De La Coeur Café et Patisserie in Wilmington, Delaware is one of our favorite brunch spots to go to for a taste of Paris. Want to know why we love it so much?
De la Coeur Cafe
As you have probably been able to infer from our blog, Han and I love grabbing coffee together on the weekends. If we’re not having coffee at home, we’re on our way to a brunch spot after Korean classes on the weekend. I think the fact that our weekends are so packed most of the year makes these dates so special because we get to spend time together reflecting, eating, and enjoying each other’s company.
While we have quite a few brunch spots we enjoy frequenting, one of our favorites, when we’re in the mood for French food, is De La Coeur. De La Coeur is a cafe located in the Forty Acres neighborhood of Wilmington. It’s relatively close to the Delaware Art Museum and is in a pretty, tree-lined neighborhood not too far from Brandywine Creek. In other words, it’s a pretty idyllic area and a great place to grab food.
THE DECOR
Inside the cafe is minimally decorated with odes to Paris here and there, black tabletops with white, French country-inspired decorative accents. There are displays showcasing their coffee menu in standalone bistro-style signs, around seven tables for guests, a bar top for people dining on their own and some bench seating by the window. At the counter, you’re immediately drawn to the pastries as you walk in the door, the smell of bacon cooking on the upon grill which you can view them cooking on as you wait for your food, and of course the smell of fresh La Colombe coffee.
On a nice day, they’ll have outdoor seating where you can enjoy your breakfast while dining in bistro-style chairs similar to the ones you’d find in front of the Parc restaurant in Philadelphia. Since the inside of the cafe can get pretty crowded certain times of the day, it’s always nice when it’s warm out to have that option to enjoy the weather while eating.
One of the first things that catch your eye when you walk in is the menu. Their menu changes each week so you know you are getting fresh food each time. The menu’s located on a chalkboard on the back wall of the restaurant when you first walk in and features what’s hot in the kitchen for that week. It’s separated normally by savory crepes, sweet crepes, sandwich du jour (of the day), omelet du jour, salad and a few other sections so that you have a pretty decent amount of options to chose from each time. They even have these breakfast bowls featuring their roasted potatoes which I can’t resist getting pretty much time we go.
(Related Post – Favorite Coffee Shops in Delaware)
THE COFFEE
The coffee that De La Coeur uses for its coffee drinks is from La Colombe, a coffee roaster based in Philadelphia. While they use La Colombe coffee, it’s probably important for me to note that the drinks they create are still their own. For example, they do have their pre-packaged draft lattes that you can enjoy, but you can also have mocha lattes, cappuccinos and other coffees that are prepared in house with their own flavored syrups. I have had their draft lattes, but their regular mochas are delicious as well.
THE FOOD
While the coffee is great, easily my favorite thing about De La Coeur is the food. As I mentioned a little earlier, the menu is fresh and changes often so you get something new each time you go in. The menu is Parisian-inspired so it’s compiled of delicious crepes, savory salads, and parfaits. As my husband duly mentioned the last time we had a meal there, “there’s never been a meal here that I have not liked.“
Each dish we’ve had has been so delicious that I am convinced that each menu is specifically chosen and created the week before. That there’s some sort of taste-testing involved where before it hits the menu, there’s a group of expert tasters who get to share their opinion on each dish. Okay, perhaps that’s not what goes into the decision-making process of which dishes hit the menu, but the food is incredible and has some combinations I would’ve never thought to put together.
If you’re in the mood for something lighter, they also sell pastries, baked goods such as cookies, and they even sell baguettes. We have shamefully not had one yet, but that’s primarily because we know by the time we get home the baguettes wouldn’t be as fresh. One day we’re hoping to try them, however.
On this day, in particular, we both opted for the savory crepe of the day which was filled with chicken, gruyere cheese and this delicious tapenade.
DE LA COEUR
De La Coeur Café et Pâtisserie
1836 Lovering Ave, Wilmington, DE 19806
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