Bangkok, as I had observed, has no shortage of shopping centers, both big and small. Relatively new, Suanplern Market was a lot smaller than the grand malls of the city center, but had a charm all of its own. A building with an industrial flair, Suanplern Market housed an extensive food court, a supermarket, and the coffee shop that I had been eying.

            Residing on the ground floor of the shopping center, the stylish Alto Coffee Roasters is the perfect place to spend a quiet afternoon on your laptop with a cup of coffee in hand. The shop does a great job at blending together the requisite warm atmosphere of any good coffee shop with an air of sophistication. Decked out in white and blue, and strewn with coffee gear – with a mural made of coffee sacks to boot, Alto Coffee Roasters is a dream for coffee enthusiasts and photographers alike. Around every corner was a Pinterest-worthy moment and I could not sit still due to the urge to snap an unseemly amount of pictures in and around the space.

            When our drinks arrived, they came in blue ceramic cups that matched the feel of the shop and called for even more pictures. All the drinks – hot and iced lattes, and espresso, were made with the shop’s signature 1963 blend. Rich, nutty, and slightly bittersweet, I asked their friendly barrista about the significance of the year 1963, to which she answered that was the year their roaster was born in – well that’s one way to name a signature blend! If you’d prefer a single origin instead of a blend however, you could select something off their shelves of beans, syrups, and brewing tools. Whatever you need, the shop’s got it – even barrista classes.

The trip to Alto Coffee Roasters did not disappoint. The coffee was fantastic, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and if I may say so myself, the visit was a highest point of my day.