Coffee Shops and Bakeries That Don't Disappoint
Plus recs for right now: primo beef goulash, Spam musubi, mussels escabeche, and a dark and rich NA cocktail that'll go down smooth
Hi everyone. Happy spring! This week’s weather looks like it’s going to be really beautiful (before possibly snowing next week, thanks Colorado).
I watched “Anora,” this year’s Oscar winner for Best Picture. It was… ok? I was glad it wasn’t some heavy depressing “serious” film, but it was so light and breezy it made me wonder how it managed to win. I will never understand the Academy Awards.
Anyway, let’s get on with it…
In this issue:
4 coffee shops and bakeries for your morning rotation
3 recs for right now: Restaurant dishes worth your cold hard cash
One final craving (a dark and rich NA cocktail)
4 Coffee Shops and Bakeries for Your Morning Rotation
I don’t usually post about coffee shops and bakeries because I’m not a morning person. Getting up and facing other humans before 8am is my own personal hell. But sometimes, the best goodies require getting out of the house before lunchtime, so I wanted to share a few spots that are still doing amazing things with their morning menus. Whether it’s their tasty treats, drinks, or friendly service (or all three), these places make it just a little easier to drag myself out into the world a bit earlier.
Cozy coffee shop with personality and purpose
Convivio Café - West Highlands
I had heard so many good things about Convivio before ever going, so I was primed to like it, but I didn’t anticipate how much I would love it. When I stepped inside the Guatemalan-inspired café, I was like “oh, ok! It feels good in here.” With dark, glossy wood tables, custom hand-drawn murals, and vibrant tapestries, it exudes warmth and exhibits a human touch – everything the anonymous, sterile, "I could be anywhere, therefore I am nowhere" international coffee shop isn't.
Owners and co-founders Kristin Lacy and Vivi Lemus opened Convivio in 2022, and it's a space where you can order a café del día and comfortably spend the whole day in a serene little bubble – whether working remotely or getting lost in a good book. The quieter area, away from the counter, is especially lovely in the morning, when natural light floods the space.
The brews are deep and rich and ethically sourced. Lacy and Lemus work directly with three Guatemalan specialty coffee producers who grow, process, roast, and pack the beans at origin, two of which are primarily women-run and managed businesses. Espresso beans come from Hannah Ulbrich’s Copper Door Roasters - the only 100% female-owned roaster in Denver.
And then there’s the food. The daytime menu is packed with great options, and I fell for the tostada trio, each topped with a different spread: red (bell pepper & tomato), green (guacamole), or black (bean). Curious about the green guac, I emailed Vivi to find out what made it so good. She explained that unlike Mexican guac, which typically includes tomatoes, jalapeños, or cilantro, their Guatemalan guacamol uses lime, onion, and oregano giving it a “zesty, bright, and creamy” flavor. As for the luxurious black bean spread, Vivi says they use organic, Colorado-grown beans and prepare them the Guatemalan way: a long process of “soaking, cooking over high pressure, and pureeing into a creamy consistency” to achieve the unique flavor and texture.
Other bonuses: the café is fully bilingual (Spanish and English), free refills on the coffee of the day if you drink it there, free Wi-Fi with a provided code.
Bakery that gets better with age that has the pastry I’m begging you to try
GetRights - Wheat Ridge
Over the years, I’ve enjoyed picking up pies, cakes, and tarts, From Matt Dulin and Lindsey Judd’s sunny little bakery in Wheat Ridge. But for some reason, I never ventured further into their pastry case. One day last month, I finally took the time to explore the full menu and, at the last minute, added a maritozzi – a cream-filled Italian pastry – to my order. When I got home and sampled our mix of sweet and savory items, everything was superb and even more next-level than I remembered. But when I got to the maritozzi, I nearly lost it – it was so. damn. good. I immediately felt like an idiot because, how could it be after all these years I had somehow missed that this was absolutely the one thing everyone should be ordering when they visit GetRights.
In an act of pure masochism, I emailed Matt to find out exactly how long I’d been missing out. He told me they’ve been selling maritozzi for the last few years, ever since the cottage bakery days. (I’m still crying.) They first made their way onto the menu because early on they wanted to offer something like a doughnut but needed something manageable for Matt to make in large batches as a solo baker. As he put it, “Being able to bake trays of 20 buns at a time ended up being a quicker operation than frying a bunch of donuts.”
When crafting their version of the Italian classic, Matt drew inspiration from Asian bakeries that load their buns with an exaggerated amount of cream. The result at GetRights is a split, citrus-perfumed brioche bun bulging with cloud-like vanilla cream, generously dusted with sugar, of which they sell about 60-75 a day. Since introducing them, the recipe has largely stayed the same, though it has inspired them to add other filled pastries on their menu, like the bombolone and chocolate brioche.
And before you send me frantic DMs, yes, I DO know that GetRights recently launched a pizza program, offering pizza slices from 1-4pm and takeout from 4-8pm, Thursday through Sunday. I’ve yet to try it, but I’m eager to head over there for dinner once the weather warms up.
Shop that convinced me that not all bread is created equal
Reunion Bakery - RiNo
I used to be of the mindset that artisan bread was all just fine. Better than what I could make at home, but never something I really sought out or obsessed over. But that all changed fairly recently when I picked up a whole wheat country loaf from Ismael De Sousa’s Reunion Bakery, which made me deeply reconsider my worldview.
