Leaves n Beans

We first tried Leaves n Beans' coffee while staying at the Mark Twain Hotel downtown, a boutique property that celebrates Peoria's history, and thought, "Wow. Where can we get some?" So we headed north to Peoria Heights and found ourselves outside a cute bungalow that's become a gathering place for locals who appreciate a good cuppa (if not great service). Leaves n Beans sells more than 70 kinds of coffee from around the world, plus dozens of flavored beans and fair-trade teas. The website lists them all, but to whet your appetite: Cherries n Creme, Cinnamon Toddy, Fuzzy Peach, Rainforest and Whiskey are just some of those flavors. The setting is coffehouse-perfect: Little rooms with comfortable chairs invite friends to meet and chat or linger solo with a good book. Quotes and factoids on the wall celebrate coffee drinking. (Did you know coffee is the world's No. 2 commodity, behind oil, with adults drinking on average 400 cups each year?) We only wish the behind-the-counter staff was friendlier; surly is too strong, but they clearly had no interest in cracking a smile or serving a customer during our visit. Still, it's a reliable breakfast stop, offering four kinds of omelets for $6.99 each, various "eggwiches" like egg, cheese and ham for $4.49; and a few baked goods like oversize blueberry muffins. We'd opt for a local business like this over a Starbucks any day.