This week the Coffee Canon coffee history podcast visits The Double R Coffee House in New York City, a New York hangout for H.P. Lovecraft and the Kalem Club.

A promotional card for the new branch at Lexington Av., which wasn’t Lovecraft’s preferred branch at 112 West Forty-fourth Street.

I had another look for information about Lovecraft’s branch. The Soda Fountain trade journal for 1921 ran a profile when it moved from 108 West Forty-fourth Street to 112. I can’t get more than a snippet or two of that, but the article noted…

It is directly across the street from Belasco’s theater, at 112 West Forty-fourth street.

That it was opposite a theatre is new to me, and would help to further explain the ‘theatrical’ aspect to its clientele — further confirming the information in the letter from Kirk. Another snippet of the same trade-journal article notes that board games such as dominoes, checkers and chess were available to drinkers. Pure “Sugar Cane Juice”, apparently a Brazilian drink, was available — which might have suited Lovecraft’s sweet tooth.