Johns Creek Cafe Reviewing
Eli Kim, managing design editor
Everything in Johns Creek is overpriced. That’s like a given living in the “[no. 1] best place to live” according to U.S. News and World Report. But what is the best café here that isn’t insanely overpriced or terrible? This is a tough question, considering that it is literally every single place here; these places must also be within walking distance from the school for readers to be able to check it out themselves (and because the writer is a bum who gets his license in a week). After careful evaluation, using a VERY trusted list of criteria (which is just overall atmosphere, menu and how good it is to study there), the contestants are few and far between, and the answers may shock you so much that it’ll knock off your socks!
Moi
O/V: I’m going to be honest; I think this place is incredibly overrated. I feel like people only go here because of how close it is to the school, which is also a little bad because that means you can see literally anyone here, and I personally do not like seeing people from this school, offense to all of you. But Moi is a solid place to go and hang out if you don't have any other options, so, in my personal rating, it's average.
Overall atmosphere (★★★★☆): Though, this place does look pretty nice; the murals and nice booths really add to the atmosphere of the place. When there is music playing, (or at least when you can HEAR the music) it's usually pretty good, and it’s got good people working there. It’s not completely “out-of-this-world" amazingly looking though, just solid.
Menu (★★★★☆): I think the drinks are good, there is lots of variety, and I know there’s a lot of people at Johns Creek that like boba, so there's that. I’ve heard a lot about these Moi “fries”; I’ve tried them, and I swear they are not that good. If you want to get food at Moi, you are way better off getting the actual Viet food, even if it is more expensive.
Study (★★☆☆☆): Because of the amount of people at Johns Creek that come here, I don’t think this is the best place to study. It’s usually kind of loud after school, and if it's not loud, they also close kind of early (eight p.m.); this is pretty bad since it’s further away from most other cafes, so you’ll actually have to walk.
Cest la vi
O/V: I am a big fan of this place; I would come here every single day freshman year. The only bad part about this place is that it's in that limbo of its kind of too close to drive to the school and kind of too far to walk there. But that’s pretty much it, this place is very nice, has good food and is mostly very quiet.
Overall atmosphere (★★★★☆): The music is usually like classical and it's an overall quiet and peaceful place to be. Theres an outdoor seating area with flowers and such, and it's pretty good with friends. Though the only complaint was the above “limbo” situation.
Menu (★★★☆☆): I have never once in my life eaten half a sandwich and had to dig around my backpack pockets to pay off the debt. The food is great obviously: pastries, desserts and coffee, but to me personally the price is a little insane. Don’t go here for boba though, there are plenty of better places for boba.
Study (★★★★★): This is a great place to study because no one comes here. I hate doing work and looking up to see thirty million people from our school pull up. “But why don’t you just go home?” Because I don’t want to leave me alone also when people come, they’re usually super loud too. Anyways, the atmosphere being so quiet makes this a great place to study.
Alchemist
O/V: The Alchemist is like a classic at Johns Creek, though it's mostly occupied by students every time you try and go there. It's a great alternative to Starbucks and definitely has a much better interior design than any other café on this list.
Overall atmosphere (★★★★★): The place just looks really cool. Like all the interesting, gold stuff on the walls; the hourglasses plus archaeology tools (or at least that's what I think they are) and just the cool, midnight background makes it seem like you’re alone in space.
Menu (★★★★☆): I know there are a lot of options and there is also a punch card system (fixed ratio!!) The pastry options are great as well; it's one of those places where you don’t even have to stay in for long to feel the general mood. Though some of the drinks are a little too sweet, everything else pretty much makes up for it.
Study (★★★☆☆): This would be one of the best places to study, if it ever had any room. You see, every student has collectively decided this is the best place to study, especially juniors or seniors (my worst nightmare). So, you’re usually left stuck outside after buying a drink, just staring through the window until it comes time to pick it up and go back outside to stare some more.
Readers will note that all ratings are subjective and are all based on the personal opinions of the writer; no one's place has given him something like a free drink to influence his decision. However, they will also note that the writer, is a human prone to persuasion and change, and any feedback or comments on this article will be kept in mind (but will most likely not be implemented until the next year or so, and even then, there is not guarantee)