nothing else was open, but I wouldn’t pass up some of the better shops downtown to go to YJ’s.