At first glance, Tactile kind of looks like it was created in some sort of Trendy LA Coffee Shop factory, complete with a sleek, minimalistic design, high ceilings, brick walls, and sleep-deprived patrons on laptops. But that’s just about where the generic-ness ends. The cafe, which started as a gourmet coffee truck and is owned and operated by two brothers, has a long list of innovative caffeinated drinks, like the Hibiscus + Espresso Sparkler and the Five-Second Rule, a chilled shot of espresso that, according to the menu, must be consumed within five seconds of being served (although we’ve never stuck around long enough to find out what the punishment is for noncompliance). Plus, in a delicious Bonus Jonas-style surprise, they’re also cranking out some of the best buttermilk biscuits in town. Dense, buttery, and served with a side of either raw honey, agave, or apple-butter, it’s a little unexpected for a cafe in Historic Filipinotown to have such great biscuits, but then again, you probably didn’t expect that a post-credit singing competition would be the best part of the Shrek 2 DVD, either.

photo credit: Esther Sun