Go for the Coffee, Stay for the Breakfast?
Does coffee count as fast food? Well they're fast and they serve food, but most wouldn't consider Starbucks fast food, even if they do have 40,000 locations across the world.
We're straying from our "Fast Food Fight" to bring you some "Coffee Wars." However, this war isn't about coffee. Rather, it's about the breakfast food served at some of our local mini-chain coffee shops. They all have great coffee, but do any of them have meals worth checking out? Find out which local coffee shops have the best food around.
Congregation Coffee
The first place visited for this article was the new Congregation Coffee location at the former CC's on the corner of Magazine and Jefferson. The house-made lavender syrup served in their coffee is thoroughly impressive, and the breakfast burrito is pretty darn tasty, too. They come with your choice of chorizo or vegetarian green chili and are stuffed with potatoes, eggs, beans, and cheese with a side of hot sauce. You can get it there or at their flagship location in Algiers Point.
French Truck
That little yellow vintage Citroën truck has greatly expanded since its arrival in 2012, now with 12 locations around the city. Their popular location on the Greenway is particularly nice for a quick coffee. The breakfast menu consists of four toasts and three sandwiches/wraps and plenty of good options to choose from. Their avocado toast on focaccia bread with a light smear of avocado topped with microgreens, pickled onions, and a heavy dose of lime was a little small but priced fairly at $7.95 and definitely worth going back for.
Hey! Café
Visit Hey! Café's location on St. Louis Street on the Greenway, and you can watch them roasting their beans on site. There, you can purchase a bag of beans, a cappuccino, a pastry from the pastry case, or a Flour Moon bagel if their wait is too long, or it's on a Wednesday when they're closed. Or, if you're in Flour Moon, you can get one of their delicious sandwiches or tartines with a coffee from their next-door neighbor. The rest of the menu at Hey! Café is limited, so the relatively new S. Derbigny Street location was scooped out, where they serve breakfast from local restaurants including tacos from Wakin' Bakin', arepas from Waksa NOLA, bagels from Humble Bagel, and fresh baked biscuits made in house. The arepa, which comes with a spread of beans and a little side of roasted tomato sauce, is good, but the sauce needs a little more kick to make it great.
Puccino's
Once you get past the Italian decorations, Puccino's has a pretty extensive list of breakfast options, ranging from omelets to wraps to eight different biscuit options. The portion size of the Philly biscuit, filled with peppers, onions, mild cheddar cheese, and Philly beef steak, was nice. The biscuit was soft and buttery, but the meat was way too bland. If there were onions and peppers on it, they weren't noticed. The pricing at $6.95 was pretty reasonable, but the classic breakfast on the special's board, which included two eggs, bacon, grits, and toast, was too expensive at $12.95. Plus, the grits were undercooked. Overall, a less than inspiring meal.
French Press
This local chain has five locations in Metairie, Kenner, and Chalmette with more extensive food options than most of the others on this list. The Airline Highway location never seems to have any guests inside, more so relying on a steady flow of cars at the drive-thru. While they have many lunch options, only a few items are on the breakfast menu. The Western omelet sandwich, which comes with eggs, cheddar cheese, sausage, and roasted red peppers, was actually quite enjoyable, mostly for the excellent toasted whole wheat bread. The roasted red peppers, eggs, and gooey cheese complimented the bread nicely. A housemade salsa instead of Pace picante sauce on the side would have been more preferred, but, overall, this sandwich is worth getting again.
Coffee Science
Their original location on Broad Street is quite popular, but did you know that they also have a full-service location at the cute little Greek deli, Smoke and Honey, near the corner of Bienville and Norman C. Francis Parkway? The original location is where you can get a nice selection of pastries made in house or opt for a small menu of breakfast sandwiches. The burrito, which comes with eggs, potatoes, and cheese, and a side of hot sauce that tastes like Crystal, tasted freshly made, but it was a little bland without the sauce. Adding bacon would have made it better, or maybe the owners can add beans or salsa to the burrito for a better flavor profile.
The Verdict
Some coffee chains don't even try to do breakfast. Some on this list seem to do it as more of an afterthought rather than to impress, but the search for a breakfast worth a visit on its own provided just one option—French Truck's delicious, little avocado toast. The best of the rest was the burrito at Congregation Coffee and the sandwich at French Press. The other chains need to up their game for a return visit.
