A screen-free morning with good coffee and good company. Come as you are, leave a little lighter.
Once a week, before RECESS opens for the night, we hand the whole building over to two unhurried hours. You hand your phone off, or just tuck it away, and trade it for a morning that moves at your speed.
Read a few chapters. Fill a page. Make something with your hands. Or sit with a coffee and let your brain go quiet for once. Come alone and enjoy the calm, or come with a friend and share the quiet. Everyone is welcome.
Coffee, easy conversation, and a warm welcome. The social heart of the morning, right by the counter.
Talking welcomeJournal, sketch, paint, or write an actual letter. Spread out and get a little messy in the old axe lanes.
Talking welcomeSink into a plush booth upstairs and disappear into a book. Softest lights, lowest voices in the house.
Whispers onlyScreen-free means all of it. Phones, laptops, tablets, anything that lights up or buzzes stays away and stays dark for the full two hours. The quiet only works if we all protect it together.
E-ink readers like a Kindle are welcome. They read like paper and won't pull you into a feed.
Wearing a smartwatch? Pop it into Theater Mode so it stays dark on a wrist-raise.
Hand it to us for safekeeping or keep it tucked away. Either way, it stays put until you head out.
Slip up and reach for it? A friendly nudge from a host, no judgment. We've all been there.
Everyone is welcome, and the welcome depends on the rule. Keep the quiet floors quiet, look out for the people around you, and let a host know if something feels off. That is how a room like this stays safe.
Books we love, coloring pages for adults, markers, paint, and basic art supplies are already set out on the tables. Bring yourself, and maybe:
Hot coffee, cold brew, and iced tea, included with your ticket. Half and half, simple syrups, and the basics are out on the bar. We don't take drink orders. Pour your own, top it off whenever.
Fresh bread from Barker · Café and Bakery with good butter. Simple, and some of the best in Kansas.
A local musician plays guitar, piano, or other light instrumental music. No vocals, no set, no applause expected. Background only.
Email us at lawrence@recess.bar and we will set a free seat aside for you. No explanation needed, no questions asked. The morning should be open to everyone in town.
Ten dollars flat, tax included. Cash at the door is welcome and even encouraged. Reservations open soon, and walk-ins are always tolerated.
Not at all. Plenty of folks come to be quietly alone in good company. The quiet lounge is there for exactly that. The talking parlor is there if you feel like chatting.
If you are on call for something that truly cannot wait, let a host know at check-in and we will find a sensible way to handle it. Otherwise, the world will keep for two hours.
Absolutely, and lots of people do. It is an easy, low-pressure way to meet people in Lawrence, or to just enjoy your own company for a morning.
Phones, laptops, tablets, and anything else that lights up or buzzes. E-ink readers are the one exception, and smartwatches are fine on Theater Mode. Two hours, no feeds. People are always surprised how good it feels.
Email us and we will hold a free seat for you. No explanation needed. Cost should not be the reason anyone misses a morning here.
Please do. Ten dollars flat, tax included, and cash at the door is welcome and even encouraged.
Always. Coloring pages for adults, markers, paint, basic art supplies, and a shelf of our favorite books are out on the tables.
Read, write, draw, craft, sip coffee, or simply sit. There is no schedule to keep up with. You settle in and let the morning be slow.