In a country consumed by chain grocery stores, coffee shops and drug stores, it’s nice to have a place like Infusion- a small independent cafe downtown at 1628 K. St.

Retro would be the best word used to describe the decor of Infusion. Through the front glass window looking down K St. the cafe’s ambiance radiates. The bright greens and reds that Infusion is decorated in can be seen a block away.

Upon entering, you’ll most likely be captivated by the two circular seats that hang by a single cord from the ceiling. These two unique and oh-so-trendy chairs set the tone and mood for the cafe. These two chairs seem to speak volumes about the state-of-the-art vibe Infusion attempts to portray. Luckily, it succeeds.

If the two chairs aren’t what you first notice, then it’ll probably be the handful of large tanks filled with bubbly red water on the back wall going high above your head.The tanks don’t seem to serve any purpose other than decoration, but they are beyond interesting and easy to lose a couple minutes staring at.

After looking at the rest of the trendy cafe’s decor, you might start to consider it to be like the trendy bars you’d expect to see in a metropolis – or maybe like the type of bars you’d see on Sex and the City. And once you get past how interesting the decorations are, then you can decide what to eat.

Infusion offers a small array of espresso drinks as well as food. They offer numerous types of mochas with different flavored Torani syrups. All range from $3-$3.75. Though the espresso drinks are only average, you might find one that really hits the spot. The Mocha Alla Mente for $3.25 was good but not necessarily to die for.

A plethora of teas and pastries are also at your disposal for $2 as an early morning snack. But if you’re in the mood for lunch or dinner then try the Chinese Chicken Salad for $5.50 or the Ham and Brie for $6.55. Both are fairly good meals at good prices.

My favorite is the Curry Chicken Salad for $5.25. These prices seemed extremely reasonable considering it would cost you double at a sit down restaurant. The Curry Chicken Salad even seems to taste better when you know you’re getting such a good deal on it!

Though the food is good, the man who worked at the front said their menu was soon changing. Hopefully their new food selections can keep up with their interesting and inviting atmosphere.

And again, it is the atmosphere that makes Infusion worth it. The food and espresso drinks are good, but how you feel once you’re sitting inside Infusion is what makes it so likeable. It seems like a perfect place to study or a great place to grab an SN&R and read for a couple hours.

Overall, Infusion is probably a new favorite place of mine. Whether it is for the food, the mediocre espresso drinks, or just the environment, I’ll probably spend a lot of time there from now on. I can guarantee it will be more exciting than all the other chain cafes and coffee shops you’ve been in lately.

Chelsea Follett can be reached at [email protected]