Cozy up to Andres breakfast

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/ROSEMARY BOGGS - Andre's Coffee Shop in North LIttle Rock - A sausage and egg biscuit
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/ROSEMARY BOGGS - Andre's Coffee Shop in North LIttle Rock - A sausage and egg biscuit

Before a trip to Andres Coffee Shop, I went online to see its menu. The “About us” section says that Andres is owned and operated by Edgar Gonzales and his family who live in the Little Rock area. The shop was created as a way to celebrate the life of Edgar’s grandfather, Andres, who grew up in Honduras and was a coffee farmer, and that sparked Andres’ love for the beverage.

Its goal was to create a home-style environment so customers could relax and enjoy a cup of good coffee. It succeeded.

I first noticed Andres last year. Located in an old rock house in Park Hill, it recently started serving breakfast.

My son and I headed over early on a Sunday morning to investigate.

We were the only ones there that early, but eventually others started trickling in for pre-church coffees.

The entrance to Andres is around the side of the building. Once inside the intimate building, broken up into a couple of small rooms, the amazing, inviting aroma of coffee hits you.

Andres Coffee Shop

Address: 3300 John F. Kennedy Blvd., North Little Rock

Hours: 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 6 a.m.-sundown Friday, sundown to 11 p.m. Saturday

Cuisine: Coffee, pastries, breakfast sandwiches

Credit cards: AE, D, M, V

Alcoholic beverages: No

Carryout: Yes

Wheelchair accessible: Yes

(501) 246-4586

AndresCoffeeShop.com

We headed up to the counter where there's a beverage menu board and a display case. It holds pastries and cookies from a local bakery, as well as some breakfast burritos, croissants and biscuits with eggs and/or meat and cheese. Andres does not offer made-to-order breakfasts.

We decided to share a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit ($3.50) and a bacon breakfast burrito ($2.99) -- pre-made and in plastic wrap -- to start. A friendly and efficient young lady behind the counter heated them up for us and put them on plates.

We perused the pastries and decided to also share a small pudding cake ($2.10). And we picked out two of the colorful big cookies ($1.75 each) to take home.

I ordered a 12-ounce cup of Honduran drip coffee ($2.50) but later realized I'd gotten and paid for a 16-ounce cup ($3.39). I asked for it to be on the lighter side since I'm not into dark roast coffee. We both ordered smoothies ($4.99), which are made with fruit concentrate. The flavors include Red Orchard Apple, Pineapple Paradise, Strawberry Banana, Peach Pear Apricot and Mighty Mango. I went with the peach version; my son got mango.

We sat in a dining area just to the right of the door, where there is a table in the center and the walls are lined with comfy, compact armchairs. When we'd claimed the table the room was empty, but by the time we sat down, two customers were directly behind us in chairs along the wall. It seemed a bit awkward, but we were all able to converse without talking over each other.

We divvied up the biscuit sandwich and dug in. The biscuit didn't seem homemade, but it was good nonetheless. The sausage and cheese went well with egg -- a hard fried version instead of a pre-shaped yellow egg patty found at other places. The sausage burrito had come apart after it was heated and ended up being more of a taco than a burrito. It was a bit small for the price, but it was a flavorful combination of bacon, egg and onion.

The pudding cake was sort of a yellow sponge cake with a small well in the top. Partially coated with chocolate, it was filled with a small scoop of vanilla pudding. We'd never had anything like it before and were surprised at how good it was. The cake was moist and the pudding was creamy, so it was a win-win.

I enjoyed the robust Honduran coffee, although I took most of it home so I could focus on the smoothie. My peach, apricot and pear was flavorful, cold and delicious, and I could distinctly taste each individual fruit. My son's mango smoothie was pleasing, but I preferred mine.

We took our two big cookies home and split them during the week. One was a pecan-sandie style that had a light texture and slight pecan flavor. The other reminded me of Neapolitan ice cream. Triangle shaped with sections that were brown, pink and white, it had a sugar cookie texture. Both were delicious.

Along with the pastries and smoothies, Andres offers a variety of tea and coffee, hot or cold, and flavoring options. Pastry varieties change from time to time, so you never know just what goodies will be in the case.

We felt right at home. It just felt comfortable.

Weekend on 07/24/2014

Upcoming Events