Though well established mainstay shops like Scout on Garden Street, Kreuzberg on Higuera Street, and Nautical Bean on High Street in San Luis Obispo have consistent quality offerings, a pair of new shops just two blocks from each other in the heart of Downtown gives guests a glance behind the European cafe curtain.

Kin Coffee Shop on Higuera Street is a narrow passage made to appear even smaller by the gothic paint palette that enrobes the walls, where gold-leaf flecked picture frames hang alongside quirky paintings. The small cafe looks much like an alleyway turned chic and charming by utilizing unique ways to brew coffee and strange, yet delicious pastries that adorn golden platters. The menu offers the standard latte, americano, and cappuccino but also features superfood lattes, like one made of turmeric, as well as rainbow layered beverages and perfected matcha sippers. The pastries, which are brought in from Buttercup Bakery in Morro Bay, range from tart and creamy raspberry filled almond croissants to glazed charcoal macarons. The pairing of these eccentric treats with specialty coffee methods, like one that’s supposedly rooted in an ancient pour-over technique (be sure to inquire further) can spice up any dull Monday.

Just down the way, the menu at a new creperie inspires visions of standard poodles, fresh baked baguettes, and felted berets. Mon Ami Creperie Cafe is a small shop tucked in beside Peet’s Coffee on Court Street. These aren’t your run of the mill Nutella and banana crepes found behind the counter of a sweaty crowded stand at Disney Land, though Mon Ami does offer an upgraded version of this classic sweet crepe. In addition to a menu of dessert crepes, like the Fluffernutter and The Berry Symphony, savory crepes can convince even the most stringent of dieters to nibble away at a thinly veiled heap of eggs, bacon, and mushrooms topped with béchamel sauce. From the breakfast inspired Bako, which includes eggs, bacon, ham and cheese, to the Cajun influenced Ratatouille, which is exactly as it sounds, the menu has something to entice just about any palette of crepe enthusiast. Between the sweet and savory selections at Mon Ami and the caffeine injected morning Joe offered just steps away at Kin, mornings are a bit more energized in Downtown San Luis Obispo.