Second Cup Somerset to Bank on

Yesterday I was out on an adventure and stopped off with the last remnants of my Second Cup gift card to a Second Cup (290 Bank Street, Ottawa) at Bank and Somerset Street West.  Perfect location if you are heading to Chinatown as it is a transfer point off of OC Transpo's Routes 1, 2 & 7.  There always seems to be a number of people in that area either transferring from the buses either to go west along Somerset to Chinatown, south down Bank Street towards the Glebe or north into downtown.   Thus, this Second Cup is a great location to grab a hot beverage while waiting for your next bus.  

I visited at 11 A.M. to find a fair number of people inside but with still some seating left.  Of course most customers were taking full advantage of the free Wifi, but this Second Cup also ensures that there are free newspapers available to read including the Ottawa Citizen and Globe & Mail.  The free newspapers also seem to be respected by customers as they are neatly returned to the counter or left on the coffee table in the area of the leather chairs. 

I stepped up to the counter and ordered a nibble and a drink.

The Order: 1 Medium Black Irish Cream and a Apple Cranberry Muffin.

I exchanged my gift card for my order and visited what looked to be the welcoming arms of the soft leather chairs with a newspaper to read.  The leather chairs sure were soft alright, I nearly felt I was going to be on the floor soon as the back springs seemed to be shot.  I looked around at the other three chairs and saw they were worn around the edges.  These chairs are just starting to be on borrowed time. 

I opened the Apple Cranberry muffin.  Mediocre taste because, as mentioned in previous posts, Second Cup ships all baked goods in instead of making them from scratch.   

The Irish Cream coffee though was one of the best I've had from Second Cup.  I sipped it slowly enjoying the perfect mix of coffee to Irish Cream quotient. 

Overall, this Second Cup location provides a comfortable spot with well prepared beverages.  The free newspapers available are an added bonus as well.  Good spot to curl up for a little bit of time, read the news or talk to friends.  A good traditional Canadian coffee shop sans le donuts though.