6) Garden District Coffee House
2810 S. Congress, 462-2473
Monday-Friday, 7am-10pm; Saturday, 8am-10pm; Sunday, 9am-10pm
Perched atop the bucolic Great Outdoors Garden Center, the Garden District Coffee House takes its cue from the South Congress gardening mecca, as well as the nearby Habana Restaurant. The décor is foliage-based, with lots of live plants plus complementary murals depicting greenery of all sorts. The eats are predominantly Cuban, including sweetly rich and delicious coffee drinks like Cafe con Leche (made with sweetened condensed milk and espresso, $2.50-$3.75), Cortadito With Sugar ($1.50-$2), and Tres Leche Cafe (a walloping combination of espresso, whole milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk $3-$4). Piping-hot Empanadas ($2.75) were served hot out of the fryer, and were chock-full of flavor, but absent of grease. An assortment of grill-pressed sandwiches is offered too, including chicken and tuna salad, turkey, ham, and an extra “piggy” ham and roast pork! Breakfast tacos courtesy of Mi Madre’s are available, as are an assortment of pastry goodies and even a salad or two. Wi-fi makes it a laptop-friendly place, but if you’re not sporting a portable computer yet, there’s a desktop on the premises for your browsing pleasure.
This article appears in March 3 • 2006.