Namaste Cafe
Looking for a watering hole in downtown Christiansted? It's come a long way from its beginning as part of the Danish King's stables complete with a watering trough in the courtyard. Today there's a lovely fountain, in its place, surrounded by flowering plants, a new brick patio and shaded tables. Home to various restaurants and clubs over the years, the space was recently exquisitely renovated and is now home to a fantastic coffee and sandwich shop.
Beautiful Namaste Cafe in downtown Christiansted opened in July 2008 with all brand new equipment and machinery. The friendly coffee artisans welcome hungry and thirsty folks from 7am daily, serving all kinds of sandwiches and yummy pastries baked on site. The coffee shop is especially well known for Clayton's delicious quiches, the recipe for which he perfected at his previous coffee shop on St. Thomas. And what's that incredible aroma coming out of the oven so early in the morning? His special banana bread - wow, does that smell good!
As you enter the courtyard, the coffee shop is three stairs up in the back. You'll see the five coffee urns on the patio, each with a different flavor of coffee. The strongest one caffeine-wise ("Eye Opener") is on the right, near the door to the shop. Inside the shop you'll see the gleaming coffee makers, cappuccino and espresso machines, and frozen Namastino and Chai Latte swirlers. And they offer many different flavors of tea which is also made using the super-filtered water that has definitely not been heated in a coffee machine.
Perhaps you are wondering what a Namastino is. It's a refreshing frozen mixture of coffee, milk and chocolate syrup. If you need an extra zap to get going, ask the coffee lady to add a double shot of espresso. Top with whipped cream and you're good to go.
Creative sandwich and wrap artists come up with daily specials using delicious ingredients such as freshly made pesto, roasted peppers, and fresh produce. The coffee shop ladies and gents will make your sandwich to order, so have it as you please, ranging from vegetarian to carnivore. If you want to work or surf the net while you enjoy the courtyard, bring your laptop and get online with the Cafe's free wifi.
The name of the coffee shop comes from a Sanskrit word which means roughly "I bow to you" . Namaste is a spoken greeting similar to "how do you do", "peace", or "aloha". Inside Namaste Cafe you may be more likely to hear "good morning" with a smile. The shop is open every day except Christmas.
