Take a Break and Live in the Moment at Adezzo
By Leandria Hercules – Staff Writer
Sometimes you find the best places where you least expect them.
Hidden away in an alley off North Washington Avenue in Scranton’s downtown is Adezzo, a gem of the local coffee shop scene. The Center Street establishment’s motto, “Take a short break and live in the moment,” offers the Scranton community a place to gather and get away from life’s daily pressures.
The former Casey Hotel laundry room building houses the cafe and stepping into Adezzo is an experience in itself. You’re introduced to an inviting center-placed table where strangers and friends can sit and talk. Art in various mediums, often by local artists, hangs on the walls from framed photography to paintings. Everywhere you look, you see something interesting: a wooden, sand-shaded piano, local fresh flowers, an invitingly plush sitting area and bright lightbulb letters that spell “Adezzo.”
Despite the eclectic decor, everything melds together to form what offee manager Erich Hunisch calls the atmosphere of a “quiet retreat with big city vibes and a little marketplace hub that sells locally-made art.”
At in the back of the room is a chalkboard-decorated menu and a treat-filled display case featuring cakes, macarons and croissants. Another menu offers a savory selection of sandwiches, bagels and smoothies.
I placed my order of a hot mocha latte with extra coconut flavoring, a rose lychee macaron, a creme brûlée macaron and a chocolate croissant. While I waited, I asked Hunisch about the establishment.
He said his favorite drink is an iced brown sugar latte with cinnamon and crowd favorites include flavored iced lattes, the chicken salad pita and the turkey, prosciutto and brie sandwich.
Jonathan Nickol, a junior at Lackawanna College, said in an online message that his favorite order from Adezzo is the hot chocolate and macarons.
“Got to stick with the classics,” he said.
In an online message, Natalie Cook, a recent University of Scranton grad, stated that her favorite order is an iced mocha with almond milk and a slice of carrot cake.
The desserts and pastries do seem to be crowd-pleasers. They are not made in house, but provided by Henry’s on Clay, a restaurant in Dunmore, Hunisch said.
Hunisch explained how Adezzo became a sister shop with to Zummo’s, a local cafe on 916 Marion St., Scranton earlier this year and that the Center Street alleyway has plans to become more artisanal and lively, possibly offering more vendors for the public.
Adezzo participates in First Friday, an event with live music, art and vendors that happens on the first Friday of every month in downtown Scranton. Adezzo sponsors a new local artist and musician each time.
My coffee and pastries were ready for pick up. I was looking forward to trying them, especially the pastries due to never ordering them before.
Adezzo’s coffee can have rich notes if you don’t add a lot of sweeteners. It can also be over-sweetened quickly. The hot mocha latte with extra coconut flavoring was overly sweet compared to the last time I ordered it, which is a consistency issue.
The rose lychee macaron had a lasting undertone of lychee flavoring, which is sweet, a touch acidic, and floral. Combined with the rose flavoring, which can quickly become overpowering to the point where it tastes like a bar of soap, it was too floral, which is unfortunate because the combination sounded great. The creme brûlée macaron had a smokey vanilla custard-like taste to it. It tasted like a traditional creme brûlée without the custard texture.
For both macarons, the texture was perfect. The thin outer shell was smooth and cracked softly. The feet of the shell, which are the bottom edges cooked on the pan, raised evenly. The macaron technique was nearly perfect except for the overpowering floral flavoring for the rose lychee one.
The chocolate croissant was decent. They use a milk chocolate drizzle on top, and the same milk chocolate is inside. It had a powdery taste, and the overall croissant felt more like a donut than a croissant because of a very thin glaze on it. The texture of the croissant was flaky and soft. Next time, I think I would prefer their original croissant over the chocolate one, though, because it is milk chocolate rather than dark.
Overall, Adezzo provides a relaxed atmosphere for studying or spending time with friends. Their student discount is a highlight too. Adezzo is a local gem that deserves to be known.
Photo Credits: Leandria Hercules
Info Box
Name: Adezzo
Address: 515 Center St., Scranton
Hours: Sunday-Saturday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Website: https://www.adezzoscranton.com/