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Tags: Starbucks / Monte Carlo / Coffee Shops / → All Tags

Is This The Fanciest Starbucks in All of Las Vegas?

Last week on the eve of the CityCenter Grand Opening, we found ourselves meandering through Monte Carlo so we could ride the tram from MC to The Crystals.

And just before the tram station, right next to The Pub, we spotted the fanciest Starbucks of all of Vegas.

Check it out! Look at those modern red couches and what about those grey leather chairs? Don't forget the pretty calligraphy art on the wall that is actually a subliminal device to get you to buy more Starbucks. Even better, the line is only two people deep!

We're quite shocked a casino-hotel would go for this sort of eye-pleasing and comfortable Starbucks location. Don't they want people out gambling instead?

Got a favorite or a worst Starbucks location in Vegas? Tell us where it is here.

Another shot of "The Fanciest Starbucks" is after the jump.

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Tags: Caesars Palace / Coffee Shops / Trevi's / Gelato / Forum Shops / → All Tags

Skip The Crowds and Order at the Counter of Trevi's Coffee and Gelato Shop

We don’t know what your definition of convenience is, but we know ours - Trevi’s Coffee and Gelato counter at Caesar’s Forum Shops. We mean what we write.

Located next to the "Fountain of the Gods" in the middle of the Forum, this little counter stand is the epitome of a tasty godsend.

People have been known to miss it (hence why we’re telling you) and tourism can be thick this time of year as we head toward the holidays. Plus the Forum shops get especially busy with window shoppers, but keep an eye out for this side extension of Trevi’s Italian restaurant because their counter offers the works.

Think carefully about what you want as so much is available for the asking - the delicate lemon sorbetti, the heaven sent tirimisu gelato (every guilty ounce of Mascarpone cheese and cocoa you could imagine is there for the senses), espresso, Italian sodas, cappuccinos and frosty smoothies that all fall under $5!

It’s a great deal, and best of all, service, no matter how busy the restaurant might be, is as quick as a defeating round at Three Card Poker. So in short, addictive refreshments, prompt attention from a friendly counter gal, and affordable eats in an otherwise unaffordable casino make for a very happy mouth indeed.

Tags: Coffee Shops / Encore / Luxe Vegas / → All Tags

The Swankiest Place To Grab a Cup of Coffee in Vegas

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the swankiest place to grab a cup of coffee is at Encore Las Vegas inside the hotel's Lobby Bar & Cafe. Located in front of the guest elevators the cafe is painted jewel-box red with those colorful mosaic tiles on the floor that you've seen over at the Wynn but set against a black background instead of a white one.

The goddess Daphne presides over the bar (indeed her statue greets you at the entrance) and you can order specialty plates that come with your own personal sculpture of Daphne. We were intrigued by the tomato and feta cheese skewers with basil pesto as well as the bacon and cheddar cheese croquettes and the old bay fried shrimp but we decided at $21 we didn't need a personal statue of Daphne to lug around the casino.

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Tags: Coffee Shops / Chocolate / Miracle Mile / → All Tags

Coffee and Chocolate Team Up at Teuscher

Miracle Mile at Planet Hollywood is still suffering from multiple personality disorder – what with the ghost of the Moroccan-themed Desert Passage still lingering here and there. Various vignettes worthy of a Middle Eastern bazaar still exist in the decor, which hasn't entirely been overtaken by the venue's new new, urban-sleek veneer.

It’s always suffered a little, too, by a maligned reputation as just a lengthy corridor between Planet Hollywood’s parking garage and its casino. Rumors have it that it’s really a mile long, but we’ve walked it many times and doubt the garage-casino route is close to half that.

In any event, Miracle Mile has some decent shops, a variety of restaurants (including Lucky Cheng’s dinner-and-drag show) and – for those of you who’ve sworn off coffee chains like Starbucks and Coffee Bean – some java alternatives. We especially like Teuscher, located in the mall just outside the casino. It’s actually a Swiss chocolate emporium that happens to serve Northern Italy’s preferred caffe brand, Illy.

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Tags: Coffee Shops / Paris / → All Tags

Try JJ's Boulangerie at Paris For Cafe Au Laits and Croissants

Even though Starbucks has infected nearly every previously coffee-snob city in the world, including Paris, France, there’s still one Francophile place in Vegas that has yet to succumb to the coffee-chain pandemic.

Stay at Paris Las Vegas, and you’ll have to forego your morning frappuccino (unless you want to head next door to Planet Hollywood). Instead, try a leisurely petit déjeuner the French way, and head to JJ’s Boulangerie and have a croissant with your café au lait.

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Tags: Coffee Shops / Dunkin' Donuts / → All Tags

Dunkin' Donuts for Homesick East Coasters

When we moved to Los Angeles a while back, we were totally blinded by the celeb-faved Coffee Bean for the first few months. If the ice blendeds were good enough for Britney, then they were good enough for us. But after these frequent caloric binges, we really just wanted some plain (affordable) Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Iced with skim milk and a little bit of sugar. Oh and a dozen munchkins too.

Sadly, there are no Dunkin' Donuts in California these days. While the cast of "The Office" is trying to lobby the powers that be at DD, the closet Dunkin' Donuts for Californians can be found in the Las Vegas Valley where the first of 18 stores opened in late 2007.

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Tags: Coffee Shops / Survival Strategies / → All Tags

Where To Get a Java Jolt at The Venetian or The Palazzo

You’re either going to be out until 6 a.m. at least once while you’re in Vegas, or you shouldn’t be here in the first place. As they say, sleep is what you do on the flight back home.

That being the case, it’s vital to know where to go to replace the vodka buzz with a caffeine one. Yes, the craps tables would still be there if you took just a teensy snooze, but some swear their best gaming is done in the wee hours.

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