Mojo's Daily Grind
Mojo's Daily Grind
Reviewed by Pableaux Johnson, Fri., Feb. 18, 2000
Address/Phone: 2714 Guadalupe St./477-6656
Hours: 24 hours
Munchables: bagels, pastries, pizza, empanadas, and oatmeal (plain or with the works)
Standard Cup o' Joe: $1.25
Bean Source: Texas Coffee Traders (local roaster)
Crowd: off-duty students, denizens of the Drag
Artwork: rotating works by local artists
Soundtrack: Jane's Addiction, Tag Team
Bonus Points: Rio Blanco beers on tap, always open
The Room: As any of the loyal regulars will tell you, Mojo's makes a perfect home away from home. Located just north of campus on Guadalupe, this semi-renovated residence is the perfect refuge from overcrowded dorm floors, claustrophobic West Campus apartments, and undercaffeinated library cubes. For a large chunk of UT's student population, it provides an easy escape from annoying roommates, a default meeting place for study groups, and a walking-distance locale with beer and smokes to boot. And the kicker for the nocturnal undergrad: open 24 hours a day.
The main rooms of Mojo's have a comfortably thrown-together feel to them with tables ranging from barely-one-tops to "spread out your mid-term" dining room affairs. A vintage, winged Texaco sign becomes a triangular wallside countertop. The narrow bar area crams tables and stand-up space for agoraphobes. Mismatched chairs of every possible material -- wood, plastic, vinyl, fiberglass, and Naugahyde -- migrate from the high-ceilinged study rooms to the Dragside wood decks and stone patios (weather permitting).
Mornings draw quiet paper-readers to the main room, with its towering windows and worn velveteen couches. Class breaks bring on disgruntled or frantic students jonesing for a walking-distance shot of caffeine and nicotine. And at night, the house becomes a good middle ground between barroom and study lounge, with a healthy mix of course-required and extracurricular activities in full swing.
