LAMILL Coffee

Sorry to see that this place is closed – I came here a couple of months ago while visiting family in Baltimore, and it was a solid coffee joint in the Inner Harbor.

I hope the email I received yesterday was an April Fools joke that was mistakenly sent late or very early. LAMILL is closed for good? They made, hands down, the best espresso-​based drinks in Baltimore. I only had two beefs with them: 1) they closed at 5pm and 2) they stopped making the beignets — maybe that was the beginning of the end). I also bought their whole bean espresso regularly because it was just so good.
Oh well, what a shame. Too bad they couldn’t just find another place to open in the city or go to DC. LAMILL will be missed.

THIS LOCATION IS CLOSING TOMORROW (Saturday June 14 2014)
The transition will take place this weekend and the replacement café will open Monday. This is a really sleazy takeover being done by a particularly nasty rich landlord in Baltimore. The entire existing team is being fired and replaced by the new owners’ people.
The existing Lamill team had actually vastly increased their profits — so this takeover is just political in nature.
One of my siblings is one of the people being laid off — I strongly encourage everyone to not support whatever café takes the place of Lamill. This has truly been a hostile takeover.

I will admit that when it comes to coffee I have high standards. I stopped in for coffee with a friend who promised they had one of the best lattes around. I don’t normally splurge on lattes partially because I hate spending a little more and being disappointed with the quality.
Not so at LAMILL. The latte was excellent. Fantastic espresso, the perfect amount of foam. I was impressed to say the least. LAMILL also offers a quiet atmosphere with lots of space to spread out. My friend stayed to study, with a water view i wouldn’t mind spending a few hours there on a lazy morning myself.
Haven’t tried the food yet but I will absolutely be back.

Located in a swanky Four Seasons with homemade pastries and macaroons in addition to coffee. Absolutely love the trendy, European-​style interior.
I’m not a coffee drinker but a hot chocolate drinker, so I’ll speak for the latter. Any place that uses Valrhona chocolate (French luxury) has my eye. Lamill’s is a thick, dark hot chocolate with frothy whipped cream on top in a pretty shape. It fulfilled my sweet tooth very well. I’m sure the chocolate-​coffee combos are also phenomenal.
Notes:
–Zipcar members get discounts/​specials in May/​June (2014), such as 10% off with a membership card.
–Closes at 5PM every day.
–Good place to study, although not too much room.
— Parking is difficult in Inner Harbor.

I can’t believe I haven’t written a review for Lamill yet…
Lamill is in Harbor East in the Four Seasons Hotel. It’s directly connected with Wit & Wisdom. It’s a great place to get coffee in Baltimore… in fact it’s one of my favorites.
Like all things Four Seasons, the ambience here is beautiful. There are huge windows with views of the water (or you can sit outside if you prefer). It gets its sense of elegance from the dark hued woods while the lighting fixtures give it a sense of whimsy and modernity. It’s a nice, trendy café.
The coffee here is very good. I especially like the iced coffee and the Valhrona mocha. The iced coffee is cold brewed, which means the coffee is brewed using cold water. This results in a smoother, less acidic coffee. The kicker though is the simple syrup they use to sweeten the iced coffee. It is seriously good stuff. It’s probably the best tasting iced coffee I’ve had. I usually get mine slightly sweetened with no cream.
The Valhrona mocha uses valhrona chocolate… if you love chocolate, this is the way to go. The chocolate makes its presence known but it does not overpower the coffee flavor. Rather, it complements the coffee. It’s great… it’s a clear example of how good ingredients (Valhrona chocolate) really can elevate something to the next level. There is also a Valhrona mint mocha… it’s a little more expensive but honestly, I think I prefer the normal mocha over the mint one. While I love mint chocolate, in my opinion, the addition of mint kind of complicates the flavor in the drink too much.
The pastries here are great too. Although the Baltimore Four Seasons group lost its incredibly talented pastry chef Chris Ford during the past year (he understandably went to work at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon), his replacement, Dyan Ng, is remarkably gifted in her own right and has made sure the quality of the pastries here have not gone down. If you want a mid afternoon snack, don’t forget there is a pastry happy hour from 3 to 5PM (I think) where most goods are 50% off!
I think the one major exception to the 50% off rule is the macaroons. They are a little pricey but what macaroons aren’t? These are beautiful pastries, uniform in size and shape. They have perfectly developed feet. And most importantly, they taste good. You won’t get bored too as the flavors change every once in a while. They’re certainly among Baltimore’s (and its surrounding areas like Howard County) best macaroons.
While parking here can be a pain at times, it’s one of Baltimore’s best coffee bars… and has a great view and atmosphere too. It’s definitely a must-​try place in Baltimore if you love good coffee. And don’t forget to pick up a frequent buyers card while you’re there (it’s free and sometimes they forget to mention it to you).

