New Café In Town
By Arely Mondragon
Bakersfield has a new downtown cafe.
Café Smitten is located at 909 18th St., between O and Q streets. The bright blue, reinforced-brick building is on the corner, and you cannot miss it.
The interior and exterior is amazing, reminding me of a hipster Los Angeles coffee shop. The café setting is very relaxing with a big outside patio with a fire pit and beautiful flowers surrounding each table. Café Smitten serves coffee, house made food, and desserts.
I had heard about many of my friends going to the café, and I heard nothing but great things about it, so I decided to go see for myself. I went on a Saturday around noon, and the line was all the way out the door. The wait was about 10 minutes long. The service was great even though it was busy. The employees were very energetic and welcoming. I ordered a chai latte and a bowl of oatmeal, and they were both very good. Overall , my experience was great, and I will definitely be going back again; it is a place Bakersfield needed.
” The concept of Smitten was inspired by the coffee shops we love, from San Francisco to New York,” café owners Stasie and Shai Btten mentioned on their website. “We are passionate about coffee and great food, and we are so excited to share Cafe Smitten with Bakersfield.”
Café Smitten is opened Monday-Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and is closed on Sunday.