Downtown icon Cafe Arpeggio making people happy for over a decade!

image_pdfimage_print
A familiar site to anyone who has visited Cafe Arpeggio!

Hmmmmm….smell that fresh brewed cup of Joe? The melted Boursin cheese? Aromas of a variety of fresh baked muffins? Ogle those grand bowls of salad packed with carefully trimmed and selected vegetables sourced from local farms? The rows of hand made ice cream. This is no dream. This is downtown’s Cafe Arpeggio!

Cafe Arpeggio is a downtown icon that has helped pave the way for the strong economic downtown that we have today. It was people like proprietor Suk Gould who had faith in the direction the city was going that lead the way for many to follow. She also clearly had confidence in her mouth watering fare and coffees – something that has born itself out true since she is still there ten years on. She has even opened two other locations in Fall River and Boston.

Always exciting to seeing what Suk has whipped up for the day! Yum!

I’ve been a regular at Cafe Arpeggio since it opened. I spend so much time there it has become a second office of sorts. I love the coffee, sandwiches, ice cream and the friendly, candid service. Suk has the best scones on planet earth – no joking. Her blueberry scone toasted with butter makes me happy, happy, happy. I can’t imagine life without Cafe Arpeggio and I can’t imagine there is someone in the area that hasn’t been there. This is a spot that is too good not to share with the world.

Korean born Suk attributes her success to using the finest and freshest ingredients. Vegetables and fruits sourced, of course, locally from the South Coast’s finest farms. Her coffee is brought in to the cafe after being micro-roasted in her own roasting facility to her usual high standards. The baked goods are made fresh in the wee hours while most of us are fast asleep. She felt from the very beginning that customers would notice the difference.

She was right.

Cafe Arpeggio is the place to go for breakfast or lunch. There is a saying, “You can’t have fast food and healthy. It’s one or the other.” That is not true! If you only have a half hour for lunch you can do exactly that. Whether choosing from the heaping salads prepared ahead each morning, the gluten-free baked good choices, from the many vegetarian selections, homemade soup, daily blackboard specials or a fresh made sandwich like the Vulgarian – Turkey breast, roast beef, bacon, lettuce and tomatoes, melted Swiss and cheddar cheese, choice of bread – you will get served quickly and the only delay will be how long it takes you to devour the mouth watering plate!

Almost a dozen salads to choose from, piled high with the freshest, locally sourced ingredients.

One of my go-to sandwiches is the Boursin Spinach Melt: “Spinach, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, homemade boursin cheese, and havarti cheese on pita bread.” Oh man. I alternate that with the Vegetarian Melt – Romaine lettuce. tomatoes, carrots, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, & spinach with your choice of dressing and cheese on pita bread.

Funny thing is that I am not a vegetarian. Not even close. These sandwiches are so savory that you don’t even notice the absence of meat. However, if you are a carnivore at heart, don’t fret. You will be more than satisfied with the classics like Hot Pastrami, cold or hot Roast Beef, BLT or the special Tiger Beef: Roast beef, lettuce, tomatoes, our famous tiger sauce and melted cheddar cheese with your choice of bread.

What I also enjoy is the varieties of cheese, including uncommon ones, that one can choose from: Havarti, cheddar, Swiss, American, provolone or the aforementioned boursin.

Those salads I mentioned? They are all served with white or whole wheat pita bread and your choice of Italian, sweet basil, thousand island, honey mustard, creamy cucumber, Greek, creamy ginger, or fat-free raspberry vinaigrette dressing. All the standard salads are available like the Garden, Greek, Tuna, Chef, Caeser, or Chicken but you can also get a home-made Tabouleh-Hummous Salad.

I’m getting worked up here. My mouth is salivating, just thinking about it.

If you have little ones with you, there are kids’ menu options like peanut butter & jelly, peanut butter & banana, grilled cheese & tomato, and plenty of breakfast items.

Of course, one cannot mention the HOMEMADE ice cream – all 103 flavors. Anyone who is a downtown denizen, knows there is not a better spot around to get genuine homemade ice cream.

Fresh Blueberry scones soon to be the most delicious scones on earth.

Every Wednesday the ice cream is made fresh at the Fall River location and delivered to each location.

Cafe Arpeggio is also the place to go on Thursday evenings, as open mic which is run by Art Tebbetts, who is a New Bedford icon himself. Word of warning: get there early because it will be PACKED.

What I love most about Cafe Arpeggio is that while it is a superlative cafe with all the regular options, it is representative of melting pot that is America. Suk, being a Korean immigrant seized the opportunity presented and merged the culture she came from with the culture she came to love. She offers a variety of kimchis now. A healthy, delicious lunch option. Since I think Korean cuisine is the best on the planet, I am super excited that Suk is offering kimchi. In fact, she is not only making it for her three locations, but mentioned that she is going to have a facility solely to produce Korean delicacies in the near future. The focus will be on wholesale, and to supply local restaurants and eateries, but some items will make their way to her Cafe Arpeggio menus.

If you haven’t been in a while or – gasp – never been, here is your reminder or eye opener. If you are a regular and ever in Fall River or South Boston, you can get your fix at one of the other spots. In addition, to the three locations if you love what Suk offers at Cafe Arpeggio, you will really enjoy her catering service.


Cafe Arpeggio
800 Purchase Street
Phone: 508.679.3333.
Thursday 7:00am-10:00pm
Saturdays: 8:00am-5:00pm
Closed Sundays

Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Cafe-Arpeggio-of-New-Bedford/481614641974674
Website: cafearpeggio8.webnode.com/
Menu: cafearpeggio8.webnode.com/menu


About Joe Silvia

When Joe isn't writing, he's coaching people to punch each other in the face. He enjoys ancient cultures, dead and living languages, cooking, benching 999#s, and saving the elderly, babies and puppies from burning buildings. While he enjoys long walks on the beach, he will not be your alarm clock, because he's no ding-a-ling.

Check Also

You spoke! New Bedford’s best restaurants according to residents

One of the best online resources for all things New Bedford is the New Bedford …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Translate »