This is a very quick post to highlight my three favourite cafes in my new neighbourhood.
1. Headquarters (115 Clarence Street): Perfect for avocado toast-loving millennials who appreciate minimalist decor, take-the-world-by-the-storm-yet-chill soundtracks, and exquisite menu options. Each of the food items is a work of art. Pictured below is carrot ginger soup with maple drizzle, among a medley of other ingredients that made the soup actually worth $9. The coffee is quite good but the food is better. The Art Is In pastries are extraordinary and I often celebrate Sunday with a chocolate-filled croissant covered with almonds and dusted in icing sugar. Mmmm.
2. Mantovani 1946 (87 Murray Street): The best spot to go when experiencing severe bouts of nostalgia for Europe. This Italian gelato cafe has a cozy atmosphere. I like the large table near the fireplace and bookshelves where people from different walks of life read, write, draw, study, and visit. There’s usually Italian music playing filled with all its characteristic pathos and poetry. It’s a lovely, humanizing environment.
3. i deal coffee (176 Dalhousie): This is a coffee shop about which I was most incredulous. Is it “i deal” or “idéal“? I wasn’t quite sure. The outside is very unassuming and the interior is rather eclectic. I saw a photo of a latte served in a tall see-through glass though and this enticed me. I really like lattes served in clear glasses. There’s something pristine and artistic about it. There are a few booths and I like sitting there to do my work on the weekends. Plugging away on my computer or writing letters to friends, I enjoy eavesdropping on all the bilingual conversation around me. This cafe is the most affordable and the most quintessentially neighbourly.
That sums up my post about my three favourite cafes so far. I look forward to getting to know more cafes in Ottawa, though, since these three are all within five minutes of where I live! Blessed am I!
Amanda Achtman 