Food Finders 412: Cafe 412

The best brunch in the ‘burgh.

CAFE 412

Yep, I said it, and I meant it. I’m not into boozy brunches to be quite honest, and I love smaller places. Not mention good, quality, food, so Cafe 412 just gets it right for me. I had the pleasure of being a guest host on the very first episode of Food Finders 412, where I got to experience this restaurant for the very first time. It’s tucked away in West End Village less than a mile from the bridge. Right away, I could tell I was going to love it. It is a full coffee shop, and the people are so friendly. As you all know, from my background as a barista and working in retail, I’m genuinely passionate about customer service, so when a staff is kind and seems happy, I’m happy. Right away I was greeted by the owner, and they let me have a look in the kitchen and behind the barista bar. I sat by the window, and while we were filming, I could tell the place had that unexplainable good, down-to-earth, “Pittsburgh” vibe that’s so special. Regulars were in and “aht” and so many folks knew one another’s names.

I got to try three different things on the menu, and I was equally impressed with each of them. First, I had the Brioche French Toast, which is featured in our episode. It has homemade whipped ricotta, granola, and berries on top. The batter, which the brioche was dipped in, included bourbon, vanilla, and cinnamon. Simply put, it was the best french toast I’ve ever had. Then I selected two toasts (regular, not french) to try. I went with something sweet and something savory. I got the tomato, ricotta, balsamic toast as well as the ricotta, honey, walnut toast. Each were delicious, and perfectly balanced in flavor. I can’t wait to come back to the ‘burgh and make it to Cafe 412, but in the meantime, I need yinz to try it! Tag me and Food Finders 412 on Instagram or Facebook if you do! We’ll repost you!

You can check out the episode on Youtube here. Be sure to give it a thumbs up!

Video c/o JumpStart Films.