Well, in Dallas it's harder to find good espresso drinks. And I can't tell you how many times I've ordered lattes and couldn't drink them, they were so bad. Starbucks may not always be best, but it's consistantly better than average in my experience.

If you get drinks that have sugar and/or flavorings it might not be such a big deal, but all I get are lattes (made with organic milk, when possible) and if the barrista doesn't know what they're doing, you can definitely tell the difference.

I love going to small independent restaurants, cafes, etc. and if there were any viable options around me for lattes I'd jump at the chance to patronize them, but unfortunately I don't have that option.

We definitely like to "do as the Romans do" when we're traveling, and our favorite cup of coffee (just plain coffee) is a brand called Farmer's Brothers, that is mostly available at restaurants and cafes. I can't begin to tell you how many times we've said, "Wow, this is good coffee," and been told it was Farmer's Brothers, whether in a tiny cafe in rural New Mexico or a Greek restaurant in Dallas.

As for Starbucks, I've been to Starbucks in London, and also in Salisbury and Chester (both in England) and each time it was a welcome chance to get a latte. In Salisbury I was actually ill and when we found that little Starbucks right by the gate to the cathedral, a Starbucks with medieval stone interior walls, even! -- I sank into the familiar chair and sipped on that familiar latte and just rested for a very long time. It was nice.

Mind you, that majority of our time in the UK is driving our rental from village to village and eating at pubs and tea rooms and staying in very basic B&Bs. And if there were no Starbucks there, we wouldn't whine about it.

But on the few occasions where we've visited them, we've enjoyed them!

(One of my favorite lattes ever was in a little Italian sandwich shop in London, though.)