Patra – A begging bowl used by monks. a bowl, vessel, receptacle, alms bowl, dish, plate, or utensil. According to monastic rules, a monk was permitted to possess three different robes and one begging bowl. This bowl was used as receptacle for food at mealtime, or for alms received during the practice of begging.

While I was in Burlington, I met up with an old college friend who I hadn’t seen in almost four years. She had recommended that we meet up at Patra, one of the many local coffee / tea shops in Burlington.

Located in the old Army-Navy store location, and formerly Sapa, this is your go to place for privacy and relaxation. This is the kind of place that I lack in Texas. If I lived in Burlington, this is probably one of the places where you could find me writing these posts.

      

Patra is a sophisticated coffee shop. Although, from the outside it may not look like a large space but it opens up nicely once inside. Dark woods, brick walls and leather couches provide a cozy, relaxed and grounded atmosphere. A great place to work independently or meet with a group.
      

Patra hosts a variety of events each month:

Live Irish Folk- First Sunday of each month.

Open Mic Comedy – Last Thursday of each month.

Crowd Control (Three-Round comedy contest controlled by the crowd – Topics, performances, who advances and who wins.) Held once every three month.

Patra offers a variety of teas, coffee, milkshakes, smoothies and bubble teas. They also offer sandwiches, panini’s and cupcakes (even though I convinced myself the cupcakes were not really there to avoid temptation) if you are looking for a bite to eat.

I opted to try something new (at least to me) – bubble tea. A bubble tea is a combination of a tea base mixed with fruit and milk. I tried the Mango Bubble Tea (below) with Tapioca Pearls. There wasn’t a strong mango flavor however the drink was smooth and refreshing. Tapioca Pearls – I really wasn’t sure about these but amazingly enough I loved the texture (which I usually have a problem with as far as things in my drink goes) however I’ve been told the taste is aquired. I guess I’ll have to work on it. Overall, it was pretty delicious and I’d get one again.
      

The prices seemed to be overall comparable to the other coffee shops in the area. The bubble tea was $5 (before tip), which I thought was ok since I can’t get them daily, are made to order (and I treated myself) however on the other hand it is a little expensive for a pint sized beverage (Starbucks rate). I couldn’t justify getting one daily. The only thing that was really missing (at least to me) is if there was some music playing throughout the cafe (although I was told that there usually is something on). The atmosphere and decor of the cafe is completely wonderful.

If you are in the Burlington area and are looking for a new coffee shop to check out or even a place to get some work done out of the dorm/office – I would recommend to swing by, check it out. At least try out the Bubble Tea as I haven’t seen them anywhere else in Burlington. What’ve you got to lose?

9 Center St
Burlington, VT 05401