Sparkroot's Congress Street entrance

In August, 2011 a new coffee bar + fare establishment opened up on the NW corner of Congress/5th Avenue (245 E. Congress) called Sparkroot.

What is a “sparkroot” I asked? The definition is from their website, www.sparkroot.com: “we hope to spark the burgeoning creative energy of downtown, while being rooted in the lovely community around us.”

Here’s some photos I took recently of this uber-urban coffee bar, with an attractive upstairs loft (with a view), steel beams & metal staircase, and even a bamboo plant in the middle of the downstairs area, with lots of different types of seating. It’s chic, upscale, and cool at the same time, with colorful local artwork throughout.

I sampled a few unusual salad offerings – quinoa kale (with lemon avocado dressing), and roasted beet (with baby arugula, orange slices, sherry shailot vinaigrette). Then I selected a chevre cheese sandwich on ciabatta, made with herbs, spinach & artichoke hearts.

These are creative, unique offerings, along with their delicious-smelling artisan coffee by Blue Bottle Coffee Co. of San Francisco, teas, sodas, juices.

This place must be hopping on 2nd Saturdays Downtown with the thousands of people who walk by on Congress St. Check them out soon. Hours are M to Sat. 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sundays 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. As you can see from the photos below, this is the urban coffee shop that downtown was missing. And you can even call/text-in orders at 520-272-8949. And check out their weekly specials.

And yes, there is free parking (for the first hour weekdays) at the underground parking garage 50 ft. north of this coffee bar on 5th Avenue. Parking is free on the weekends. Walk to it from 4th Avenue, or catch the Sun Tran bus to Ronstadt Transit Center, which is just west of this area.

I like this bar’s unusual name & food: let’s hope they continue to spark more creative community energy & the growing of roots downtown. Welcome Sparkroot.

5th Avenue entrance/exit next to One North Fifth apartments