I generally enjoy Lamill. Yet the atmosphere is probably the best part of the experience, since even though Lamill is a coffee shop, the coffee is nothing to write home about…
In addition to various pastries, there are also a selection of different sandwiches and salads that are better tasting than at your garden variety coffee franchise. Other than that, the prices are a little steep, but given the Harbor East location, that’s somewhat expected.

Lamill is lovely — great atmosphere, excellent snacks, good coffee.
All of the seating options are great, and I’ve spent several afternoons studying here before going to class across the street. It is not the cheapest option for coffee, but sometimes it’s fine to pay for the relaxing coffee shop experience. Good people watching through the adjoining bar/​lounge into Wit & Wisdom, and the sidewalks outside bordering on the marinas.
Their coffee is not my favorite around (a little too bitter), but they do have a nice selection of teas. Very good macarons, and definitely try the Elvis brioche if they have it (banana, peanut butter, chocolate, and a tiny bit of bacon).
Ask for the WiFi pin for access.

I am a frequent customer to LAMILL — in fact I go there almost every weekend. The coffee is decent, the ambiance is beautiful (overlooking the harbor with nice art), and the happy hour pastries is a steal (3−5pm, half off select pastries).
However, I can’t bring myself to give LAMILL more than 3 stars for a couple reasons. It’s ALWAYS very crowded. By 9am, it’s the tables are all usually taken, and you’d have to wander in the Wit & Wisdom lobby to find a seat among the couches. The pastries are quite good, but nothing remarkable. The coffee is decent but overcharged at around $ 3 for a medium cup.
In the end, I come back to LAMILL because it’s convenient and close to me. However, I do think this place is quite overrated.

Hidden away in Harbor East, I found the coffee shop of my dreams that makes a delicious masala chai milk tea not from concentrate but from actual, authentic, loose leaf masala chai!
Needless to say, my chai was phenomenal and I really enjoyed the atmosphere at Lamill. Great little spot for those looking for a tucked away place to get some work or reading done. Hoping to go back to try some of their pastries or breakfast sandwiches!

Another place to add to my hidden gems list. It’s located in the Four Seasons in Harbor East. I had walked next to it before and hadn’t noticed it!
When I rate a café I weight ambiance above all else. My main criteria is «can I sit here for hours and do work.» Next, I weigh drinks then I weigh food and service. The ambiance is 5 stars. It’s modern, massive, and phenomenal. You can sit outside by the water or you can sit inside in a comfortable lounge. The service was 4 stars, everyone was nice but nothing out of the ordinary. The drinks were 3 stars, I wasn’t really impressed with my coffee, it was incredibly bold. There are many people out there though who would enjoy that, I didn’t. The food was 2 stars. I ordered a piece of pumpkin and pecan pie and was really disappointed. But, at the same time, my friend who I gave it to really liked it.
Parking is probably going to be awful and make this into an experience that I can’t enjoy very often. At $ 4 per hour plus Starbucks like prices, the price for an afternoon of work can explode pretty quickly.

We stopped by here for a quick breakfast. The service was quick and friendly. I loved my quiche. It was really tasty and was not overpowered by the spinach. It came with a surprisingly good side salad. The atmosphere is really cozy. There is plenty of seating that spills into wit and wisdom.
I would definitely come back here if i was in the area.

Wow. This place. Not only were my pour over coffee and pumpkin spice macaron delicious — the atmosphere is absolutely stunning with its wood, glass, tile, and modern vibe. Big windows look out onto the water. If I lived in Baltimore I could see myself frequenting LAMILL often. It exudes classiness.
For a Monday morning at 10 it wasn’t too crowded but it took forever for our grilled cheese (also delicious) to arrive.

I am finally writing my review for this place. I have been coming here since its inception and for me the quality of the service or coffee has not wavered. The vanilla lattes are still on point and still the best lattes I have had in the city thus far. My new obsession however, is the «everything cookie». Curse that little cookie. Well, it isn’t a little cookie but damn is it good. This cookie has everything in it from potato chips to cracker jacks. Unbeatable cookie. That cookie with the latte… dear lord, you will find religion. I ask to have it warmed up too and that must makes everything in it better. Yes this place is expensive but you are paying for quality here. I also suggest grabbing your coffee and enjoying the couches outside by the harbor. There is nothing better than a great view with a great cup of coffee.

The House-​made 18-​hour brew cold water extract Iced Coffee here at LAMILL cannot be compared to any other coffee beverage within a 150-​mile radius. Please do yourself a favor and order this… drink it black, or however you like because it is perfect in every form.
The ambiance is modern, upscale yet casual. It is a chill place to work on your laptop or meet for a impressive coffee date.

