Servin' Up a Hot Cup of Jersey at Al's Coffee Shop II

“We should just stand outside,” said Al Greig, Jr. with a laugh, “and hand them their coffee as they go by.”

He then laughed again.

“So many people walk by here in a rush heading for the train.”

“Here” is , located at 124 Washington St. in Bloomfield. Formerly Guiliano’s Deli, this location is named “II” in honor of the former Al’s Coffee Shop I, which seven years ago closed its doors on the corner of Franklin Street and Berkeley Avenue, Greig's old stomping ground. Greig’s first name is on the awning, but the coffee shop is owned fellow Bloomfielder Kim Flubacher, a licensed cosmetologist who worked as a server at West Orange’s Mayfair Farms, the Glen Ridge Country Club, and the restaurant chain Chevy’s.

“What I feel is old school Bloomfield has a place to go to converse about the town,” said Greig, who owns Al Grieg Jr. Contracting.

He then recalled words from his late dad.

“My dad said, ‘If you move to a new town and want to meet people in the neighborhood, go to the local coffee shop.'”

And people do visit the shop - not only from Bloomfield, but from all of Essex County and beyond.

“People that I grew up with stop in here. Someone from Arizona who I graduated with saw me on Facebook and stopped in," said Greig. "People move away and stop in and see us.”

The reason, besides camaraderie? “Lower prices compared to diners.”

“And,” said Flubacher, “We serve Wards Coffee from Newark, 1865. No aftertaste.”

Diana Vasilenko has stopped in for breakfast with her grandchildren, 7-year-old Reaghan Vasilenko and 11-year-old Tyler Martin.

“It’s the friendly atmosphere,” said Vasilenko when asked why returns regularly to the shop. “Friendly people and service. The food is good.”

“I probably like the food and all the people,” says Reaghan, whose order this morning will “probably be pancakes.”

Tyler’s choice? His norm of scrambled eggs and bacon. “'Cause it’s good.”

The top seller at Al’s Coffee Shop II? Taylor ham, scrambled egg and cheese on a roll. Can you get any more Jersey – okay, any more Bloomfield – that that?

“And that’s true New Jersey taylor ham – from Trenton,” Greig said proudly.

Al’s Coffee Shop II, which opens at 5:30 a.m. six days a week, is a two-part coffee shop with counter seating for six in front, and 40 in a side-dining room. Percy Torres, the head chef who originally cooked for Guliano’s, came on board when Al’s Coffee Shop II opened on May 27 last year, and the shop's driver for deliveries is William Banks.

“We all help out,” said Banks while helping Greig and Flubacher carry the order to the Vasilenko table.

“On Saturday,” said Greig, “the place is full, and our to-go orders are big as well.”

And speaking of Saturday, kids 12 years old and under - bring your parents. If they order an adult meal, you get free pancakes.

Al’s Coffee Shop II, which opened during the economic recession, is, in Al Greig’s words, “doing okay,” but he envisions even brighter pastures.

“The parking deck will be huge” he said, about Bloomfield’s downtown redevelopment project on Washington Street. “The renovation is long overdue.”

Yes, this is a Bloomfield spot where current and former Bloomfielders hang out. Yes, the food is good. But what’s the true key?

Being a “people person," according to Greig.

“We associate with people all day long,” he said. “When they (customers) come in, we know exactly what they want.”

Al's Coffee Shop II
124 Washington St.
973-986-0579,
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 6 a.m.-4 p.m.