A comforting scent filled with hints of brewing coffee and baked goods wafts throughout the air the moment that someone steps into yellowbird coffee bar. With a wide selection of coffees and other non-caffeinated beverages, as well as a seasonal menu, yellowbird coffee bar has something for everyone. The yellow branding that flows throughout the store will be sure to catch one’s eye. The Mug Landing Tree on the side of this whimsical coffee bar encourages its guests to trade a coffee mug from the tree.

When first coming to this welcoming St. Paul coffee bar, parking spots can be a little difficult to find. However, the way yellowbird greets guests with a warm, cozy atmosphere, as well as the long and diverse menu that hangs behind the baristas makes up for it. yellowbird coffee bar has a calming ambiance that draws people in as a comfortable place to relax. This coffee bar is often filled with students chatting as they hang out after school, as well as adults working quietly, making yellowbird feel pleasant and cheerful.

While deciding on what to order, there was a recurring fascination by the number of drinks to choose from followed by a hard time deciding what to order. For caffeinated drinks, the final order consisted of the Raspberry White Mocha from the spring menu and a Caramel Latte from the year-round menu. For non-caffeinated, the Strawberry Fields from the spring menu was selected. Along with the beverages, an order of the M&M cookie, as well as a brownie, was made with a total price coming to about $23, which to admit, is a little pricey.

Upon the first sip of the Strawberry Fields, a sweet taste of strawberries combined with the milk hits the tongue and leaves a creamy aftertaste. Hints of coconut follow the initial taste and it leaves a sense of wonder of how deep the ingredients truly go. The Strawberry Fields is described as “strawberry + milk” on the menu but after finishing the drink, that seems to be an understatement to describe such a simple, yet refreshing taste. Following the Strawberry Fields, a taste test was also given to the M&M cookie, which was quite large for its size. Although there were high hopes and expectations placed onto the cookie, it turned out to be an average M&M cookie with a softer texture and more salt, easily accessible in supermarkets. Due to the large size of the cookie, it took a while to finish but isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Now, it was self-proclaimed coffee addict Julia Colbert’s turn to try her drinks. First trying the Raspberry White Mocha, Colbert noted that the raspberry was noticeable right away, but wasn’t an “in-your-face” sort of taste. “The mocha and white chocolate complemented the raspberry taste and it was the perfect balance between the coffee part and the additional add-ons. I will most definitely be getting this more,” Colbert said.

Next up was the Caramel Latte, which Colbert admitted that she had higher hopes for. “The Caramel Latte wasn’t anything I hadn’t tasted before but it was still overall, really good. For $4.75, I think it’s slightly overpriced and I don’t think it’s any better than, say, Starbucks.”

Overall, the decorations following the aesthetic, the relaxing ambiant noises, and the wide selection of delicious drinks and baked goods make yellowbird coffee bar a go-to coffee shop for many. It is unique, welcoming, and definitely a coffee shop unlike any other.