Cafe de Penelope

In its up and coming state Badaro’s growing number of venues seem clustered around the blossoming core that is main street. Along the boulevard’s periphery it’s easy to find the area’s regular clientele chattering away over coffee and smoking cigarettes in front of Roy’s Public House. Further down the road however there is another, lesser-known café with an atmosphere that is well worth the extra steps.

Café Penelope is a chic coffee shop on Badaro’s outskirts that blends elegant atmosphere with the hospitality of a street corner argeeleh café. That’s not to say that the wait staff are overly informal, but patrons can comfortably take their time without feeling pressured to leave. It’s easy to spend an afternoon sunken into cushioned chairs and sipping on any of a diverse variety of caffeinated beverages. Strategically positioned in seclusion, afar from the unpredictable bar hopping environment up the road, Penelope’s ambiance is free to stand on its own. This is a good place to bring a date and a decent place to schedule a business outing. Customers however should be ready to play by the rules. After 7pm, no kids and no laptops.

For a café the menu is substantial and built mainly around French style cuisine with additional Greek, Italian and Lebanese options. The Penelope and Qunioa salad, mini tortilla pizza with goat cheese and basil lemonade with maple syrup are recommended by locals. The sandwiches are also interesting and reliable choices although the ‘bites,’ equal to one quarter of a sandwich, are quite small. The bar on the inside is equipped to serve a wide variety of requests. The Casa Loucia, the house specialty, consists of gold rum, passion fruit, sanjerma and cocktail bitters. Happy hour comes with one bite or one complimentary dip for free and ladies are eligible for a free martini.