I first tried this place as Alterra and was not entirely impressed.  The atmosphere is unique and enjoyable, but I thought the coffee was sometimes bitter and overroasted.\n\nIt's probably just my imagination, but I feel like it's gotten a lot better since it changed its name from Alterra to Colectivo.  The atmosphere is still great (and I'm a sucker for Central American, the sugar skull theme), and this time the coffee is great as well.  You can tell the baristas are well trained and take their coffee seriously, unlike a certain coffee shop down the street (it starts with an S and ends in -tarbucks).  If you're used to high quality coffee from the various downtown cafes, then you'll like this.  \n\nPlus the staff seems really friendly and knowledgeable and remember their repeat customers, which is impressive because there's usually a steady stream of customers up at the register.  It's a happenin' place.\n\nAnd the food.  The food is excellent.  The soups are delicious and the flavors are often very complex and unlike anything I've had in a restaurant or cafe before.  The ingredients are mostly locally sourced, which is cool.  Do yourself a favor - at least once in your life, get the bacon biscuit.  It's probably more calories than you should ever consume in one day, you'll hate yourself after you finish it, and you'll probably never do it again.  But good lord, it's heavenly.