Neighborhood: East Austin
Address/Phone: 1707 E. Sixth, 236-8634
Hours: Mon, 8am-5pm; Tue-Sat, 8am-10pm; Sun, 9am-3pm
Munchables: A few sandwiches, assorted bakery items
Standard Cup o’ Joe: $1.06
Bean Source: Texas Coffee Traders
Crowd: undercaffeinated morning workers, quiet smoking poets
Soundtrack: Thievery Corporation, Beastie Boys, 3 Penny Opera
Bonus Points: Extreme leisure, railyard percussion
The Room:
Fans of the quiet coffeehouse will appreciate the offbeat serenity of Cafe Mundi — provided, of course, that they manage to find the joint. Set back off the low-traffic end of East Sixth Street, the cafe sits between the back of Mexico Tipico’s parking lot and the Eastside’s freight yard. This quasi-industrial setting may seem odd for a traditional walk-up coffeehouse, but Mundi has carved out a comfortably artistic niche and a relaxing garden space among the clang of workaday East Austin.
Inside the building’s thick walls, a smallish room with a tiny stage hosts poetry and live music, but the Mundi’s action generally migrates to its al fresco areas. Outdoor seating starts at the whitewashed façade and meanders out into the shaded grove of spindly trees — all within plain sight of resting boxcars. The ramshackle patio area balances the natural elements (wobbly banana trees, tiny herb gardens) with low-budget improvisation (cable spool tables and plastic porch chairs). It’s as if the Swiss Family Robinson founded an artist’s colony in a Mexican railyard.
The Mundi ain’t fancy, but its comfortably lazy feel encourages strident leisure. On any fair day, the quiet porch is a great place to take in the sun while listening to the occasional whirr or thud of heavy equipment. Once your butt hits the chair, settle in for a long haul — there’s a whole lot of good nothing to see and hear out by the tracks.
This article appears in June 16 • 2000.