Review - Cafe L'Aube

1512 South Street 1631 Wallace St.
215.546.1550 215.235.2720
Updated: Website, Yelp, Google Maps
M - F: 7:30 am - 6 pm,S - S: 8 am - 6 pm
Wi-Fi, Tables, Outlets

[Editor's note: this review was written by a guest blogger, Norma.]

Philly residents who know their food will tell you that the best thing about Café L'Aube is the crêpes. I have to disagree. While it does have arguably the best, most authentic Parisian crêpes this city has to offer, I would venture to say that the best thing about Cafe L'Aube is, in fact, the atmosphere.

L'Aube (pronounced lobe) is the French word for dawn: the first appearance of daylight in the morning, the beginning or rise of something fresh and new. The word perfectly captures the atmosphere at this South Street gem. If you're like me--an urban dweller who loves (mostly) everything that a vibrant bustling city has to offer but also revels in finding the occasional quiet retreat, then Café L'Aube will appeal to you too, on many levels. Located between 15th and 16th streets, the block is not heavily trafficked for most parts of the day and you can easily miss the cafe if you aren't looking for it. I've visited at times when my party was the only one in the entire cafe, evoking that sense of calm and newness that blankets the city just after a Saturday sunrise. But I've also seen the cafe brimming with customers like chirping birds announcing the start of an early morning. It truly strikes the perfect balance between an invigorating peacefulness and a soothing energy.

Practically speaking, Café L'Aube is always clean and well-lit, inviting you in with comfortable seating and a homey decor. Add in their free wire-fi and I could easily spend all day here (and I have!). But given all that, my favorite thing about this place that keeps it near and dear to my heart is its playlist of musical artists that sounds like it was ripped right from my Pandora: Rilo Kiley, Camera Obscura, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Cat Power, The Shins, Explosions in the Sky, Iron & Wine, Postal Service, and Death Cab, just to name a few. All these things brew together to make the perfect ambiance whether you're studying, reading leisurely, or catching up with friends over a light meal.

Overall, Café L'Aube reminds me of the European cafes I used to frequent during my year studying abroad. Besides catching a glimpse of a native Frenchman (owner Jean-Luc), you can always expect to encounter interesting people, solid music, good coffee, and great food here.

Four and a half beans.

[UPDATE, April 2012: The original location on South St. has shuttered since the original review last year. The new location at 1631 Wallace St. is what I would call a diamond in the rough. The decor is sparse and not as warm and inviting as the original South St. location. The hours are more limited. But the food and beverages were still as good as I remember. My only disappointment was that they were promoting a Thai Iced Tea House Specialty but had run out of "Thai flavoring" when I tried to order it. It's still managed by Frenchmen with even more boisterous Frenchmen as customers (I assume). I will always think of this place warmly but it's definitely not a must-go like it used to be. Three and a half beans.]

Review - Cake and the Beanstalk

1112 Locust Street
215.592.6505
Website, Yelp, Google Maps
M - F: 7 am - 8 pm, Sat: 8 am - 8 pm, Sun: 9 am - 7 pm
Free (and fast) Wi-Fi, Several Tables, Lots of outlets

Cake and the Beanstalk

Cake and the Beanstalk, located near Jefferson University,  is a relatively new establishment as they're only a little over a month old.  They occupy Flying Monkey's old spot, which wasn't that good, so I'm glad there's a new coffeeshop in town!  I should mention, that Cake and the Beanstalk isn't strictly a cafe.  They also boast a good selection of homemade and delicious desserts.  When I asked the owner, Daniel Klein, why he named it Cake and the Beanstalk, he answered that he wanted something that captured elements of both dessert and coffee.  Daniel has quite an impressive resume when it comes to his baking experience.  Drew Lazor from Meal Ticket notes that Daniel is a lifetime baker who's worked at Striped Bass, Circa, Morimoto, Le Bec-Fin, and Twenty 21.  I must say that his desserts are quite tasty.  I tried his Strawberry Shortcake and his one-pound  brownie with walnuts.  They were both pretty delicious but the brownie would've been much better if it had been heated up.  They also offer an array of other desserts, paninis and salads.

As for the coffee ($1.75), Cake and the Beanstalk uses Chestnut Hill coffee, which I've never heard of or tried.  So I was pretty excited to try it.  I asked the owner Dan what kind of roast/blend they use.  I think he was a bit surprised with my question and wasn't sure how to answer.  He said it was a house blend but didn't know anything more beyond that - except that he thought it might include some South American beans... and that he thought it was a medium roast... I was definitely disappointed to hear this from my barrista, but I took my coffee and brownie and sat down.  The coffee wasn't bad at all actually.  It was definitely brewed recently, didn't taste watered down, burnt, or old.

As for a cafe itself, I really liked how they set up the place.  They definitely took the name of their establishment to heart and made the decor fit.  They have unique and colorful tables, and no 2 chairs are alike.  There is also a beanstalk painted on one of the walls of the bathroom that's kinda cool.  They have big windows, which is nice because you get a nice view of the garden next door.  It also lets in a lot of sunlight, which I think is mostly a good thing.  My only gripe is that during the late afternoon hours, the sunlight is right in your face, which I hate.  It makes looking at computer screens impossible!  I stayed there until the sunset.  Once the direct sunlight was out of my face, I was able to study much better.  But I was then confronted by another problem - my table was definitely too dark.  Looking around at the cafe, I think the other tables were adequately lit.  I was at the table at the front end.  While there were lights right above us, they weren't turned on for some reason and made studying quite difficult.  Besides issue with lighting, I think the place makes a relatively good studying place.  The decor is quite colorful and refreshing which can be a nice psychological relief after spending hours in a concrete library.  They have super fast internet (9.82 mbps), decent number of tables (that weren't too crowded), and certainly enough outlets for all your electrical needs.  They also had one table outside right next to the garden.  I think once the weather gets  bit warmer, that could be an awesome place to read a book.

Overall, it can be a solid place to study - I just have issues with the lighting.  Coffee wasn't bad but I wish Cake and the Beanstalk would take a more serious approach with their coffee.  They don't have to be snobs about it but at least know what kind of coffee they serve.

3 out of 5 beans, with room to improve for sure.  Please share your thoughts!