Bites Nearby: Cafe Dreams Become Reality in Woodbury

Angela Verrastro always dreamed of having her own sit-down European-style café. Part one of her dream was the opening of , located at 2170 Eagle Creek Lane in Woodbury.

Part two of her dream is now realized with the March 25 opening of Angelina’s Café, which is just down the block from Angelina’s Kitchen.

“There seems to be some confusion once Angelina’s Café opened,” Verrastro said.

“People were calling and asking if I closed Angelina’s Kitchen or if the cafe was located in the kitchen or what was going on,” she laughed.  

Angelina’s Café is in the former Beans and Bakery space, footsteps from her original location.

“Angelina’s Kitchen is the main cooking hub for the cafe, and is still providing take-out meals and catering, so it’s all business as usual,” Verrastro said.

When the Beans and Bakery location became available early this winter, Verrastro said she thought it might be a good opportunity to open a café and started to formulate a business plan.

“The convenience of the cafe’s close location to the kitchen, and the fact it had a drive-thru window, made it too perfect of an opportunity to pass up,” she said.

The décor at Angelina’s Café is like a quaint Italian neighborhood bistro. As for the food, it offers a little bit of everything. 

In the mornings, there’s a full range of fresh-baked goods, a variety of egg-baked dishes and a great pecan coffee cake.

The bar, featuring Lavazza espresso coffee imported from Italy, offers a full range of hot and cold drinks, including made-to-order coffee shakes using the café’s own frozen yogurt. There are also options for kids, like all-natural fruit smoothies. 

“These nonfat, fruit smoothies are not the premixed stuff. They’re made with fresh fruit and our all-natural frozen yogurt,” Verrastro said.

According to Verrastro, the frozen yogurt at Angelina’s Café is made with all-natural live cultures and is gluten-free. Vanilla and chocolate are available by waffle cone, dish or shake.

Seasonal lunch (and eventually dinner) menus will feature homemade soups, grilled made-to-order super-sized paninis, salads and pastas—all with an Italian twist. The kids' menu—offering grilled cheese sandwiches, mac and cheese and other items—makes it a good spot for the family.

Angelina’s Café also prides itself on its desserts. Verrastro said she commissioned two experts—Tanna Wagenmann and local resident Ben Bruno—to do the “sweet talking” for the cafe. Wagenmann is the pastry chef for Sugar Cube Studios and trained at the New York Culinary Institute of America. Bruno, chef and owner of St. Croix River Inn, will provide “flavor of the week” cheesecakes for the cafe.

The current hours are 5:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, Saturday 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Once fully staffed, the cafe will be open in the evenings, too, so make sure to call ahead for current hours.

Angelina’s Café is located at 2230 Eagle Creek Lane in Woodbury. For more information call 651-436-6999 or visit www.angelinaskitchen.com.