The never ending quest for a real cup of coffee

La Paloma on Capitol Ave.

     After getting irritated with myself for not going to La Paloma Sabanera yet, and being in desperate need of a decent cafe con leche, I headed over. Let me first mention that parking is slightly tricky, but the owner has tried to accomodate for this situation by letting you park in the lot directly behind the building, or you can try for street parking after 9am.
     La Paloma Sabanera makes me feel like I am back in the 90's again. And that's a good thing, cause I miss that decade terribly. The atmosphere is funky and inviting. The chairs are random sizes and styles and are playfully mismatched with tables displaying colorful collages underneath the glass. One of my favorite ones was a circular homage to Freida Kahlo. The owner also told me that they offer free wireless, and it's the kind of place where you can comfortably camp out with your laptop for a few hours and not worry about the staff trying to rush you along or making hints that you purchase more than the coffee you have sitting in front of you.

     Although I have to say, you might want to eat here. The menu is pretty tasty for a coffee shop. Affordable as well. My cafe con leche with a cinnamon twist came to slightly over $3, which I was thrilled about since I had been grumbling about the $7 that I had paid the day before at Tisane for a cafe mocha and a biscotti. And I returned for lunch the same week to check it out and had a really good vegetarian panini with pesto for around $6. My lunch companion was equally pleased with her tuna salad sandwich. The menu is listed online, so you can check it out on their website.
     La Paloma Sabanera also is the home of the Kino Cafe, which is a semi underground movie group in Hartford. They host film viewings which are open to the public and cost $3 a person to attend. Quite a good deal. The films show on Tuesday nights and start up for the fall on September 14th at 7pm. Their schedule is available on La Paloma Sabanera's website as well.

Mural outside of coffeeshop

     All in all, I have decided that I will be spending a great deal of my time at La Paloma Sabanera. It's unpretentious, local, offers free water (since the owner doesn't believe in selling bottled water), has delicious and well made espresso drinks, good lunch options, a funky and artistic atmosphere and a slew of interesting patrons to start conversations with. What more could you ask for?

Address: 405 Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: 860-956-5003
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-6pm, Sat 9am-3pm

Website: http://www.lapalomacoffeehouse.com/default.htm