A cute, relaxing coffee shop that serves hand-brewed coffee and freshly made pastries. This is Philz Coffee, a popular coffee shop that originated in San Francisco in 2003.

On July 21, a Philz Coffee opened in downtown Sacramento, at 1725 R Street. Every morning since then, lines for the freshly-brewed coffee have been out the door.

When you walk into Philz, several baristas are standing behind the coffee counter, calling people from line, and hand-making their coffee from a combination of beans, water, milk, and sugar. Coffees are created the “Philz Way”, where baristas make the coffee medium sweet and add a touch of cream.

To the right of the coffee counter sits the food counter, which is topped with glass cases filled with delicious fresh-baked pastries. A few unique food items on the menu include the Mediterranean avocado toast, the Philz bagel, and the almond butter and banana toast.

A small coffee costs $3.50, and a large coffee costs $4.50. This may seem expensive, but the quality of the fresh, made-to-order drink makes up for the price.

There are many tables and chairs in the shop for you to enjoy your coffee, including covered chairs in a little courtyard outside the back door of the shop.

Around the corner from the coffee counter, there is a little “book nook” corner, with window seat benches. This is a perfect place to do homework, read, and relax as it is a quiet and isolated corned compared to the rest of the shop.

Besides being popular downtown, the coffee shop is very popular among Rio students. “It’s such a great, unique coffee place,” says senior Carolyn Lidster. “A perfect place to study or hang out with good friends, and even better coffee!”

Carolyn’s favorite drink is the mint mojito: a drink made with muddled mint leaves, cream, sugar and the Philz “Ecstatic” coffee blend. The mint is not too strong, and the frothy cream smooths the texture.

I ordered the iced Mocha Tesora and the Mediterranean avocado toast. The drink had a creamy chocolate-caramel taste, and the avocado toast was the most flavorful and sweet avocado I had ever had.

I ordered a large drink and could barely finish it, so I recommend ordering a small. Getting food at Philz is the perfect idea for breakfast, as the food items are not too big and there is a variety of types and tastes of foods for you to choose from.

The one flaw of the place is the system for ordering drinks. It was a little chaotic, because they don’t take your name for the drinks, so you have to hear them call exactly what you ordered.

It would be smarter to give customers numbers that can be used for their drink and food, or ask names for both.

Overall, the place is highly recommended and it is almost guaranteed that you will enjoy your drink and food. Sophomore Alyssa Escay says, “It has a really welcoming atmosphere.”

The next time you’re downtown and looking for a refreshing drink or bite to eat, head to Philz Coffee.