Backpedal: Cycling Claremont, the Euro Cafe

Over the years since they opened their doors the Euro Cafe has become a cyclist favorite, at the beginning of rides, at the end, even in the middle. It is also not unusual to find us there away from our bikes. This past Sunday, Euro Cafe decided to thank us all by hosting a little coffee and baked goods party up at the TOM (Top of Monroe) on Glendora Mountain Road. My back has been warning me to stay away from too much climbing lately so i, regrettably, avoided the fun. Some eighty others, however, took on the climb and, if photos can be admitted as evidence, appear to have had a great time.

Anyway, with all that in mind, i figured it was time to backpedal into this post originally published at the Claremont Cyclist on 29 January 2011:

I have been dining at the Euro Cafe since it opened. It is kind of a non-descript place, at least from the outside, the interior is nice. That, however, is irrelevant because the food is the draw, breakfast, lunch or dinner. As the sign says it is Portuguese and Italian cuisine. The owner is a Portuguese man who will come out to greet you when he is there. I swear by the seafood linguini, and my son is equally adamant about the chicken fettucini. The panini's are good, so too the soups and baked goods. And don't leave without bringing home a piece of the bread pudding with caramel sauce.

The last Saturday of the month is Flamenco, tapas and sangria night, and tonight was the first for the year so we rode over to enjoy. I decided to try the shrimp tacos, which were on the tapas menu - good, but certainly not as filling as my usual, so I got the bread pudding to round it off. [Regrettably, i don't believe they do the flamenco night anymore, though i am also not sure when i was last there the final Saturday of a month].

caldo verde and sangria

Various rides start and end here on the weekends, or use the Euro as their turn around point. The place is a local favorite of cyclists. I recall turning up for a recent Thursday night ride and spotting Jason relaxing at an outside table with one of these giant mugs of coffee, and wondered how early i would need to get there to enjoy a laid back pre-ride with enough time to finish it all, and without a quick guzzle as the group kicked off and out the driveway. No bike rack nearby, which is a bummer because there is room. That is alright though, just lean them against something and eat outside. They also have one of those cyclist's emergency kits inside, with spare bits to repair flats and what-nots.

Update: Much remains the same since the original post. There is a new sign out front, but the menu is mostly unchanged - you know what to expect that way. The bread pudding is as good as ever, but the chocolate cream stuff is a strong challenger. Coffee is spot on. The owners' son[s] may have taken over more of the day to day operations, but he is still around to greet you. Euro Cafe, check them out at the original location, or their new place just down the road.