Sure Shot Coffee

The atmosphere is somewhere between stoner and WOW-er: dark, with acid trip style sci-fi art on the walls. The clientele features a lot of oddly colored dreadlocks, and laptops. The guy behind the counter is really nice, and will chat with you if you want. If you're not convinced yet (but, really, how could you not be?), the espresso is amazing! It is surprisingly lively, with berry flavors and almost a peanut-buttery body. I was astonished.

Showbox SODO

This is an offshoot of the Showbox at the Market. It is one of my least favorite venues for basically anything. Neither the floor nor the stage is raked, so if you are not in the very first row, or seven feet tall, you really can't see anything. I've seen two shows there: Of Montreal, and the Tim and Eric Awesome Show (on a side note, this show is only worth watching if you're extremely into diarrhea). Both were very visually oriented, so I missed a lot of the effect. The venue does get some big acts, but shows are always overpriced. The only reasons I can think of to go there are: they have a band that you absolutely have to see, and can't make it to Portland for; the point of the show is to be in the crowd, not to see what is on stage; or you just want to pay a large cover to get drunk in the lounge while some sort of something goes on at the front of the room.