The bill of fare at Ritual Coffee Roasters.

Time was, a coffee shop was a relaxing spot that you could duck into for a quick jolt of espresso or a leisurely cup of joe, a place to catch up with friends and forestall the remainder of your morning or afternoon. But all good things must come to an end. The coffee shops of yore have been replaced with the coffee shops of now, replete with legions of laptop-toting freelancers, hipsters and serious coffee fanatics determined to order the most obscure caffeinated beverage the barista has ever seen. Anyway, that’s why I stopped “drinking in” at Ritual Coffee Roasters on Valencia Street. Friends, I just couldn’t take it any longer.


Drink slinging at the new Ritual.

But I don’t always like drinking my coffee from a paper cup, so I was cheered to hear that the good folks at Ritual have opened a second location, off the beaten path. This one is in the new Flora Grubb Gardens spot, on Jerrold and Third. The bright, airy space is awash with plants, and you can sit at one of the fancy café tables (they’re for sale, too) in the sun, under the swaying palms, far from the madding crowds. I’ll admit though, that I got a bit nervous when a crowd of bikers (the motorcycle kind, not the fixed gear kind), queued up in front of me. Will this be the Ritual for the moped and Harley set? Only time will tell. Until then, the rest of us might as well enjoy it.