East Pole Coffee Co.

some mornings you just need somewhere to sit for an hour without feeling like you're overstaying your welcome. 1st avenue south in birmingham's southside corridor isn't the most obvious destination for that kind of quiet, but east pole coffee co. has found a foothold in suite 103 that its regulars clearly take seriously. the loyalty here isn't loud, it's the kind that shows up in return visits and in the way people talk about the place like it's already theirs. you don't have to explain to anyone why you came back. specialty coffee done without theatrics, in a part of the city that rewards knowing where to turn off. a good place to start the day on a cortado before the block gets busy.