Café Inca

Slow breakfasts full of soul

Families with children, seniors, groups of young friends and couples gather here to enjoy a delicious breakfast without rushing.

Author: Aina Coll

Café Esment Inca is one of the four restaurants of Esment, an organization founded in 1962 that offers professional training and job placement for people with intellectual disabilities. We came here for breakfast on a cloudy Saturday morning, but we were eager to discover their proposals.

As soon as we arrived we fell in love with the place: a large, spacious and open-plan space with three sections: at the entrance, a counter filled with homemade pastries and artisan bread -made with sourdough- served to diners, but also available to take away; the center is occupied by round and rectangular wooden tables and, at the back, there is the huge open kitchen where Esment's professionals and users work. 

We take a seat and take a look at the breakfast menu. This is made up of a varied offer of special toasts, pa amb oli, llonguets and pastries, so we already sense that choosing is not going to be an easy task. Finally, we opt for a savory proposal: a succulent avocado toast, burrata, sundried tomato and arugula. For the bread, we are given the choice between a slice of spelt, xeixa flour and organic oatmeal, and we choose the first one.

Although we feel like rounding off the breakfast with a natural orange juice, as they explain to us, today it is not going to be possible because "the oranges are turning out bitter, so we do not prepare juice for the moment, since we cannot serve it of quality". We smile and appreciate the honesty. These are the type of details we like. Then, we ask for a coffee and water, which they offer us either bottled or filtered through an osmosis process. The latter, they tell us, is served as a sustainable alternative in reusable glass bottles at no cost. We love the idea, so we go with the second option.

When breakfast arrives, our mouths are literally watering. The bread is crusty, heaped with avocado and burrata, and accompanied by a small bowl of Mallorcan olives. We savor each bite as we look around us. We love both, the taste and what we see. Families with children, older people, groups of young friends and couples gather here to enjoy a delicious unhurried breakfast, that little luxury that - we think - we treat ourselves to a bit too infrequently. 

Everyone seems to like Esment and it is easy to see why: the atmosphere is relaxed, the decoration is simple but modern -wood, brick and plants form a perfect trident-, the service is attentive and, of course, the food is delicious.  

Before leaving, we stop at the counter, buy a loaf of bread for the weekend and take a look at the proposals for lunch. In addition to the menu, which changes with each season because here local and seasonal produce reign, our attention is drawn to the board of suggestions of the day: zucchini cannelloni, suckling pig taco and cod confit. Delicacies that, without a doubt, we want to try. A second visit to Café Esment Inca, we tell ourselves, is then assured.