Tatiana Taborda, petroleum engineering graduate student, and Kristen Hansen, Latin American studies senior, laugh as they surf the web in Michelangelo's Coffee & Wine Bar Tuesday morning. Michelangelos, located on East Main Street, caters to students by offering free wifi, comfortable couches and tables, as well as a quiet atmosphere to study in. Eli Hull / The Daily

Stepping into Michaelangelo’s Coffee and Wine Bar in downtown Norman is a real departure from stepping into your neighborhood Starbucks.

This is no attack on Starbucks, because I love the ‘bucks, but sometimes it’s just nice to have a more intimate, unique experience in a coffee shop.

I’m a big believer that a dining experience is comprised of four aspects: atmosphere, food, drink and service.

Michelangelo’s is a wide, hardwood-floored space with tall ceilings whose walls are painted a warm, red color.

In a touch that pays homage to our fair city, the walls are decorated with the painting and photography of local artists.

Newspapers cover the wooden tables and couches that are dispersed throughout the place.

Overall, the space is very comfortable and achieves a fine balance of looking clean and contemporary while remaining classic.

Michelangelo’s was initially a coffee bar that included a selection of chocolates, but they have recently expanded that menu to include soup, panini sandwiches and gourmet pizzas.

The menu has also come to include a wine and beer selection.

While dining at Michelangelo’s, one must remember that the barista is pulling quadruple duty and also serves as the cook, server and busboy.

That said, prepare yourself for a bit of a wait.

The menu items are prepared with a variety of Mediterranean staples: prosciutto ham, pesto (lots and lots of pesto) and tomatoes.

My panini was delicious and my dining partner’s pizza looked good as well.

My only criticism is that the fruit the menu claimed was to be served with my sandwich was a dried apricot and several dried cranberries.

Fresh fruit would offer some different tastes to the plate and make the meal more well rounded.

Seeing as it was 11:30 a.m. on a Tuesday when I dined, I thought it might be imprudent to have a drink, so I have no concrete review of any of Michelangelo’s wine or beer selections.

I can tell you that the wine list appeared quite comprehensive and included an entire page of reds, whites and roses.

The beer choices were also varied. Negra Modelo, a Lion’s Head variety and Sam Adams Oktoberfest were included, as well as Session, an American lager brewed by the Oregon microbrewery Full Sail.

The service was very friendly and accommodating. As I said, check your impatience at the door.

If you’re looking for a new place to try, or a break from monotony, try Michelangelo’s. Whether its for a sandwich and a coffee, some wine and chocolate or a place to study; the atmosphere cannot be beat. The food is different and the service, while slow, is friendly.

Michelangelo’s is located at 207 E. Main St. in downtown Norman.