From double tall skinny lattes to just plain joe

Whether you are testing the waters on a low-key date, working on an overdue problem set, or meeting with a TA about your midterm, coffee shops are the way to go.

A mysteriously well-kept secret, Koffee? (104 Audubon St.) is the best bet in town. With an artsy, airy interior featuring a full wall of windows and a variety of tables and couches, Koffee? is perfect for any occasion. Off-beat music enhances the atmosphere, which ranges anywhere from Ani DiFranco to Radiohead. Sadly, Koffee? is seen as a trek from Old Campus, though it's no more than a 15-minute walk. This perception keeps most of the young'uns away and positions Koffee? as a grad-student favorite. It is also one of the few coffee shops open until midnight, making it ideal for early or late-night study sessions.

ELISABETH MARSHALL/YH At Xando, you too can pay $10 for s'mores.

Book Trader (290 York St.) is only barely edged out by Koffee? as the best study spot. The café is housed inside a glass-walled and roofed atrium that provides access to that precious daylight so easily forgotten in basement classrooms and the underground Cross Campus Library. A real plus is the attached used bookstore, although the selection is somewhat limited. Last, but certainly not least, Book Trader offers quite possibly the best sandwiches in New Haven, which feature amusing literary names such as the "Jane R'Eyre Roast Beef Sandwich." The only real drawback is the early closing time—for most of the week, Book Trader shuts its doors at 9 p.m.

Down the block from Book Trader is Atticus (1082 Chapel St.), a Yale classic and solid combination of bookstore and café. Open until midnight and located across from Old Campus, Atticus is a favorite spot for meeting and grab-bing a cheap bite to eat. The bread baskets are a perfect snack, and the soup, both cheap and tasty (a rarity in New Haven), is ideal for the winter months. It's usually fairly crow-ded and somewhat noisy, but you can always grab a spot at either a table or the counter. Though the service can be somewhat slow, if you're not in a hurry Atticus is a great place to get together with friends.

On the same coffee-filled street is that Übermensch of coffee shops—Starbucks (1070 Chapel St.). Yes, corporate civilization has hit New Haven. Despite my lingering guilt at consuming from one of the largest and most insidious chains in the country, I have to admit that Starbucks sells, hands down, the best quality espresso in the area. And don't even try ordering a Frappuccino anywhere else—I promise you'll regret it. The interior looks like every other Starbucks in the country, offering a taste of familiarity for the homesick. If you can nab one of the four cushiony purple velvet armchairs, it's a cozy niche for curling up with a book—there's even a table with plugs for laptop addicts. It closes relatively early at 10 p.m., making the Atticus that sits next door a better option for the night owls.

To impress your date, head on down to Xando Coffeehouse & Pizzeria (338 Elm St.). The late hours and dim lighting provide the perfect romantic atmosphere over the flickering flame of your own personal s'mores roasting station. Xando's aesthetic is best described as West Coast urban chic, and it makes for a funky, if contrived, atmosphere. The food is outrageously expensive, but the wood-oven-baked pizza is worth it.

Willoughby's (276 York St., 1006 Chapel St., 60 Temple St.), with three locations near Old Campus, keeps your coffee cravings met. The most centrally located shop, on York Street, has cheap bagels, making it a suitable breakfast stop, though it offers few places to sit. The storefront has become a hang-out for New Haven gutter punks—a nice splash of local color in the increasingly homogenized Broadway area.

Au Bon Pain (1 Broadway), on the other hand, is the most overrated coffee shop in the Yale area. It's overpriced. The food leaves much to be desired. The coffee sucks. The interior is sterile and the service is horrendous. Yet everyone goes there—and because of its high profile, you'll eventually find yourself there too. The only excuse for even entering the place is the fresh-squeezed orange juice. Otherwise, don't even bother.

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