Coffee Shop Review: Donkey (Athens, Ohio)

It's Halloween weekend, and I am in Athens, Ohio to spend the weekend with one of my oldest and dearest friends. So I thought - well, why not blog about a delightful little coffee shop down south? This way you will have a couple coffee shops across the state to visit, if you so desire.

The very first time I went to visit my friend at Ohio University, she told me she had been dying to take me to a place called Donkey. I had no idea what this was going to entail, but since she was so excited I was, too.

Image from Donkey's website

Needless to say, I was not let down. As soon as I walked through the door, I could see why my friend loved it. It was the quintessential college coffee shop - much like Grounds for Thought is for Bowling Green. It's cozy and warm and full of students studying and chatting.

We went to the counter and since the vanilla chai tea latte had come highly recommended by my friend, I decided to go for that. Still one of the best chai tea lattes I have ever tasted.

Since Donkey isn't overly spacious, my friend led me up the stairs (I know, a two-floor coffee shop! I loved it!) to find a table up there. While I am sitting there enjoying the atmosphere in this quaint shop, my friend asks me if I would like to play Scrabble. I'm pretty sure Donkey got ten more bonus points for having board games there for people to play while they sip their beverages (this is something I love about the Nervous Dog, too).

I loved their long list of hot and cold beverages, they had everything you could possibly want. And not only that, but the food looked simply delicious! The coolest thing about their food, too, is not only is it all delicious - it's all local, too. The pizza, the feta rolls, the cheesecake - it all comes from local bakeries and food shops in Athens.

While I'm thinking this place could not get any better, I also find out that they are all about promoting social justice and awareness, not only in Athens but worldwide. You can read more about their commitment to promoting social justice through public awareness, financial donations and service here.

Needless to say, this is another coffee shop that tops my list of must-sees. If you ever find yourself in Athens, make sure you stop in. I hear the vanilla chai tea lattes are pretty great . . .




--Alissa