Brakeman’s Café
Tom and Traci O’Connor opened Brakeman’s Café opposite the Colebrookdale Railroad three years ago in a former carriage house and stables. “We thought it would be a small shop, but it took off, and we now have a beautiful outdoor seating patio,” recalls Traci. Opening at 7am, Brakeman’s wake-up java is a clear draw. “We source coffee beans from Twin Valley, and our number-one sellers are the lattes. We have 16 different lattes,” Traci says. Numerous teas and creatively concocted drinks, such as fresh-squeezed lemonade in 10 different flavor varieties, are on the menu, along with their made-daily chicken salad on a sandwich or hydroponic greens.
When writer Richard Weinstein first headed to Brakeman’s, he noted the atmosphere, where “railroad prints in a rustic interior surround the cozy indoor seating.” However, it was the excellent drinks and food that hooked him.
“My wife and I ordered at the counter, where the accommodating apron-clad staff took our orders. We chose sandwiches, and when I asked for suggestions for a ‘coffeeish’ drink, the server suggested their Snickerdoodle latte. Delicious — just the right blend of espresso, milk and brown sugar with a cinnamon finish that didn’t overpower the coffee. The Noon crowd filled the café, and we chose an outdoor table near an ancient magnolia and were so pleased when we tasted what was brought to us. The foundation of the café’s exquisite sandwiches is detail and quality. They made everything with freshly prepared ingredients on a base of fresh-baked rolls from the Corropolese Bakery. My wife chose a tasty Green Goddess sandwich on a brioche roll loaded with turkey, fresh avocado and mixed baby greens. My Turkey Rachel sandwich was on a Kaiser, with thick layers of turkey covered with homemade coleslaw and generously sliced Swiss cheese, lavished with tasty Thousand Island dressing. The small side of pickled cucumber drizzled with a perfectly formulated balsamic reduction was a treat. I’ll be back!”
56 S. Washington St., Boyertown | 484.415.7511 | brakemanscafe.com
Four Monkeys Coffee Roasters and Cafe
For outrageous coffee roasted by true connoisseurs, get thee to Kutztown! Owners Colleen and Chris Eugster have raised the coffee-taste bar high. Colleen laughs, “People tell us, ‘You’ve ruined me for other coffee!’ But a lot of credit goes to Chris. He has an excellent talent for grabbing the notes out of the beans. He chooses the beans well.”
“We both always loved coffee,” says Chris, “and coffee formerly known as ‘gourmet coffee.’ Twelve years ago, I was living in Baltimore, where I first tried to roast coffee at home. I actually used a popcorn maker up on the roof,” he laughs. “So, I made my own coffee, and we would roast together on the weekends. People really loved the coffee. We decided to make it into a business in 2017.”
Today, buying organic coffee in small batches from families with small farms, this husband-and-wife team roast and brew onsite. They sell directly to customers, to farmers markets and CSAs (community-supported agriculture groups). Chris favors beans “grown high in the mountains,” adding, “we focus a lot on Central and South America.” Timor, Ethiopia and other nations are also on his radar.
On a recent visit, poet Amber Kulaga loved her pour-over Howler Blend, pronouncing it unequivocally “De-li-cious!” She believes one reason for the tasty difference lies in their process: the fluid-bed roaster. According to Chris, “We get brighter notes out of the coffee.”
100 Constitution Blvd., Kutztown | 484.819.0444 | fourmonkeyscoffee.com
Ezekiel 47
A multicultural mecca café has landed in West Reading! Novelist Janice Rodriguez describes it as “a clean, bright, cheerful space with views of Fifth Avenue and friendly, attentive owners who serve tea and coffee to the sounds of a Christian Rock radio station. The stars here are the coffee and tea. My Gibraltar coffee was bright and acidic with a long-standing, creamy layer of foam. My husband’s Americano decaf, freshly ground, was bold and strong. We overheard a patron recommending the lattes to a newcomer and called them ‘delicious.’ The tea menu is interesting and — as promised on the café’s website — multicultural.”
Gigi Benique, who co-owns the café with husband Rene, says they use an Ethiopian drip but offer specialty coffees like Espresso Shot 1: “It’s Thaddeus Espresso, a blend of Colombia and Brazil flavors with notes of plum, cocoa and brown sugar. We also offer Turkish teas, waffles and paninis from different countries, with our bestseller being the Cuban,” says Gigi. “Number two is the Dominican.”
Rodriguez says, “The owners’ interpretation of the famous Uruguayan and Argentinian choripán (from chorizo, a red pork sausage, and pan bread) keeps the original sandwich’s garlicky, piquant chimichurri sauce but swaps the chorizo for a juicy chicken sausage and the baguette-style bread for a ciabatta club roll, which is flattened and toasted.”
10 S. Fifth Avenue, West Reading | 717.926.2417 | FB @ezekiel47cafe
