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In an effort to make mom proud, Chow Bella’s taking a good, hard
look at the most important meal of the day in the form of Scrambled, a
weekly review of local breakfast spots.
At first glance, 32 Shea looks more like a gigantic birthday present than a
restaurant. The square box, perched at 32nd Street and
Shea Boulevard, is appropriately topped with a colorful ribbon and a
big orange sign that says 32. Silly? Maybe. But this little box has a lot inside.
How was the food? Find out after the jump.
Inside, the joint has a warm, hip aesthetic. Customers can dine in, drive through, or sit outside on the
patio. The cool, edgy servers are friendly, despite the chaotic early rush. We
advise staying out of their way; they seem to know what they’re doing.
For those dining in, the place has a way of making the morning feel
pleasant and cozy with warm colors and rich wooden accents.
The Sunny Side: Although tempted by the Early Bird Special (egg,
tomato, avocado, and mayo on English bread with customer’s choice of
meat), we were completely seduced by the idea of homemade green salsa.
We opted for the New Mexican Burrito with a crushed red pepper mocha.
Although tempted by the all-day mimosas and bloody marys, 6:00 a.m.
seemed a little early to start drinking. Some other menu highlights
were the housemade smoothies or the Nutella sandwich.
Truthfully, we’ve never seen such a snuggly wrapped burrito. We almost
felt bad taking a bite. But we are glad we did. The burrito
included of fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy, flavorful potatoes,
avocado, and Muenster cheese. The best part was the fresh green
salsa on the side. We could REALLY taste the chilies in this flavorful
concoction. The texture combined with the savory potatoes and salsa
made this burrito a winner – and we’ve had a lot of breakfast burritos.
The red pepper mocha, made with almond milk, half n half, chocolate,
and red pepper was the perfect mix of creamy and chocolaty, with a
little kick. The baristas pride themselves on flawlessly steamed milk
and they definitely delivered. Next time, we’ll be sure to try a
Nutella mocha.
Save Your Bacon: This isn’t the place to go for drip coffee and greasy
food. The staff loves their espresso so we don’t recommend straying.
Although they do serve coffee, it doesn’t even compare to the artistic
espresso concoctions. We also recommend dining in and enjoying the
atmosphere rather than driving through. The drive-through is fast for
the quality of food and drink they provide, however it’s not as speedy as Dutch
Bros. But let’s be honest, isn’t that a good thing?
The Check: The food is high quality and fresh, they have a professional
baker whipping up fantastic treats, the baristas are talented, and they
serve booze. What’s not to love?
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