California Coffee & Wine

California Coffee & Wine is a ray of SoCal sunshine. The Cal-Mex flavours served up are fresher and sharper than typical Tex-Mex offerings and everything feels clean and wholesome – if you give the sausage and bacon mega stack a swerve. There’s a brunchy vibe and the place is cosy but it’s a bit lacking in natural light. It’s dim up North apparently.

The food doesn’t take itself too seriously, it’s just there to be enjoyed. Expect dishes like San Fran salmon, all scrambled eggs and wilted spinach with some spectacular smoked fish from the Manchester Smokehouse or ranch beans with tortilla, smashed avocado, Cali salsa and plenty of zing from fresh chillies and spring onions. Vegetarian and vegan options are good and as full of flavour as their meatier counterparts.

Despite the American influences, the food is local from the organic free range eggs to the quality meat supplied by a local butcher.

The coffee is excellent – made from beans freshly-roasted by owner Justin every day and there is a good selection of wine too with the best examples hailing from California, just like the burritos and the rice bowls.

California Coffee & Wine downplays its food offering in its nomenclature but it should be bigging it up with some breezy LA confidence. It doesn’t talk the talk, but it can definitely walk the walk.

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