First Look: Patika Wine and Coffee

Andy Wiggington talks about coffee like most sommeliers talk about wine. He will point out its fruity notes or earthy balance. He casually mentions the “interesting” things that certain coffee growers have been doing with their product to define new flavors. And he can talk your ear off about how good coffee differs from bad coffee.

Good coffee is aromatic, balanced, flavorful; bad coffee tastes bitter, or worse, burned. In fact, according to Andy’s longtime partner Nick Krupa (in both life and business), Andy’s coffee flirtation has lasted for as long as either of them care to remember.

Andy finally set out to turn coffee dreams into reality in 2010 when he abandoned his day job in the software industry and opened a coffee cart downtown, serving up lattes and Americanos with the mad scientific precision of a coffee engineer. The Patika cart attracted an instant following of loyals, some of them proclaiming it the best coffee they’d ever tasted. Fast forward four years and the duo have at last opened a bricks and mortar shop.

On Wednesday Patika Wine and Coffee hosted an event to give folks a gander at the new digs, and a chance to sample some of the goods. Located on South Lamar, the mid-century storefront couldn’t be more perfect to house Wigginton and Krupa’s clean, modern aesthetic. The interior is light-filled and airy; and they have a pecan-shaded patio out back that stays cool even at mid-day.

The shop is serving the same fair-trade and locally roasted Cuvée coffee that has earned them a sterling reputation downtown. They now also offer beer, a small but thoughtfully curated selection of wines, along with cheese and charcuterie plates. Their new in-house baker, Bria Jones, is a minor treasure, providing amazing fresh-baked sweet and savory pastries daily. These go beyond the tired old coffee house fare. We sampled onion and cheddar biscuits, light and flaky enough to sprout wings.

I went back for seconds on the impossibly buttery leek and mushroom turnovers. Lemon-blueberry-tequila muffins, orange-rosemary scones and chai-spice scones were equally tempting. The Patika crew likes to experiment and I am told to expect different baked treats daily. I’m definitely in for more.

Patika Wine and Coffee
2159 S. Lamar
Mon.-Thu., 7am-10pm; Fri.-Sat., 7am-midnight; Sun., 7am-8pm
www.patikacoffee.com