A highly-rated, cozy BYO, Café con Leche serves a fusion of American with South-American and Mediterranean inspired cuisine, and is conveniently located in the heart of Newtown, PA. Daniel and Silvia Lucci have owned the cafe since 1997. Daniel, a craftsman of the cuisine, creates the most incredible dishes, utilizing the freshest and healthiest ingredients.

The name, Café con Leche (coffee with milk in Spanish), refers to the Puerto Rican tradition of serving coffee to household guests. A gesture of friendship, hospitality and community.

It had been many years, too many in fact, since we patronized Café con Leche. Back in the late-90’s, I frequented CCL with friends Brad and Barb, but my first visit with Mr. Russ was around the year 2000—about a year after we started dating—and we’ve been back only a few times since. Why? I have no earthly idea because it is a fabulous quaint little restaurant with incredible food!

The door on the left leads you down to the restaurant; and the side alleyway brings you out onto State Street.

It’s in the basement of a building with offices above. You enter into a nicely appointed but narrow room with lots of windows and tables against the wall. Then, before proceeding into the regular dining area, you pass the tiny hostess and cashier section. The one disappointment of the night was that the grotto-like main eating space was as drab as I remembered it, with unappealing brown walls, exposed vents and pipes, and dated patterned oilcloths. A little could go a long way in sprucing the place up—just sayin’…

But back to the highlights. A healthy vegan menu entitled “Green Tea” was added in 2013 that offers a large and varied selection of 100% plant-based food menu. And as if that is not enough, CCL gives you even more options with their “Daily Specials” menu highlighting seven additional entrees and four more vegan choices.

While our bottle of wine was being opened, we decided to split the Grilled Portabella Mushrooms with roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella, and balsamico as our starter. They were delicious, and a good omen of things to come.

For our entrées, we both were enticed by the “Daily Specials Menu” with Russ selecting a favorite of his, the Carnitas, barbequed pulled pork with Mexican rice, corn tortillas, and homemade guacamole—which was actually almost as good as mine. It was definitely a healthy portion of pork of which I tasted a small bite, and it was indeed phenomenal!

The Grilled Wild Alaskan Cod was calling my name which came plated with a pronounced dollop of avocado salsa, and was served with a ginger carrot purée that was insanely flavorful and creamy, and a side of perfectly sautéed vegetables brimming with color.

If you can overlook the dated decor, you’ll find a pleasant and knowledgeable waitstaff, fabulous food, and good service. We will definitely be back, and this time it won’t be years before we do so!