beans: ozo on pearl

I feel it’s important to state here that beans and suds receives no compensation or promotional consideration from Ozo, its owners, or any of its subsidiaries. I am about to begin what may seem an “Ode to Ozo,” and I want to make it clear I have no ulterior motive.

There are two Ozo Coffee Co’s in town. The original is on Arapahoe, out by 55th and the new one is on Pearl…1015 Pearl to be exact. The two Ozos have such different vibes that I think they need to be discussed separately.  Here we are talking about Ozo on Pearl.

When I heard Ozo was moving into the space on Pearl vacated by Bart’s CD cellar, my reaction was “Oh great. Just what we need in Boulder. Another coffee shop.” (Which, oddly enough is almost verbatim what my best friend of over 20 years said the first time she met me. It was my first day as a waitress at the River House restaurant in Humarock, Mass, and the manager was introducing me to everyone.  It went like this….manager: “Patsy, this is our new waitress, Kathy.” Patsy: “Oh great. Just what we need around here, another f*%&ing waitress.” It wasn’t until we both got the same lunch shift, a fate worse than death at a restaurant on the beach in the dog days of summer, that we became besties, after I failed to get someone to take my shift because I was afraid to work with her.  We laughed the whole time because there was nothing else to do, and shared a lunch of sauerkraut sandwiches….no sense wasting more than one thin sliver of corned beef on the employees.  And the rest, as they say, is history.)

(Humarock beach, where I met my two best friends, Patsy and Kristen,  who is the quiet one)

I’m getting off topic again…thanks for your patience.

So I was unmoved upon hearing the news of the arrival of Ozo on Pearl.  I’ve always liked the original Ozo, but I am rarely in the environs of 55th and Arapahoe. Given gas prices and the fact that I’d probably pass 25 other coffee shops along the way, it seems silly to go that far for caffeine, even if it is really well executed.  So I felt no real connection to Ozo.

But I must say, the guys at Ozo have got it all nailed down. They offer all the usual coffee and tea selections your heart desires, and it’s all good. Ozo has a LOT of food options, too, stuff even I would eat. Like salads, wraps, sandwiches, breggos, burritos.  And as one of the sidekicks pointed out, heated properly for you…NOT in the microwave, but under that press thing that resembles a waffle iron without the little squares. They even carry Noosa yogurt. Yeah, you heard me. I love Noosa! If you haven’t had the pleasure, get yourself some before the sun sets on this day.

Go to Ozo on Pearl and have some there.

(some, but not all, of the food options at Ozo. Note the Noosa, top shelf, lots of choices)

I went yesterday with not one, but three sidekicks…and we all loved it. Ozo on Pearl is huge, and way urban hip, with its shiny concrete floors, cool lighting and a funky..and also huge…counter.  There is all kinds of stuff for sale here, too in addition to the drinks and the nosh. Bags of different kinds of coffee, travel mugs, boxes of tea, french presses, little espresso cups (the technical term is  “demitasse” or half cup, en Francais. I took AP French in high school and even got a 5 on the exam. Don’t get to use it much anymore….quel dommage!)

The girls working behind the counter are great….very friendly and there are a lot of them, so the service was really good, too.  One of the sidekicks went in to refill her iced green tea- a nice perk, one free refill of the icy green…and on top of that they give you little lemon slivers to go with…good god, is there nothing these cats at Ozo haven’t thought of?

Anyway,  when the sidekick went in for her refill the girl at the counter greeted her with “whatcha need, babe?” Let me tell you, be it by a cute guy or a cool, hip chick working at a cool, hip coffee shop, most women of my…um, demographic…..love to be called “babe.”  Almost as much as we hate to be called “ma’am,” as in “how can I help you, ma’am?” Well for starters, you can stop calling me ma’am.

(Ozo counter where the cool chicks who call you “babe” work)

The front section of the funky new Ozo is the social area.  Separated from the chatty front by the aforementioned huge counter and walkway where you order and wait for your drinks, and possibly shop for household items, is the back seating area, which is decidedly more quiet, full of people on laptops, reading, writing and generally looking more busy and serious than the people up front. We sat outside in the beautiful morning sun, lucky as we were to nab the limited seats out on the sidewalk. Great spot for people watching while you enjoy your Ozo.

Turns out Ozo on Pearl is pretty awesome, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. There wasn’t an empty seat in the place when we stopped by.  So I guess I was wrong when I thought there wasn’t room in Boulder for another coffee shop. But then again, Ozo on Pearl isn’t just another coffee shop.

• Boulder
• coffee
• coffee shops
• drinks
• pearl street