MADISON TAYLOR

Little Bird offers a warm environment.

With its vintage warehouse appearance and cozy, eclectic vibe, it would be completely excusable to confuse Little Bird Patisserie & Café with the loft apartment of a European artist — that is, if the artist also happened to specialize in the baking of mouth-watering French pastries.

Nestled outside the hub of downtown, Little Bird is the newest tenant in the historic Adilman building on the corner of 20th Street and Avenue B. Offering a glorious selection of teas, french press coffee and sinfully delicious baked goods, it is difficult to believe that this adorable café is only just shy of a month old.

Though it specializes in the finer — and French-er — things in life such as macarons and éclairs, Little Bird also offers a smorgasbord of unique sandwiches, soups and salads. The lunch menu is virtually a culinary wheel of fortune, rotating its choices from week to week to ensure that there will never be a dull moment for any palate.

After careful consideration of the menu and suppression of the desire to float away on an endless buttery sea of croissants, I settled on a pot of chai tea, a blood orange tart and one of the café’s signature macarons.

The first nibble of tart was all it took for me to develop a hopeless food-crush on Little Bird Café. Never before has the phrase “made with love” been so relevant. Even the simple flaky biscuit of the macaron was enough to justify a second — or tenth — helping. Last but certainly not least was the chai tea, an intoxicating blend of spices with infinitely more exotic kick to it than any run-of-the-mill bagged tea.

With its delightfully European vibe and charming atmosphere, Little Bird Pâtisserie & Café is the prime destination for group and solo outings alike. Considering Feb. 14 looming ominously on the horizon, Little Bird is definitely a location to put on your to-do list — because let’s be honest, there are few things more precious than a coffee and biscotti date.

Whether you are searching for a jolt to satisfy your caffeine fix, a source of artistic inspiration or a pit-stop during a shopping trip along the treasure-trove that is 20th Street, Little Bird Patisserie & Café is well worth a visit. Midterms are lurking just around the corner, after all. What better excuse is there for drowning your sorrows in cake?

Visit the Little Bird Café Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at 258 Avenue B South.

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Photo: Madison Taylor