El Sol Bakery and Bistro
I decided to try a place suggested to me in Southtown for some breakfast today, El Sol Bakery and Bistro. Tacked on to a traditional Mexican Bakery is a bistro that serves different healthy breakfast options. I thought that this might be a nice change from biscuits and gravy or chilaquiles that I love so much.
As you arrive into the bistro portion of the building, you are surely to be greeted by a rather tall man who is full of life. He will welcome you enthusiastically and encourage you to take a seat in the restaurant. I thought it would be best to sit at the bar as I was just by myself.
I started off with a cappuccino, however, it would have been smarter to have just got a cup of coffee as that comes with the meal. That’s all right, because the cappuccino was a pleasant surprise, it was made with Segafredo beans on their branded machine; heck, I even got my sugar in the little tube like packet and it was served with their branded cup. They even gave me a cookie from the bakery to accompany the cappuccino. All the sudden I felt as if I was transported back to Italy.
As much as I wanted the whole grain waffle, I decided to go with the #7 whole grain mini French loaves that had cheese, tomato, and bacon on them. I also got yogurt and granola on the side. How’s that for a light breakfast!
The meal was very tasty with the bread really soft and the saltiness of the bacon paired well with the tomato. I was actually really impressed with how good it came out. The yogurt was no slouch either with a lot of real fruit mixed in with it. Overall a very satisfactory breakfast, and had I got coffee that came with the meal, I would have only been out $6 for breakfast.
European-esque breakfast at El Sol
You do need to note that this is a bistro that is very encouraging of their clients sticking around and talking with each other; in other words, they are not in a hurry at all. In fact, I got there, took a leisurely breakfast while reading the paper, and when I left no one who was there when I first arrived was gone! It took me quite a while to get my bill, but I owe that to the fact that (1) this was a pretty relaxed environment and (2) the man behind the counter was also bustling back and forth into the bakery. If you have a long time to relax and want a healthy breakfast alternative, I would encourage you to give them a shot.
Value: 7 to 9/10 (the specialty coffee drinks are expensive, but if you just stick to the coffee that comes with your meal you can get out for like $6)
Atmosphere: 9/10 (there is a relaxed bistro feel; music is not piped over speakers, but you can hear it on an oldies station coming out of a boom box)
Service: 8.5/10 (the gentleman was very friendly and outgoing; if you are in a rush, don’t even attempt to eat here though as it can be a little slow (owing to the relaxed atmosphere))
Taste: 8.5/10 (overall enjoyed the meal and will be back to try them again)
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