Address:13321 Madison Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44107-4814
Phone:(216) 221-4479
Hours: Open Mon-Thu 10am-10pm; Fri-Sat 10am-12am
Outdoor Seating: No
Website: www.beladubby.com
Wifi: Free
Accept Credit Cards: Yes
Bela Dubby is a Lakewood hipster hangout, in fact when I was reading the multitude of reviews on this place, the word "hipster" came up in almost every single one. It features a large selection of imported beer and a long list of events ranging from movie nights to improvisational musicals. Looking at the list of bands they have playing I see Dutch Pop along with Indie Rock so I'd say it's a pretty safe bet to call this place "eclectic".
The hours they're open are kind of odd for a coffee shop, they open at 10am (totally missing the morning crowd)and close pretty late at night. But after visiting, I can kind of see why there is such unique hours. They aren't exactly in a highly trafficked area, and they seem to be promoting their night time events more than anything. The weekends there are jam packed with various types of events. There are 4 bands playing this friday,a "car kulture show" this saturday (with ice cream floats!), and a movie night this sunday, which is a Double Feature. And that is just a sample of the night time activity there.
After reading a handful of reviews, I noticed that coffee was rarely mentioned. The artwork that changes monthly, or the comedians that do ameteur night are spoken of quite frequently. The beer is mentioned pretty often too. But what about the coffee? What about the coffee??!!
This is a COFFEE shop blog so that is what I shall focus on. Parking can be a bit of an issue here, it's strictly street metered parking. Don't even THINK about parking in one of the nearby businesses' parking lots. Apparently the nearby business owners just love to tow the cars parked for Bela Dubby. Luckily we saw one of the many signs posted in the coffee shop warning patrons to move their vehicles if they're parked illegally, and we moved our car across the street.
The barista working was very sweet and friendly. She was chatting up a customer when I walked in, which is always a good sign. I ordered Chad's Iced Americano while he parked the car and I pondered my drink. The barista didn't offer any suggestions or ask me questions as to what I liked, which is also a good sign of a barista that wants to help customers make a good decision about their coffee. I finally decided on an Espresso Con Panna. To my dismay, she didn't know what it was, so I had to explain. She made Chad's Americano with Toddy (*sigh*)and it ended up looking like coffee water. But she was more than willing to put in a few hot shots for him to make it stronger. As she made my drink, I watched my shots come out and I was distressed to see that they were coming out way too slow. Dripping out actually. She spread the whipped cream on as best she could , and we both took our seats.
I gotta say this, the barista was very sweet and super cute but MAN did my espresso taste like ass. I knew it was going to. It came out WAY too slow, and since I noticed that she made a point to clean the portafilter and the machine after the shots were pulled, I am thinking it's not because of a clog in the machine. Girlfriend just needs to time her shots, timing is EVERYTHING with espresso. If your timing is bad, they can taste like garbage. The shots poured into a silver espresso cup so there was no way for me to see if there was any crema on them. Just judging from Chad's Americano, there was none. His drink was as flat and watery as...well..coffee water. Even when she added the shots, I didn't see that excited look on his face that he usually gets when his drink is yummy. And while I did drink all of my espresso, my stomach wishes I hadn't. I am still trying to get the taste out of my mouth. A sign of a poorly timed espresso shot is if the taste clings onto your taste buds long after the drink is finished.
The atmosphere was very fun. The furniture was eclectic and antique-y. There was some diner style tables mixed with old vinyl chairs. There was a lounge couch that I think was in every single one of our grandparent's homes. The walls have various artists selling their wares, this month's artist was cute but not my taste. Watercolor mixed with crayon, while an interesting idea, didn't seem very thoughtful. But Bela Dubby promote local artists and local musicians and comedians which is always a plus.
In the end, I can't say I will be back for coffee. It's pretty close to the house, only a 20 min bike ride and maybe a 10 min drive away, but if I wanted crappy espresso I could just go to st*rbucks. The owner was there and he seemed super helpful and nice, talking to Chad about the beer selection. But when it comes to coffee, this place needs a lot of help, and a barista/bartender that is knowledgeable about her product. Nothing is worse than bitter espresso...nothing.
1 comment:
Nothing is worse than bitter espresso...
except for the "espresso took 5 seconds to pour" sour espresso :(
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