BREWING ART

Cal Ave coffee shop hosts an eclectic mix of local art, unusual drinks and an offbeat scene.

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Backyard Brew can either be ac cessed via the parking lot or a rather foreboding alleyway wide enough for only one. Most people I observed opted for the latter. Despite the claustrophobic entrance, Backyard Brew is spacious yet cozy, likely owing to the ample cafeteria-style seating and the small blue vintage car dominating the back.

On the spring Sunday I visited, nearly all the seats were filled. Families with toddlers, teenage couples, people clutching flowers and fruit from the farmer’s market and churchgoers in their Sunday best circled around, waiting for their lattes or chatting over oat milk soft serves.

Contrary to commonly accepted convention and to the joy of toddlers all around, customers are allowed to leave little penned notes on some of the many surfaces available. They range from dreams of the future to curiously punctuated poems to little doodled dogs.

All this blends into an atmosphere resembling a well-attended block party.

Backyard Brew is nothing like the sanitized and glossy experience of a Starbucks or Peet’s with the unassuming and tasteful commercial linearts of the Coffea Arabica adorning the walls. Backyard Brew is a true local café — though with Palo Alto prices — with art that makes you look. Really look.

On your way in, the narrowness of the alley prevents a quick overall glance at the taupe floor to tall roof mural. One piece at a time, as you meander slowly down the path. A similarly styled coffee wall painting by Palo Alto High School art club decorates another wall once you’re in, and then you’re quickly drawn to a black and white rendering of a group of men. Yet another blue Picasso-es que mural by Evelyn Anderson frames a false window, a succulent pot intriguingly labeled “Long Life??” hanging off the scroll-worked grilles.

The line setup is a little confusing. It’s hard to sort out who’s waiting and who’s in line, but look for the cash register. They’re a lot quick er at taking orders than making them; there was no line for me but my Almond Joy took over ten minutes to come out.

The menu is dominated by its unusual Signa ture Brews, which range from a Desert Rose Latte with rosewater and cardamom to a Cold Brew du jour (you can check out the bean of the day at a sampling station across from the register). Beware: the menu claims all drinks can be served hot or iced, but some, like the Turkish Coffee, can only be made hot. They also have a selection of pastries, but their oat