It’s a warmer-than-should-be, late-November afternoon and I’m finishing up a nice walk through my neighborhood. I walk by the Simms building and I’m reminded of the one time I went to Breve and how long it has been since then; more than a couple of years. It’s the perfect time because I’m hungry, thirsty, and I haven’t had a cheat-day on my diet in a while.
I decide that a crepe and a coffee sounds like a great cheat-meal. I open the door and walk in. First thing I hear is the Across the Universe soundtrack playing through some computer speakers. The barista/manager, Daniel, warmly welcomes me and asks me if I have been here before. I say “Only once. A long time ago”. He hands me the signature Build-Your-Own-Crepe menu and explains how some of the prices and portions have changed and then hands me a highlighter so I can begin highlighting my order. As I’m thinking about what I wanna eat, Daniel casually asks me if I’m having anything to drink. I ask for an iced chai, and he begins working on it immediately. I place the order for a small crepe with Nutella, strawberries, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. With the drink, the total comes out to $11-something and I leave a 25% tip.
The crepe artiste, Nate, begins working on my crepe order. I get my iced chai and it is dark like chocolate milk! I take my first sip expecting a really spicy chai but it was actually a very typical chai. Sweet, rich, and mildly-spicy. They sell drinks in two sizes; a 12oz and a 16oz .Or as Daniel refers to them –“little guy, big guy”. As I’m waiting for my food, I’m looking around at all the interesting decorations and furniture. I had a hard time pinning it down to a category or style of interior design but I was able to come up with a word that describes the overall feel of the place; “Quaint”. There is a table by the front door with a chalkboard top that you can draw or write on with the provided chalk. A notebook full of messages, doodles, and poems from previous customers is on the table and makes for a funny, and interesting read. I wrote some poetry in it myself.
I hear my name called for my order. I’m pretty hungry by now so I’m get very excited. The crepe is served street-food style and comes in a paper cone so it is meant to be handheld. If you don’t like messy eating, I recommend asking for a fork because things can get quite messy especially if you get ice cream. The scoop of ice cream was only a dollar and adds greatly to the portion size. What would have been a medium mid-afternoon snack turns into a big filling lunch with the 4oz scoop of ice cream. I find myself enjoying the crepe, drink, music, and the scratch notebook all at the same time. Happiness.
I sat and watched some more customers come in. A couple of regulars and a few first-timers within the hour I was there. Daniel knows his regulars very well and is incredibly accommodating. For the newcomers, he asks all the right questions and clarifies any confusion quite adequately. It is this type of person that makes a business more successful. As a business owner, you want your team to be conducive to your customer retention and Daniel is surely an asset to this company and clearly his employers recognize this as he is the manager of both Breve locations in Albuquerque. Great food, great drink, great vibes, great customer service. Breve is surely on its way to becoming a household name in the downtown coffeeshop scene. 10/10 recommend stopping by Breve.