Three large blackboards showcase the surprisingly large menu, which ranges from freshly juiced fruits and vegetables, bagels, and breakfast burritos, to soups, salads and sandwiches. You can even get a sugar cone filled with Marianne’s ice cream.
Moms with little ballerinas grabbed snacks after dance lessons next door. There’s even a children’s play area where parents can chat with each other on a blanket-covered sofa.
For breakfast, a plain burrito ($4.50) contains egg, cheese, potato and salsa fresca, or, for a treat, add turkey, provolone and pesto ($5.95). If you’re on the run, bagels can be topped with egg salad ($5), Lox with capers and onion ($6.50), and hummus ($3.75) in addition to the standard cream cheese ($2.50), or PB&J ($2.95). The fruit cup ($4) includes yogurt, granola and honey.
For lunch, sandwiches ($5.25 to $5.95) include BLTs and clubs, chicken or tuna salad, and avocado and cheese with tomatoes and sprouts. Mexican tortas, filled with ham, avocado, queso fresco and jalapeño, are served on a Mexican sweet roll. Salads ($2.96 to $6.95) include Greek, fruit, green and spinach.
Of course there is a fine selection from the barista, with most flavors served both hot and cold. I ordered a medium Mexican chai ($4.25). Sweet, creamy and flavored with Mexican chocolate, I savored the scent of cinnamon and vanilla.
On a sunny Mediterranean-like morning, I chose a Greek Breakfast Burrito ($5.95). The soft, white flour tortilla was rolled around a healthy serving of scrambled egg, sliced artichoke hearts, salty kalamata olives, strips of sun dried tomatoes, salsa fresca and tater tot-like hash browns. I was also offered a bottle of the house-made chili sauce which was a smooth combination of dark chilies and dotted with seeds. | KP
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Cafetal, 2525 Soquel Drive at Winkle, Santa Cruz, 475-9300. Open weekdays from 6:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., and weekends from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.
