Zoma a good combo of small town and chain cafe

>At first glance Cafe Zoma on Atwood looks nothing like a chain coffee shop. The sign is colorful and eclectic, and the decor on the inside gets a helping hand from rotating artists. The walls were covered in elementary kids’ art on my first visit! The mix-and-match furniture and huge doors leading to the back patio (which according to “the locals” is used as the front door more often than the actual front door because it is right off the bike path!) give the room a great vibe and amazing natural light!

Cafe Zoma – Atwood Avenue entrance

The best part about this neighborhood cafe is that it is actually part of the local chain Espresso Royale, which means their drinks are familiar and their employees are well trained. The quality of their baked goods is great for a chain cafe and the quality of their coffee drinks is great for a cafe that feels so local! The staff were really nice and made a might strong mocha that kept me going the entire three hours I was there.

They have a great mix of tables and comfy chairs so it’s great for a meeting, coffee date, homework or casual reading (which is what most of the people were doing when I was there!). They do have WiFi but the password isn’t posted anywhere so you have to ask the staff (hint: it is “goodcoffee”).

The baked goods are pretty typical of a coffee shop: breads, muffins, scones, cookies. And the sandwiches, though pre-made, are very good. The turkey and avocado sandwich comes on wheat bread with avocado (of course!), onions, tomatoes, lettuce, pepper jack cheese and a lot of turkey. For being a pre-made sandwich is was surprisingly fresh and one of the best cold turkey sandwiches I have had in quite awhile.

I look forward to going back once it warms up outside to try their fresh-fruit smoothies (the raspberry one has honey in it!) and read on the back patio.

Bottom Line: baked goods and atmosphere are like a neighborhood cafe; coffee and WiFi are great qualities of a chain cafe.