Babb’s Coffee House

Looking for a “Taste of Seattle” in landlocked Fargo-Moorhead? Well, I’ve never been to Seattle but I know a good coffee shop when I see one.

Babb’s is a pretty big place on Main Ave. in downtown Fargo, with nice leather couches and comfy chairs to waste away a Sunday afternoon sipping serious coffee and nibbling a croissant or bagel sandwich.

There’s a location in Jamestown, too.

Babb’s gets fresh roasted coffee straight from Seattle every week and there are bags of beans to purchase too.

Last Sunday just before 11 a.m., the neighborhood was still waking up from what was surely a long night. Couples slowly sauntered in, hair slightly messy, looking for a steaming cup of coffee and a light breakfast.

There was only one barista that morning and she was quickly shuffling between making the drinks and assembling the sandwiches and checking customers out and busing dishes. Needless to say, she was busy. The resulting wait was bearable because I could see how hard she was working.

I had a breakfast sandwich, which includes a choice of bagel or croissant, egg, sausage or bacon or ham, and your choice of cheese. I noticed the barista had a tiny little griddle where she heated up the meat and eggs and used a panini press (I think) to grill up the bagel. It was perfect. I chose an everything bagel with egg, bacon and pepperjack cheese. It came with a tangy and ever-so-slightly spicy salsa dip.

The bagel was crispy on the outside and chewy inside.

Coffee ordered was the Jolt, a mix of black drip coffee and a shot of espresso. It’s called a Depth Charge at Caribou Coffee. And at Babb’s it was great, with fresh-ground beans.

The completely satisfying bagel breakfast sandwich and strong, hot cup of coffee made the start of the day much more bearable. There was a skip in my step as I went back out to the cold midday air.

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