Frequently and for some time, I have been going to Dom's. Each time = excellent service. I am impressed and welcomed each visit by the outstanding baristas here. I have made the effort to go back and pay what I have just for them.
Once I found the driveway on my first visit--there are two, and an additional driveway to First & Last Tavern that connects to the parking area in the back of the shop--I visited Dom's to try it and was not disappointed. Dom's serves J. Rene (an outstanding shop in West Hartford) coffee, which is coffee at its finest.
During this first visit, the barista who helped me and made my mocha was extremely friendly and nice. When I asked her what the shop's specialty drink was, she said it was the cold brewed coffee and described how they made it. She then proceeded to put a perfectly shaped and beautiful heart in steamed milk to finish my mocha.
The baristas are very professional and know how to make coffee. Using delicious locally roasted coffee and having a true coffee crafter make for a delicious cup of java, no matter what kind you get. I recommend a honey latte, made with real honey so as to not completely artificially flavor the coffee.
On my most recent visit, my barista made my latte then carried it with the tree cake that I got to my counter area where I put down my jacket. He came back a few minutes later and asked if I would like to sample some new cheese that the shop had gotten and even gave me a little bag to go so I could try it later, too. Again, I am impressed!! However, the honey latte I got to enjoy in the shop tasted bitter with not too much honey, as it had another time, and I had to eat pieces of my tree cake to counteract this bitterness. (I had a honey latte to go one other time that was good and tasted as though it had honey, so it is a little inconsistent with coffee being enjoyed in the shop and taken to go.)
The prices are a little--OK, extremely--steep. A latte can set you back $5 easily, and $6 for a small dirty chai to go (which my friend typically gets). With the service you get, it is almost worth it, but not entirely. The shop has a high-tech register so the barista can swivel it around for you to swipe and pay (with an option to include a tip as well, which you likely will with these baristas). However, I find this shop is only for a splurge. My latte (for in the shop) and tree cake set me back $8.50. Price differences are visible between the items here and elsewhere. For example, the brownies, from Hartford Baking Co. (HBC), are 50 cents more at Dom's than at HBC, and a cup of coffee [regular, latte, etc.] is about 40 or 50 cents at J.Rene (where the beans are actually roasted). You're paying a little more than the actual sources of the items being consumed.
Dom's is a coffee shop, and has just the basic essentials to go with the beverages, like biscotti and various nuts. There isn't a tremendous selection of baked goods, but coffee is the focus--and star--of this shop. A definite must try for baked goods, something that the shop always has, is the Lithuanian tree cake, which is very reminiscent of a lighter short bread cookie but in a funky form and with a better, yummier, harder-to-describe goodness.
I really like the atmosphere of Dom's. It's an airy, relaxing shop with an ample amount of seating. It's the perfect place to enjoy coffee while reading or doing a little work. You would never know, stepping in, that its located on a busy main road (an additional point for convenience and ease of getting a great cup of deliciousness).
Good coffee; comfortable and clean, modern and unique surroundings; convenient location; and fantastic, friendly service. Oh, and I can get a hole punch in a reward card for each drink I get and get a drink on the house after ten? Oh, and I can enjoy a Lithuanian tree cake with my latte? Check it out yourself, if you're willing to splurge. read more