*Baltimore Eats (or coffee)* (Part I of the Search for Coffee)
*Yelp 365 Challenge x 2 #194/​365*
Probably I’m going to all the wrong places seeking coffee or the timing is not good because I’ll be honest, out of the 7 weeks that I’ve been here… I haven’t found a restaurant or café that makes GOOD coffee except one restaurant… and unfortunately, it wasn’t from Lamill’s.
Seriously, I was disappointed because this place came with HIGH recommendations from peeps who knows the places to go! And I’m just going to chock this incident that once again, it was bad timing on my part.
One of my friends suggested to try their cappuccino or expresso but here is something else I’m serious about… if they can make great cappuccino’s or expressos then they better know how to make coffee!
I don’t care if I had a beautiful view of Inner Harbor. I cared about that bitter drink that seemed like the burn dredges of what is on the bottom.
I am determined to give this place a second chance because the reviews are promising!
I promise I’ll be back before I fly out to update because a one time visit doesn’t justify this rating.

I came here for their pastry happy hour, I think it’s from 3pm-​6pm (but don’t quote me on that!). They have selected pastries for half off, including their beignets and cookies.
Their beignets are really good, 3 pieces of triangulated, fried dough served with your choice of sauces (thought their chocolate sauce was the best). We also got their regular croissant and chocolate croissant, both of which were OK. Their cheddar scone was really good, it had a nice dense cheesy flavor to it!
Their Hong Kong milk tea was a black tea sweetened with sugar and cream. It was good. All their drinks are pricey between $ 6-​$ 10 so it’s great to go during this happy hour!

LAMILL coffee, located inside the same building as the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel, simply is the most stunning coffee establishment I have been to. Two HD flat screens, modern décor, a view of the Harbor, the ideal selection of pastries and extraordinary coffees raises the bar of «high end».
The prices are slightly higher than your regular Starbucks but the quality of products are commensurate with this additional cost. Take for example, the vanilla latte’ and the beignets. The latte’ is deliciously crafted by the barista, offers a rich flavor and neat leaf pattern on top. Beignets are made a bit different; it is a thicker dough mixture that is heavier than a New Orleans beignet but not as dense as a doughnut. This is a must if you are visiting East Harbor shops near the the Inner Harbor.

This really is as good as it gets! I’m no coffee connoisseur but this place might have turned me into an addict. The vanilla latte with skim milk was the best latte I’ve had, I could feel the love that went into making it. The little design (mine was a leave) on top just adds to it, as we do eat with our eyes first. Delicious, creamy, it really felt like a treat it was that yummy.
Now macaroons… well I have nothing to compared them to because it was my first time trying them and I was super excited! The Oreo flavored one was good, the grape ehh, tasted like grape jelly. They were good for what I expected, can’t complained.
The view is just amazing, I love Baltimore and the Inner Harbor is just gorgeous. The décor is very nice, I wish I could steal it all and put it in my apartment. I went on a Sunday morning and it was pretty packed I really wanted a big comfy chair in front of the fireplace but I guess I’ll have to get there earlier. Serve was good, I sat right in front of the man making drinks and I loved how people came in to say «hi» to him and get coffee. He’s next on my list of people to make best friends with! They also had a big screen TV with the Raven’s game on… not that I wanted to see them get their ass kicked but it was nice to have the option.
Oh! Down side, you do have to pay for wi-​fi, ugh how annoying! I think it’s $ 1 for the password. Also I wish they had more food items! Veryyyy limited menu pretty much all just pasties and coffee, but at least they do those well!

«Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected» — Steve Jobs
LAMILL is that yard stick, in a world of liquid sugared drinks being pumped out every second at Starbucks, or the watered-​down America’s favorite DD, LAMILL offers a higher end substitute for the average cup of coffee.
This brew house is located in the rear of the newly opened, Four Seasons, in Harbor East. Modern chique, artsy design, LAMILL has captured everything classy about a coffee house but with an edge. Large dark tables, two LED TVs sit in the middle of the room, a collage of photo manipulation done to Edger Allen Poe over top of the bar; the décor is elegant in many ways as it is basic and yet rich.
The line situation can be a little confusing at times, attempting to try to form a line failed when I came in, so I just went with the flow. Looking over the menu pretty much everything is standard from the coffee world. There is a large amount of loose teas offered too. The quality of the LAMILL roasted beans are of the highest, and they take pride in their selection, so whatever coffee, or tea drink you order will likely be good; I choose a basic Cappuccino.
Offering two sizes and the option to have it there, I went with the normal size (8oz), and and had it made to my liking. The espresso was poured perfectly, the temperature was spot on, and the drink was one of the best I have ever had. Priced at about $ 4 for their regular drink, they’re a little higher compared to the average Starbucks; but they’re incomparable when it comes to the quality of the drink.
The pastry’s looked good, and were very tempting, but slightly over priced (pretty standard practice).
You may sit inside or outside, either way you’ll have a view of the water surrounding Harbor east.
This is a must for any caffeine junky who is looking for some of the best brewed coffee in the area. 5 stars!