Cafes
Tinto Coffee House
Here's my predicament: it's cold outside, and a hot drink from Tinto would really hit the spot right now. But confound it with this whole "having to brave the elements" thing! Well suck it up, princess, cause this cafe is worth it.
Once inside the Roncesvalles establishment, we're enveloped by the warm tones of the decor. Good start. Owners Ricardo Rozental and Elvia Saenz from Columbia have set up a roomy, vibrant space that's great for both solo lazing and group functions. Take advantage of WiFi in the sunny main room, or hide out in the cozy nook upstairs if you're feeling saucy. But back to my #1 concern: eatin'.
The three-page menu has a variety of breakfast, lunch and snack options, all representing Ricardo's mantra of 'fair-trade, organic, and locally produced with a Latin American taste'. Vegan and vegetarian options? Check. Licensed? Check. Tasty? But of course.
We warmed our insides with a foamy mocaccino and soy latte, both prepared with Tinto's in-house blend supplied by local roaster Birds & Beans. (There's also a selection of juices and smoothies, beer and wine). Next we shared the tasty Cardenas breakfast sandwich (whole wheat english muffin, scrambled egg, black beans, cheddar and guiso with fruit for $6.60) and topped it off with super fresh banana & apple loaf and a gigantic, rich brownie ($2.45 each). Too bad the kitchen wasn't making the corn bread muffins that day, because *drool*. In any case - satisfied!
5 Things To Know About Tinto Coffee House (According to Owner Ricardo Rozental)
1. Tinto's main focus is to be fair trade, organic and locally produced with a Latin American taste.
2. They use only fair trade, organic Latin American coffees. Birds & Beans provides them with a special Latin American espresso blend.
3. Everything is made from scratch except for one menu item, which uses imported chipotle chilis.
4. Anything that comes from out of house is prepared by local companies like St. John's Bakery who employ people struggling with societal obstacles.
5. There is zero food waste, they serve tap water ("proudly so") and don't sell pop (human rights and nutritional issues).
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With better attention paid to the product by the staff, this place could be awesome. I will probably give Tinto a third chance somewhere down the road, and hopefully it'll be better.