I always find it amazing when you go to a fabulous international city like South Beach in Miami and see a long line of tourists waiting for their  Starbucks morning blend.  A skinny tall with your name on it makes you feel right at home.  There are no surprises and – what a sense of comfort it gives you when all is new and foreign around you.  You can count on just one person to call out your name.

Coffee for me like others, is a ritual. There is something familiar and comforting about establishing a ritual on a trip,  like visiting the same cafe every morning.

I seek out brew spots like many seek out restaurant when visiting a new place. What’s the inside scoop. Who has the best coffee. When you don’t have that information handy, look for other things. Design and decor are good clues to what you may experience inside. Are there many locals inside that know each other?

While walking to meet some friends at the News Cafe on Ocean Drive I stumbled upon a small cafe called Pinocchio on 8th between Ocean and Collins. Its decor – well, is all Pinocchio.  I was told that many locals who go to the News Cafe for breakfast always stop at Pinocchio first. The owner I believe is Brazilian and so are many of the customers who frequent daily. It’s a very friendly spot with croissants and other morning sweets that can only be found in a French patisserie. I became a creature of habit and ordered my Cafe Pinocchio (espresso, chocolate and steamed milk) short, no skinny.  It was comforting, familiar and incredibly good.

Pinocchio Cafe