Post Date: 05/05/08

If you're tired of getting coffee from the same ole' Starbucks around the corner, it's time to shake things up. Check out Cafe con Leche, a mother-daughter owned Latin-infused cafe that's part Mexican bakery meets hip coffeehouse meets boutique. Located in downtown Fullerton, Cafe con Leche is a fusion of many of my favorite things. From the brightly painted yellow walls to the concrete counter tops to the hand painted Dia de Los Muertos candles, everything in this place has been thoughtfully placed to create a cozy, unique, and artistic atmosphere.

What I also love about the place is its communal vibe. The boutique items, like handmade bracelets, wallets, and my personal favorite, skull candles, are placed on open shelves inviting and encouraging cafe participants to look, explore and feel.

Another item on my "favorite things list": a unique take on food and coffee. So far, Cafe con Leche serves quick but delicious take-away items such Jalapeno bread (a roll stuffed with cream cheese and slices of Jalapeno, a local favorite), pan de leche (sweet bread), and my favorite because of its name, ojos del toro (literally eyes of the bull, if you get a chance to see it you'll know what I mean) which is a bread pastry, dipped in jam and rolled in coconut flakes.

Also, they serve tamales: red-sauce pork or green-sauce chicken which automatically makes me one happy camper because where else can I order a tamale that's really good, at a cafe? For dessert connoisseurs, chocoflan (flan atop chocolate cake), tres leches cake and flan are also available for glorious consumption.

The last but not least: flavorful coffee. The Mexi-Mocha, a blend of Mexican chocolate with spices and mocha is so delicious that within one sip I not only offered it to my friend, but also the girl sitting at the table next to us (she declined, quite obviously). Other unique favorites are the OC Blend (an orange juice and vanilla blend, that tastes like a 50/50 bar) and Ojo Rojo literally translated "red eyes" which is a shot of espresso with a shot of drip coffee designed to keep you wide-awake. They also offer two different types of unique coffee. One imported from Mexico as a regular drip coffee and the other, called Echo, which is incorporated in many of the flavored drinks.

All these elements, plus the inviting atmosphere that this mother-daughter team creates once you enter into the door has made this my new go-to coffee place. If you're in town or live around Fullerton, check this place out and make sure you eat something good and tell me.



Cafe con Leche
126 W. Wilshire #A
Fullerton, CA 92832

Labels: coffee, goodeats, ShoutsOfAdoration