Cafe 13 on 13th and Washington Golden, CO

Cafe 13 is a lovely new coffee shop in Golden. Actually, it is not new but under new ownership, formally the 13th Street Bakery (and they are doing a fabulous job!). Cafe 13 is on 13th street, just off of the beat and path of Washington, making for a more peaceful atmosphere. The cafe has a three room setup with artwork hanging and a variety of seating options. This way, if you want to be in the main cafe area with more noise and action you can, or you could move into one of the quieter rooms to cozy up and read. So the coffee is good, straight from Boulder. But the food is something else! I was in there the other day and wanted a snack with my iced chai so I ordered a cup of portobello soup. Oh My Goodness! The soup was savory and almost addicting with the smooth texture of the mushrooms blissfully floating in the semi-creamy broth. I swear I could eat that soup with every meal. Apparently the genius behind the kitchen is Rick Macpherson who used to be the chef at Ski Trip Lodge just outside of Keystone.

Honestly it is refreshing to see the synergy of gourmet food with gourmet coffee. Too often I go to a coffee shop for a great latte only to be offset by an average sandwich or breakfast item. On the other hand, restaurants often sink to purchasing bulk grounds with a consistently boring flavor. It looks like Cafe 13 has solved this problem. So if you get a chance, stop in for fantastic food to go with your coffee. But you have to get there before 3pm because that is when they close daily.