Bruno’s Cafe owners Klajdi Cepa and Zoe Doherty found the inspiration for their new Unionville venue when they were in college during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’ve always been very avid coffee lovers,” Doherty said. “We actually graduated college in May and we were students during COVID. For a while, they kicked us off campus and we went all online which made us feel very cooped up in the house. So we would go to coffee shops and go to a space where we felt inspired to be productive and get our work done.”
Bruno’s, named for the couple’s almost 2-year-old mini Goldendoodle dog, serves authentic French pastries, sweet and spicy sandwiches, and unique drink offerings. Cepa and Doherty hope the cafe at 55 Mill St. will become a welcoming gathering space.
“We want to create a space for people to feel comfortable and be productive, meet a friend, and just relax,” Cepa said.
They hope it will be cozy and kind like its namesake.
“He’s the most warm, welcoming, kind and cozy dog you will ever meet,” Doherty said. “So that’s what we felt a café needed to be. It needs to be welcoming, cozy, kind, and comfortable just like Bruno.”
Authentic Drink Offerings
Bruno’s Café offers hot and iced coffee, tea, espresso, iced chai tea latte, ice maccha tea latte, cold brew, macchiato, and hot chocolate among other offerings.
“We want to keep our drinks traditional to what coffee truly is,” Doherty said. “If you go to Dunkin’ or Starbucks, they’ll give you an extra large macchiato, which just isn’t what coffee is. A macchiato is a double shot of espresso with even parts milk, so all of our drinks are very authentic.”
Di Parma Panini – prosciutto di parma, arugula, goat cheese, balsamic glaze and apple on a croissant at Bruno’s Cafe in Unionville on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)[/caption]
Small Bites, Big Flavor
The menu includes five sandwiches that pay homage to the area. Among the sandwiches are “The Big Bird” named for a well-known bridge in the area and “The River Hawk,” after Farmington High School’s new mascot.
“We have another sandwich named ‘The Ville,’ which is what a lot of locals refer to Unionville as,” Doherty said. “The sandwich features turkey, avocado, bacon, tomato, arugula and spicy mayo on a sourdough bread.”
The Big Bird boasts crispy chicken, hot honey, homemade slaw and blue cheese for a tangy and sweet flavor on a baguette. Other offerings, like the Berry Croissant Panini with marshmallow crème, Nutella, and strawberries on a croissant, are aimed at those with a sweet tooth.
The café serves five different varieties of avocado toast, including the signature “Bruno’s Bite” which features egg, avocado, hot honey, feta, and chili flakes. The “River Hawk” toast includes egg, goat cheese, avocado, arugula, and balsamic glaze for more sweetness.
For those with a more traditional palate, Bruno’s also serves several types of bagels from Ami’s Hot Bagels in Waterbury and traditional French pastries from Ovens of France in Woodbury.
“The bagels are crispy on the outside but soft on the inside, they’re among our favorite bagels in Connecticut,” Doherty said. “I’m originally from New York so I love my bagels. We put a good amount of cream cheese on them as well just like authentic New York style bagels.”
Bruno’s is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Customers can either order in store or ahead of time for pickup. Find Bruno’s on Instagram at @brunoscafect.
Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@courant.com
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