Cloister Cafe

Open only seasonally, the Cloister is a great place to go for drinks or coffee. The food is expensive and unexceptional. The waitstaff think they're supermodels waiting to be discovered. Despite all this, the amazing chapel decor inside (complete with church pews) and the grape-arbor style garden outside make this a gothic must-visit. Plus: they don't seem to mind if you smoke cloves outside.

Commentary by Mikaela Pearson, Thursday, February 5, 1998.