Halifax’s coffee scene is definitely worth a visit. This includes Café Lara, a business that combines coffee, a bar, and culture.
If you think Halifax isn’t a coffee (or cocktail or foodie) destination, you haven’t been to Halifax recently. Small shops keep popping up where baristas make excellent homemade oat milk cortados with top-of-the-line machines.
Café Lara is driven by a desire to offer exceptional products to its customers. The space was created by Montréal native Lara Cusson, which explains the name, who moved to Nova Scotia’s capital nearly five years ago. She absolutely loves her adopted city, and she directs that love into her café’s vibe.
She wanted Café Lara to be a gathering place for the local community to come relax and have fun with friends and family; the kind of place that honours the social aspect of coffee culture.
In fact, community spirit is central to the space: croissants and sandwich bread come from the nearby LF Bakery, their tea selection was created in collaboration with local tea house Sawadee, and their on-tap beverages are mainly local beers, wines, ciders, and kombuchas.
But despite this highly appealing local menu, it’s their homemade pastries that steal the spotlight…especially the donuts! They’re cooked fresh every morning and so good you might as well order a dozen. Lara also makes sure to have gluten-free and vegan options, so there’s something for everyone.
She also goes all out when it comes to brewing coffee; it is a café after all! The Rocket Espresso machine on the counter is all the proof you need. Their highly trained baristas will make one of the best lattes you’ve ever had and we are proud to have this café as part of our coffee family.
The vibe changes depending on when you walk in the door. During the day, it’s popular among laptop wielding students, old friends catching up, and people on afternoon dates. The atmosphere completely changes in the evening when customers start ordering on-tap drinks, and the energy starts to get more festive. The cultural events also create a buzz! Lara hosts many performances, especially musical, so be sure to check out her social media and stay up to date with upcoming shows.
This hybrid concept is so popular that last year Lara decided to move her café to a larger location on the corner of Agricola and Woodill streets in the North End, an up-and-coming neighbourhood which is home to a tonne of other small businesses showcasing local products and artisans. You could spend the whole day in that area and still want to come back for more!
One of the questions that coffee experts probably hear the most is:“What’s the difference between Arabica and Robusta?” The two types of coffee plants are at opposite ends of the spectrum, and by blending the two together, we can achieve the best of both worlds.
