SAN ANTONIO — When we first heard about “What’s Brewing,” we thought, huh, that sounds interesting. And you kind of have to see it to believe it.
It’s a coffee bar, and believing in the coffee is not hard, but what’s paired with it is what sets it apart and makes it unique.
“We wanted to be something a little bit different, so we decided what can we pair coffee with,” said co-owner Tony Chbeir. “And something we came up with was pinball.”
You heard that right: coffee and pinball. And let me tell you, go check it out. It works, if you ask me.
The feel is “cool,” if you know what I mean.
“We have a great following,” said Tony. “People come in on first dates, and they come in for competitive pinball,” he added.
What’s Brewing has been brewing its own coffee since 1980, and as you might imagine, fresh is its No. 1 rule.
“We roast about 10,000 pounds per week,” said Tony. “You’ve got about two or three weeks while it is at its peak,” he continued. “You might think that coffee is coffee, but when you actually taste a really good cup of coffee, it speaks to you.”
We tried some of their coffee favorites paired with some of their in-house tasty eats.
First up was the “Sammy,” a honey latte.
“We use our Vienna roast as the latte,” said store team leader Fairen Pastol.
I really enjoyed it, and they paired it with their kolache, with a jalapeño in the middle, made fresh at the shop.
Second, we tried their “Cherry Blossom Latte.”
“It’s a rose white chocolate latte with the Vienna latte as the base,” said Fairen.
I loved that latte — really good — and it was paired with their blueberry cheesecake croissant, also made in the store. The pairing was perfect.
And last, we tried one of their sandwich boxes, their “Turkey Torta,” which also included hummus with some carrots and green grapes. To wash it down was their “Strawberry White Chocolate Cold Brew.”
“I put some cold foam on top,” said Fairen. And surprise, surprise, it tasted like coffee.
So check ’em out at 138 West Rhapsody Drive!