Sarah's World Her Way

I have always been the one to jump on a hot new trend. Fashion, places to eat, adventurous places to go, you name it. If it is "in" I am there. However in all my years of owning my basic bit**ness, I have come to realize that not all the new trends are as cool as everyone says they are. Do we remember Gaucho pants from the early 2000s? Yeah not a great look.

So I have decided to do a fun segment on here where I go to trendy restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, etc, and put them to the ultimate test. Really it is just an excuse to go to these places, order everything on the menu, and have a good time, but hey I gotta work my angles too.

Trendy: Worth it or Skip it, is the name and reviewing is the game.

I will be reviewing each trendy place on 5 basic areas. Environment which includes the vibe and decor, location, food, service, and price.

This time on Trendy: Worth it or Skip it, we are putting the ever so popular Cafe Astoria to the test. Will it hold up or are the Cafe's 15 minutes of fame almost over? We will soon find out!

Cafe Astoria:

1. Environment

The employees seem to enjoy their job and that showed in all aspects of the Cafe. The staff were welcoming, friendly, and helpful, which made for a high quality experience. The decor was simple, but elegant with a chandelier in the second table area. There were wood benches and tables with dark teal walls giving the whole cafe a upscale vibe.

2. Location

Located on Grand Ave in downtown St.Paul one would think the parking would be a madhouse, however we easily found a space since it is more on the outskirts of St. Paul. Surrounded by St. Paul's first fire station and Allina Health Emergency Medical Services, it is in a very safe part of downtown.

3. Food

Since Cafe Astoria is known for their specialty lattes, this is exactly what I got. The Campfire latte and the 24k Gold Latte were both home runs. The Campfire Latte had a gorgeous rich flavor to it with the graham crackers sprinkled around the cup with chocolate drizzle. The 24k Gold Latte had yes edible gold flakes decorating the smooth creamy vanilla tasting latte below. The gold latte was definitely my favorite because it had so much cream it in. Hi, my name is Sarah and I'm a wimp when it comes to coffee. 

4. Service

With everything trendy there comes the dreaded line. Excepting to wait at least 15-25 minutes to get a table and my lattes, I had one of my great friends Maddy come with to chat, catch up, and reminiscence about times from high school. However, we ordered our lattes, scored a recently vacant table, and got the freshly made lattes in under 10 minutes. We did go early in the day, around 9:45am, so I can imagine the Cafe just gets busier as the day goes on. Overall great service.

5. Price

24k Gold Latte I say? You must bet the price tag is huge! Well what if I could tell you for a regular sized 24k latte it would only cost you 7 good ol' American dollars. The Campfire latte was $6, so just a little cheaper. Going into this adventure I thought I was going to drop at least $20 on these two lattes because I mean, one has actual gold in it. However, my total for both lattes with tax included was $13.99. Since they are specialty lattes, I would give the total price a one $ amount grade.

Overall, I think Cafe Astoria is here to stay. With the friendly service, great tasting lattes, and reasonable prices, this unique little coffee shop will last longer than the 15 minutes of fame. I recommend Cafe Astoria now for all it's trendy qualities, but also for long after the faze runs out.