Over the past year or so, Oklahoma City has been invaded by legions of national coffee chains that seem to anchor every intersection or new development, recalling memories of the great Walgreens / CVS (Eckerd) turf war of the 1990s.
Although I'm sure these spots make great industrial-scale coffee, I'm more partial to the local stomps that provide a little more character, and often, better food and drink.
That's why I recently stopped by Toast and Coffee – a coffee shop in the burgeoning Uptown District at 2416 N. Robinson.
Offering premium toast and luxurious coffee in a cozy setting, it should be your preferred coffee destination on NW 23rd, as opposed to that stale Starbucks a block or two away.
My dollop of cream and I walked in at around nine in the morning—my usual time for coffee—and you quickly realize you're not inside some other commercial brewer.
After a few minutes of studying the creative menu, we placed our food and coffee orders and walked out to their backyard patio, admiring the very non-OKC vibe of it.
As we waited on our toast, we started with the caffeinated drinks.
I went with the Macha Latte with Oat Milk—which had an earthy, grassy feel that I adored—while my girlfriend had the Cold Brew with Oat Milk, which she apparently liked and I thought was “okay.” Different strokes!
Sipping our wonderous coffees, our toast quickly came out, ready to be devoured.
She had the Blueberry Smash ($10.99) – a sweet delicacy of locally sourced bread topped with blueberries (and compote), granola, goat cheese, microgreens, and, what the hell, some smashed avocado to taste.
Sweet as all get-out, the blueberries and blueberry compote were already tasty, but the goat cheese really brought a precise kick to the proceedings. It had a strangeness to the recipe that worked on the toast, completely giving her that ending they promised.
I chose a more savory route and decided on the wonderful Lox on Toast ($12.99). Spread out on warm toast were cuts of smoked Atlantic salmon, pickled cucumber and onion, fresh dill, and cream cheese, which all had a sincere bite that had to be recognized.
Recently, a nameless bagel eatery I tried had terrible food and, worse, trauma-inducing service, making me wonder what I did to take this reign of fire down on me.
Thankfully, Toast and Coffee built me back up with their angelic salmon and cucumber spread, topped with enough premium cream cheese to smear my plate into eternity. A miracle!
Smiling at the remnants of my toasted crumbs, I was left very satisfied with my filling, wonderful breakfast that you could never get a chain, which is how it should be, right?
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