This morning Bo and I did something we rarely do; met friends for breakfast and coffee.

We met Kath and Matt at Pushcart Coffee in the Lower East Side. Nestled on the edge of Chinatown, Pushcart Coffee is a local coffee shop which welcomes people with their fresh brewed coffee, delicious sweets, and well rounded meals. The small shop has space for people to sip their coffee or enjoy some of their delectable food but also does a large to go business, just based on our experience this morning. Lisa and her team have a goal to not only succeed in the East Village but also become a staple of the local community. One of her keys to this is understanding her consumer in such a diverse community. She offers something for everything: gluten free, vegan donuts, kosher pastries, and Jewish delicacies like rugelach.

Lisa, a KERF reader who recently became part owner of Pushcart Coffee, invited us down to the shop for breakfast and coffee. Her favorite breakfast items are the top two, on the chalkboard menu, oatmeal with honey and cinnamon or the yogurt with granola.

Kath, Bo, and I tried the yogurt with granola after Lisa raved about their homemade granola, made fresh in the coffee shop.

Served alongside a Stumptown Coffee, this was the perfect start the morning. I am hoping that Lisa will share the granola recipe as this nutty granola had a great flavor and crunch unlike anything I’ve tried before. Maybe Bo and I can recreate it at home. Paired with the 1% Greek yogurt and a banana, this kept me full through an hour of power yoga at Strala and a 4 mile run!

Lisa was sweet enough to give us a free sample of her rugelach, one cinnamon and one PB&J, to try.  Flaky and sweet, the cinnamon one our hearts over and left us trying to convince Lisa to make the rugelach a shop staple. Hopefully within the next year, people will head down to the Lower East Side not only for their delicious coffee but also their rugelach.

Coffee and breakfast with friends was a refreshing way to start the day without breaking the bank or being too indulgent.  We had a wonderful time catching up with Kath and Matt during their trip to New York City. We’ll have to head down to Charlottesville soon for some fresh air, delicious wine, and rolling hills.