Monday Munch: Copa Vida

Today, we ran some errands over at Blick Art Materials in Pasadena. I didn't really need anything, but Kevin needed to pick up some gold ink to finish a piece he was working on for the upcoming Monkey King show at Q Pop. Coincidentally, we ran into Keiko and Malachi who were also there getting some art supplies to finish pieces for a show.

We hadn't eaten lunch yet so we decided to stop my the new cafe that opened up on the corner, Copa Vida. We've heard some great things about it from a few friends and decided to give it a try. Upon entering, I was in love with the place. It's bright and spacious, kinda the opposite of Intelligentsia. And what I really love is the great tea selection. They made extra care to cater to both tea and coffee drinkers. The teas were categorized by type: white, green, oolong, black, pu-erh, and each category had a few to choose from. Kevin got the pu-erh since not a lot of places serve it. I got the Ti Guan Yin (oolong) tea iced which is one of their daily cold brews. It's not shown because it was served in a basic plastic cup.

Naked Pu-erh

For lunch we had to go for the Croque Madame because we only know of one other place that does it. (And that's Abricott!) We got it with a kale salad. And when it came out we were totally impressed! We didn't expect it to look & taste so good. It was just the perfect combination of saucy, gooey, and crunchy! Kevin and I split this and it was the perfect portion to feed two people.

Croque Madame

Close up of a bite

So if you're ever in Old Town Pasadena looking for a quick bit to eat, stop by Copa Vida. I hear their pastries are amazing too!