Location: 644 Miami St., Urbana
Website: www.depotcoffeehouse.com
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Depot-Coffeehouse/272834975122
Email: thedepotcoffeehouse@urbanadepot
Telephone: (937) 65D-EPOT (653-3768)
Background/overview
The Depot Coffee House is set inside the restored 1850s Pennsylvania Railroad Depot on the north end of the Simon Kenton bike path in downtown Urbana. The city owns the building, and Champaign County natives Susan and Dave Oelker selected the historic building to rent about a decade ago to create a new cafe and social venue for the area.
Susan noticed there was a common gap between teenagers and college-age residents in the community, so the couple wanted to find a structure to form a safe space for people to eat and mingle without the temptations and pain of alcohol, drug activity and social stigmas.
The Depot spotlights fresh regional products. The specialty coffee is supplied from Crimson Coffee in Columbus. The fresh meats and cheeses are supplied from Yutzy’s in Urbana. Plus, many of the seasonal food options are sourced and distributed directly from local farmers or created at The Depot Coffee House.
The menu
Hot Beverages: Special Blend Coffee-$2.10; Pumpkin Hot Chocolate-$2.75; Chai Latte-$3; Depot Mocha-$3.55.
Cold Beverages: Coca-cola, Orange Juice, or Water (bottles)-$1.25; Boylen Sodas-$1.75; Iced Tea-$2; New Orleans Iced Coffee-$3.25; Smoothies-$4.25; Depot Mocha-$4.65.
Breakfast (Open-11 a.m.): “Build Your Own Breakfast Croissant”-$3.75. Soup of the week (could be): Baked Potato Soup, Spicy Clam Chowder or White Chili-$3.75
Salad: Garden Salad-$3.50; Chef Salad-$4.50.
Specialty Sandwiches (served w/chips and pickle): Swiss Family (roast beef and Swiss on pretzel bun)-$6; The Depot (turkey, cheese, vegetables and chipotle mayo on rosemary bread)-$7.
Paninis (11 a.m.-4 p.m.): “Build Your Own Panini”-$6.
Sides: Macaroni Salad-$ 75 cents; Mumford Potato Chips (bag)-$1.40.
Baked goods: Peanut Butter, Snickerdoodle or White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies-$1; Seasonally Decorated Cookies-$2.50; “Momma T’s Fresh Friendship Bread”-$5.99.
“Today’s Cheesecake” (could be): Boston Cream, Chocolate Kahlua, Lemon Blueberry or Mojito (Peppermint)-$3.75 a slice.
Hours
6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
More information
Call-ahead orders are ready with 15 minutes notice.
Military members in full dress eat free, or military members get one-half off each tab with proper I.D. Urbana University students each receive a 10 percent discount. And, Facebook discounts are happily accepted at The Depot Coffee House.
Look for local artist’s paintings to be exhibited at the beginning of each month at The Depot.
Open-mic nights feature local musicians twice a month, so watch its Facebook page for specific performers, dates and times.
“Spoken Word” sponsored by the Matthew Brown Project is from 6-8 p.m. the last Saturday of each month; the owner says the public is invited to, “come in, grab a coffee and let’s talk!”
What’s more, the dog-friendly back patio seats 25 guests and their companions at The Depot Coffee House.
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