Ashley T.
Yelp
This whimsical little place is one of the best kept secrets in New Brunswick. Well, considering they have a shit ton of reviews on trip advisor, I guess it's not really much of a secret. This place is too damn awesome to be kept secret. I'm thoroughly convinced that just stepping through the door (painted a rather becoming shade of lilac) of this place could put anyone, even the bitchiest of bitches, in a festive mood. Even Ebeneezer Scrooge himself wouldn't be able to resist a rich cup of coffee from this place and one of their simply divine, homemade cinnamon rolls.
This cafe is not just a coffee shop that only serves fancy coffee beverages and pastries. They have a full on menu with breakfasts, panini sandwiches, soups, salads, hot chicken sandwiches, curries, and even artesian pizzas. The menu is a bit eclectic and updated often as they are always trying out new things. For Valentine's Day they even did a special five course dinner that included majorly swank fare such as baked Brie, lobster bisque, and lemon curd tart. Not bad for a small, casual cafe located in a sleepy village south of Moncton mostly frequented by the summertime tourists who are just passing through on their way to the Bay of Fundy. I wish I could have tried the Valentine's dinner but alas, I live thousands of miles away in Louisiana. All I could do was just drool over the Facebook photos they posted.
Whoever maintains their Facebook page should be given a medal or something. They take some serious food porn photos. Just the Facebook photos of their food is enough to make a shitty day for me turn suddenly bright and rosy, and a whole lotta awesome.
When I did have the privilege of stopping by this fine little cafe it was back in the late summer of 2014. We were en route to check out the tides at The Bay of Fundy. We had to be hasty because we were trying to make a tour. If I had ordered a full on meal my hubby probably would have had a conniption fit. I did however, have the time to enjoy a coffee and one of their absofreakinglutely delicious cinnamon rolls. These cinnamon rolls live up to the internet hype. They are truly the cat's meow of all cinnamon rolls. I'm actually not that hot on cinnamon rolls in general, but it's only because before I came here I had only had crap cinnamon rolls like at Cinnabon that were nothing but a hot, sticky, overly sweet mess of lard and waxy, gnarly icing.
The cinnamon rolls at Cinnamon Soul are completely homemade and had just emerged from the oven. They were soft and fluffy, like eating a cinnamon laced pillow pet. The icing is made from scratch as well, and it had just the right amount of sweetness. It wasn't overly sweet like some icings that wind up actually coating your teeth and making them ache with decay.
The coffee was outstanding. I'm basically a coffee junkie, so as long as I can get a hearty dose of caffeine I'm usually pretty damn content, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate a cup of genuine, badass coffee. The coffee here was just that. It reminded me of drinking
Cafe Americano instead of just your average, everyday cup of Joe. It was dark and smooth, with just a hint of espresso overtones which assisted to its richness. It was like drinking melted ebony velvet. So dark and decadent just as a coffee should be. I did not have any cream, milk, or sugar in it. In my opinion it would have been a tragedy to glop up such a finely brewed cup of coffee with such rubbish. It definitely deserves to be devoured straight up black if you can tolerate your coffee that way. Who would have thought that Hillsborough New Brunswick of all places as a Mecca for a simply grand cup of coffee?
If the coffee and baked goods are this delish, Lord only knows how kick ass the real, actual food is. All I had was a coffee and a cinnamon roll, but I do know that their food items are made from scratch with locally grown and produced products. Awesomeness!
The cafe itself was exceptionally clean and quiet (I was the only person there on a Tuesday morning). The vibe is festive but chill. The smell of cinnamon, rich curries, and Madagascar vanilla filled the air. Mmmmm. It's heaven! The decor reminded me of Shabby chic-meets-Frida Kahlo-meets Maritime Province. If you're an artsy-fartsy type, they sell local artwork such as pottery by the fabulous Wendy Johnston. Her quirky, contemporary designs totally fit the vibe of this place. If I lived in Hillsborough or even Moncton, I would hang out here all the time. I would sit in the corner with my ipad sipping their delectable coffee until they boot me out.
If you're on your way to the Bay of Fundy definitely make a stop at Cinnamon Soul. Don't pass this place up. If you're hard pressed for time you can always get a coffee and a cinnamon roll to go. You definitely won't regret it and the Hopewell Rocks aren't going anywhere.