Brew Lab

Stasikratous 3, 22666231, LEFKOSIA (NICOSIA)
Mon-Sat 10:30-21:00
All you need to do is drive by to see that Brew Lab is different.  It might be, (yet another), café, but at least it’s one I feel like going to. It’s recent popularity by its selective crowd is, in my opinion, attributed to: its tiny size with only around 10 tables, its minimalistic yet warm ambiance, the fact that it is not on Onasagorou, Ledras or any other old city street but in the almost forgotten but pretty Stasikratous. I would have imagined having such a small place is a risk, but after a couple of visits I realized that if it is full all the time with a comprehensive yet cheap menu it could comfortably survive. The entire café is merely a long corridor including a couple tables for two people  on the side, 2-3 tables at the front side-walk that allows people watching without the noise of a busy street, and a few tables at the small, back yard. Its style is modern and minimalistic in an “old” way, with the cement effect prevailing, and the rustic wooden bar making all the difference. The high ceilings make the small space lookbrighter, while warm, relaxed and friendly service make Brew Lab instantly feel like the local hang-out.
Brew Lab’s main product is its coffee. It’s not about the large selection as it offers the standard: espresso, cappuccino (including an excellent flat-white), latte and Americano, but about the well-priced product as it is between 1.50€-3€. What I particularly liked however, is that, despite the small menu it includes everything that one would want in a café.
Firstly, it offers a good breakfast solution since it offers fresh croissants, savoury pies and excellent bagels from my favourite bakery, Qboo. We had the pleasure of trying the chicken pie, which was quite good even though I would have preferred it a bit less salty for a breakfast pie, a very good turkey and soft cheese bagel with a notably generous amount of filling and an extra moist sweet potato cake I tried on another visit that was excellent and  had a cinnamon-y flavour. The fact that it has a couple of more cakes of the day (including brownies and the well-known Pasta-Flora cake with jam), as well as a selection of sandwiches makes it a good place for any time of the day, including a light lunch.
Some might say that they don’t like it because it doesn’t serve food, or smoothies (even though it has juices) or flavoured coffee, but these people have to realize that sometimes it is not about quantity, but about having an adequate selection to satisfy your needs while at the same time, maintaining its own “character”.
Finally I feel I have to mention that for a croissant, a turkey bagel, a chicken pie, 2 coffees, a large fresh orange juice and a bottle of water we paid 16€, an undoubtedly fair bill. Well done Brew Lab!