Tucked just off busy Route 1, visitors may be surprised to find umbrellaed café tables set amid an unexpected lush green oasis at the new Secret Garden Café.
Run from a faux wood cart, it’s located behind Lisa’s Hot Yoga studio in the Chestnut Walk Plaza at 235 North Main St. in Branford.
“It really feels like somewhere secret,” co-owner Corrine Clark said about the recently opened coffee spot.
The coffee spot serves specialty coffee drinks and high protein smoothies. It was a longtime dream of Clark, owner of The Loft hair salon nearby and her mother Nicole Edwards, whom she describes as a “coffee connoisseur.”
“I love providing services and making people smile,” Clark said.
Her mother oversaw the garden, ringed by wrought iron fencing and filled with sea grasses, rose bushes, impatiens and potted petunias. Edwards called the gardens “a work in progress.”
“I’ve always had a vision of making a special place for coffee, tea where people can relax and enjoy themselves for a bit, with a little scenery and taking a break from the day,” Edwards said.
In addition to the cart, a tiny rustic cottage – once an old shed for a horse – sits on the property where customers can duck inside during inclement weather. It needed work, though.
“My mom and I built the whole thing. We put the floor in and we put all the wood panels up,” Clark said.
Inside, a crystal chandelier and bunches of dried herbs are hung from its roughhewn beams. Filling nooks and crannies are vintage gilt mirrors, quirky art work and bric-a-brac found at thrift and antique shops.
“I thought about maybe turning the shed into a little coffee house. But then I thought the idea of a cart would be a little bit more fun,” Clark said.
Clark said the idea of The Secret Garden was started because of its nearness to Lisa’s Hot Yoga studio, thinking that yoga clients would want a pick-me-up after their work out.
Popular with the yoga crowd is the Green Glow, a mango smoothie with avocado, spinach and kale.
“So it’s super healthy, but it tastes really good,” Clark said. Also popular are their whipped honey butter and blueberry pancake lattes, which they keep running out of, she said.
On Sundays, they also host pop-ups beneath a tent for visiting caterers to serve mini-pancake stacks or freshly baked gluten-free pastries from Auntie MoMo’s Bakery in East Haven.
Clark has plans to keep the outdoor coffee spot open until Christmas and is coming up with her fall drink menu now, such as pumpkin and apple pie lattes. She is also looking forward to the holiday season.
“I have some ideas for like a Christmas cold brew and I want to do hot chocolate. But if I can find a way to stay open year-round, I’d really like to,” she said.
And the business is growing. Since opening about a month ago, Clark has doubled her staff – from two to four baristas.
Hours are Monday – Saturday 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
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This article originally published at A hidden garden coffee spot is serving blueberry pancake lattes in Connecticut.
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