I brought a loaf home, divided it up into chunky slices, and froze the pieces without even trying the bread because - bread, it’s fine. The next day, for lunch I reheated a slice to go along with some soup. Piping hot and lightly toasted from putting it in the toaster oven, I bit in. Its light, airy crumb was pleasingly elastic and easy to chew. The taste of the bread was assertive and its slightly salty, tangy flavor rounded out the soup in a way I hadn’t experienced before. I was hooked. In the proceeding days I planned entire meals around eating slices of the bread. It served as a wonderful substitute to rice when I had it with madras lentils, great as the vehicle for an open-faced fried egg sandwich. Even a simple PB&J was elevated to a fancy treat. A couple weeks later the frozen bread still holds up. I’m down to my last slice and I can’t wait to restock soon.
While I’ve developed a real love for their bread, I also have to mention their sweets are also very good. In particular, I’ve found their churro croissant to be worth an order (WAO). It’s filled with gooey dulce de leche that was caramel-ly without being overly sweet, perfectly complemented by the ideal amount of cinnamon dusting.
Their current location, tucked in a corner of the Source market hall, is less than ideal. When they first opened in 2019, the market was bustling, but now, with two restaurants closed and many storefronts empty, foot traffic can be scarce, resulting in a more limited menu on weekdays. If you’re planning to visit, Fri-Sun are when they offer the biggest selection.
But, there's plenty of upside for Reunion. They've just announced a special collab menu with Manny Barella on April 5th and unveiled a sleek brand refresh ahead of their big move to a new street-level spot at the Aston on South Pearl Street in Platt Park later this year (hopefully by June). Onwards and upwards!
The lowkey stars are their savory Asian breakfast options
Banh & Butter Bakery - Aurora
It’s taken me way too long to finally visit this French-Asian bakery run by Thoa Nguyen. I’d tried one of their best-known treats, the strawberry croissants, at an event last year and had always promised myself I’d make it to the store. So, when I had an early morning appointment nearby, I knew it was my chance. By the time I got there, all the cream puffs had been snatched up – wild since I got there only 30 minutes after opening. They were making more, but I wasn’t able to wait, but I did manage to get a mini strawberry croissant again - a perfect little pocket of vanilla cream you can manage to consume in two to three bites – and I was also really drawn to an attractive apple tart, with its classic apple-cinnamon flavoring, which looked and tasted great.
I know that most people are probably drawn to the bakery because of the pastries, but I need to give a shout out to the savory options. Sometimes I’m in super Asian mode and I just wanna eat some rice with breakfast, and there aren’t many places that offer it so I was also really happy with the rice bowl with a fried egg – jasmine rice with pickled carrots and daikon, topped with crispy onions, and served with a housemade fish sauce to pour over the whole thing. It came with three fried eggs (impressive in this economy!!!) so plenty of protein. It’s homey, comforting, and definitely hits the spot on a chilly morning. If this were my neighborhood bakery, I’d be rolling up regularly to grab a bowl and a couple of sweets, and maybe I’d eventually be able to snag one of those cream puffs or a slice of one of their eye-catching crepe cakes.
3 Recs for Right Now: Restaurant Dishes Worth Your Cold Hard Cash
These three items are on restaurant menus right now. Get them while you can!
Beef rib goulash
Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails - Congress Park (E. Colfax)
I first discovered this dish when I popped into Molotov for a nightcap after my friends and I had a not-so-great dinner at another spot. Next to us, a couple was hunched over a bowl of the beef rib goulash, scraping the sides clean, with a giant bone sticking out above the rim. It looked so good that we all vowed to come back and get it while it was still on the menu. A few weeks later, when we finally got the chance to try it, and were fighting over who would get the last bites. I’m a big fan of stroganoff, and this dish is a close cousin. The beef is extremely tender, falling off the bone, and served with egg noodles, green peppercorn smetana-poached carrots, and sherry-pickled onions. We found the best way to eat it is to pull the meat off the bone, cut it up and mix the whole thing together. It’s on the winter menu, which will be going bye bye before the end of April, so get on it before the dish makes its exit!
Spam musubi
Adrift - Speer (S. Broadway)
I recently attended a hosted meal at Adrift, where I was sampling their new selection of low and no ABV cocktails. (I recommend the Anchored Tides, the least sweet option on the menu that blends ginger and lime with Pathfinder N/A Amaro, offering a pleasing bitter bite.) But the thing I really really want to talk about is their Spam musubi, which is only $4 during happy hour (normally $7). The Spam is marinated, seared, and topped with a touch of pineapple teriyaki, furikake. Neatly cut in half and stacked upright, the dish is served warm – the ideal way to eat musubi. It hits all the marks of a great bar bite: easy to eat with your hands, just the right amount of salt to get your thirsty for your drink, and tasty as can be.
Mussels escabeche toast
Traveling Mercies - Aurora
As I’ve said before, Caroline Glover’s cocktail bar on the mezz level of Stanley Marketplace is the spot to assemble the perfect girl dinner, but even knowing that, I’m still amazed by how good the food can be. Right now, there's a mussels escabeche toast on the menu that I absolutely loved. First off, the mussels are pickled giving them a slight sourness, which is balanced by the creamy aioli. It’s all served on a slice of Bakey Four bread and garnished with pickled mustard seeds and dill. If you like high acid and brininess, this dish is definitely for you.
One final craving
I made a doodle of this NA cocktail from Yacht Club called Friends In Low Places (Three Spirit nightcap, late harvest verjus, coffee, N.O.T. Chocolate vinegar). It’s kinda the perfect zero proof drink when you’re feeling moody and sophisticated: deep, rich flavor and a bit of caffeine to keep your night going a little longer.
ICYMI: Earlier in the month I wrote about the $295 tasting menu no one wants to talk about, a new hand-pulled noodle shop, and the spot to sip Champagne in a train station. ✨Read it here✨
Reunion is always a favorite but need to try Convivio Cafe and GetRights! 🥐
Wait your doodle is so good! Should we be hiring you to doodle things???