Reviewed By Scott Hart. New Orleans is a preeminent coffee town. Dozens of excellent coffee shops scatter their aromas around the city, with freshly-brewed coffee of various blends, espresso and its kin, iced coffee. . . maybe even coffee with chicory. As for food, most have pastries: cookies, muffins, scones. Most have bagels. Some, sandwiches. A new breed of café combines the best of the current coffee shop experience with breakfast, brunch and lunch menus. Lakeview Brew is just such a place.
While most of the restaurants in Lakeview are along Harrison Avenue, there has long been a small community of inexpensive cafes at the intersection of Canal Boulevard and the railroad underpass. Indeed, the neighborhood was home to some of the first combo coffeehouse-delis in the city.
Randie Porobil, a New Orleans native and life-long Lakeview resident, is the owner and manager. After operating another restaurant (where Mondo is now) and losing it to Hurricane Katrina, Randie opened Lakeview Brew Coffee Café after she returned to town.
Most days, an eclectic mix of people enjoys the coffee and food. Saturday and Sunday mornings are pretty busy--sometimes extremely. The main dining area is bright and cheerful, with art everywhere. The TV that is always on (usually Fox News) is a little irritating sometimes, but luckily the sound is never on. You can escape it completely by dining outside. No table service here. You order and pick up your order at the counter. But while you're waiting, you find a free high-speed wifi connection
| Attitude | 2 |
|---|---|
| Environment | 0 |
| Hipness | 1 |
| Local Color | 0 |
| Service | 0 |
| Value | 0 |
| Wine | 0 |
