Creature Comforts Cafe

Rogan Oakes and Milan Gdowski • May 16, 2024

Creature Comforts Cafe is only a ten minute walk or a 4 minute bike ride from Boulder High School.

If you are in search of a place to grab a coffee or a cheap bite near Boulder High, look no further than the Creature Comforts Cafe. Nestled at the corner of 17th and Pearl, this cafe stands out as a charming yet peculiar coffee shop in the downtown of Boulder. Walking into the cafe you are first greeted by upbeat music and lively interior. The decor is almost entirely white and green, accentuated by several dozen potted plants in a variety of locations.

The interior layout is unique in the way that almost none of the seating arrangements match one another with a mix of benches, bar seating, and table seating all arranged in a seemingly haphazardly order. The seating is also very limited and spread out, giving customers a more work oriented setting and fostering a productive environment. It also encourages many customers to order on the move beverages and snacks, further increasing the appeal of the cafe.

The inviting and friendly energy of Creature Comforts is not limited to its decor; it extends to its staff and patrons alike. The staff members have lots of great suggestions and information about the food and drinks when asked, which is very helpful for any newcomers in need of assistance. Frequent customers at Creature Comforts seem to have a very positive relationship with the semi consistent staff providing a better connection to the community of Boulder.

The Creature Comforts Cafe has an extensive history when it comes to the city of Boulder and specifically Boulder High School. According to Jess Liu, the owner and creator of Creature Comforts, the building used to be a drug store by the name of Burgess Drug Co. and was the only place that would allow Black people to eat in downtown Boulder before the Civil Rights movement. Burgess would always grant free lunch to High Schoolers on specific days and always encouraged kindness and inclusion throughout the 18th century. The building has always been a place of community and attempts to continue its positive and revolutionary legacy forward.

The menu features all sorts of interesting items including pastries, sandwiches, and toasts which all use a very simple idea but all have a much more elegant execution when made. Items such as their cucumber goat cheese toast or meat and egg sando sound very straightforward but are carefully assembled with flavorful quality ingredients that form a very complete tasting dish. All of the pastries that they serve are locally sourced from bakeries. They also serve an assortment of beverages such as coffees, beers, wines, and others for one to enjoy alongside their food.

Most things on the menu have an Asian spin to them such as the Japanese bread used in all of the toasts or the scallion pancakes used in the sandos which gives the cafe a more exotic sense. I would consider the price of the items on the menu to be fair given that it is a small business. The prices attached to all of the items are not the cheapest but do compare to the surrounding businesses similarly.

The real appeal of this cafe is that it’s a place of community and acceptance and is good for a day of productivity or a small snack or drink you want to get on the go. If you are into supporting small businesses and have a taste for high quality food, a place to work, or a place to spend time with good company, I would recommend the Creature Comforts Cafe to you.

About the Contributors

Rogan Oakes, Writer

Rogan Oakes is a senior at Boulder High and a writer for the Boulder High Owl. This is his second year writing for The Owl, and he intends to write more groundbreaking articles containing investigative journalism. Some of his target articles, as he's shown in the past, include infiltrating cults and exposing wrongdoings of local businesses. The investigations are anything but easy without his fellow journalist Milan Gdowski. Outside of the newspaper, Rogan encourages students to go check out Boulder High's theater performances, where he will be acting or helping with Front of House. When he's not participating in a school activity, Rogan enjoys skiing and hiking in the company of his family and friends. You can often find him working at his dojo teaching children how to effectively attack each other. He also teaches them the importance of preferring green grapes over red ones due to their superior texture and flavor. Some of Rogan's other activities are going out to Minnesota for fishing, family, and camping. To him, the outdoors are a necessity, and he can't live without them.

Milan Gdowski, Writer

Milan Gdowski is a senior attending both Boulder High School and Boulder Tec, where he hopes to become a Criminal Investigator as well as an Investigative Journalist. He has remained committed to writing for The Owl for a second year in a row, even as BVSD scheduling rules have tried to push him out of the class. Milan has written and contributed to many well-received articles in The Owl about differing controversial topics, including the price gouging of students at Circle K, the evils of Instagram, the decline of BVSD, and the alleged cult that started the Marshall fire. He often shares the brunt of the work by investigating and writing stories with his fellow trusted journalist, Rogan Oakes. Outside of journalism, Milan is a crew member and actor for the BHS theater department who starred in 2 Black Box plays at the same time last year, a stressful experience he never wants to repeat. When too stressed out, Milan finds solace by spending hours watching pools of water as a lifeguard for the City of Boulder. He also finds ways to enjoy the water by swimming and surfing at the beach, although he also likes lying in the sand and reading mystery novels. Milan’s favorite beverage is Arizona Iced Tea, which he likes just like his grapes: in the green variety.