(Note: Columbus Café has closed down at this location, and we are presently unaware if there is/will be another in Liège. We will leave this article in the archives however.)
Columbus Café, we have been told, is Starbucks' biggest competitor in France and other parts of Europe. As Liège does not yet have a Starbucks, (a fact the anglophone half of our duo routinely laments,) we decided to go and see what we've been told is "the next best thing."
Located just across the way from the Palace Cinema in Lièges centre, the café certainly does have location working for it. Though the interior isn't quite as luxe as some Starbucks, there are comfortable seats to be had, and the deco is somewhere in between Subway Sandwiches, and Starbucks (if that makes sense to you.) We'll take more pictures to cover this next time.
Our visit was full of surprises. The first of which was a cappuccino that came topped with steamed milk! This is a rarity in Liège where sweetened whipped cream is more often the foam atop a 'cappuccino'. Was the coffee good? Yes. We both agree that it was good, though not spectacularly good. The coffee itself could be a little more full-bodied, and the layer of foam should ideally have been a little thicker. A decent cappuccino is hard to find here in Liège though, so we don't consider this evaluation a complaint. We only know of one other place that routinely serves steamed milk atop their cappuccino, and here at Columbus Café, the cappuccinos are better.
Second surprise: very good customer service. Our barista was chipper as he answered our questions while taking pastries out of boxes and setting the store up for the day (we arrived right at opening time.) He told us to make ourselves comfortable and fetched our coffees, muffins and Orange Juice without delay, and even offered us a piece of fruit-tart at no charge as he explained to us it was aesthetically damaged, and would otherwise have to be thrown out since he couldn't place it in the display. We decided to be kind and help the poor guy out. (The tart, by the way, was
very tasty.)
just a few of the tasty treats on offer
The muffins were correct, which is to say they weren't too fluffy, had a denser quality, enough so to be dipped in coffee without falling apart. As for taste, they were pretty good (probably some of the better muffins we've had in Liège.) In fact, all the pastry we tried lived up to its looks or tasted even better than it looked. (For comparison - we often find Starbucks pastries look much better than they taste.) We'll pass by for lunch next time, as the sandwiches and salads looked appetizing.
Tchantches' orange juice was labelled on the menu as "freshly pressed", but when it arrived at our table, it didn't seem to be in appearance or taste. It wasn't bad juice, but buyer beware here if you're the sort to pay a premium price for "freshly pressed" juice. Other beverages on offer in addition to coffee-based beverages and juices included teas, smoothies, hot chocolate and an array of cold bottled beverages. Given that Columbus Café caters to the same sort of clients as Starbucks, prices run in a similar range between the two.
Third Surpise: Free wifi! This isn't widespread in Liège, but we are certainly happy to see the idea gaining ground here.
Our only true concerns about Columbus Café, at this point, are that it seems to have less seating than it needs. It's hard to feel like you can "take time for yourself" (the company slogan,) when people who come in keep eyeing your seating area like they wish you'd gulp your coffee down and move on. It's a tricky thing in the space they have though, as it's a long room with the stairwell leading down to the restrooms, meaning the entire space gets traffic flow moving through. There are only one or two seating spaces a little more sheltered from this, and they are obviously the preferred places.
This brings us to our other concern, and 4th surprise: While our experience with the service was otherwise positive we must ask... who maintains the restrooms?
There are things we do expect in any public restroom, certainly. Not everyone wipes up after the mess they make... but we came at the very start of the day, which left us wondering not only who maintains the restroom, but how often are they maintained? Like it or not, restauranteurs of Liège, restrooms are part of the customer experience too! Who is responsible for placing the roll of toilet-paper on the dirty floor, rather than in the toilet-roll-dispenser? Even if the dispenser was broken (it didn't seem to be,) we'd expect a solution that keeps the toilet roll off the floor. We were a little taken aback by this.
While we definitely advise you to pay them a visit if you find yourself in Liège craving a decent cappuccino or specialty coffee... we'll also warn you that using the facilities might not be as comfortable as the rest of the experience!
Located at: 20 Rue pont d'Avroy.
Open: Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat & Sun 10am-6pm
