Where to Eat in Hobart Book Village: The Coffee Pot
The unsung hero of Hobart Book Village is a homey little country diner, serving up delicious food and tons of character. It's worth getting to Hobart in time for breakfast or lunch because you seriously don't want to miss this place.
I know minimalist decor is cool right now, but when I walk into a room covered floor-to-ceiling in vintage Coca-Cola signs and other retro knickknacks, all hanging at haphazard angles, I hear the angels sing. The heavily decorated wood-paneled walls and cozy red booths brought my family so much joy.
Hobart's elegant Bull & Garland pub & inn has gotten some great press, but all I could find online about the Coffee Pot was a Facebook page that hadn't been updated since 2015. You're going to have to visit this secret clubhouse yourself to see the entire menu, but here's a peek:
I wish more menus were written like this one, as though it's in the voice of a super bubbly waitress, making promises about how delicious everything is and requesting a doctor's note for the meat-heavy breakfast hero. And everything's as good as it sounds. My Spanish omelette was simple and perfect, Pete's Reuben was generously piled with juicy corned beef and melted Swiss, alongside pickles and a heap of potato chips.
I love this place. Even the signs on the bathroom walls are cracking jokes.
There's also a little wooden box hung at a jaunty angle, purposefully at eye-level when you sit on the toilet. I didn't expect to find an actual note inside, but I should've known...
In a child's penciled penmanship, it reads, "nice food, nice bathroom, nice service, nice people, well nice everything." It's punctuated with a large smiley face and an exclamation point. It's pretty much the best review any restaurant could ever hope for.
The kids loved the milkshakes, and I love that they were neatly served in to-go cups with tops and straws. Oh, and if they have homemade blueberry muffins, buy one to eat and another to take home. Served toasted with a smear of butter, they are the best you'll find anywhere.
The Coffee Pot is located at 581 Main Street, Hobart, NY, in walking distance from all the bookshops of Hobart Book Village; (607) 538-1800. Open Monday through Saturday from 6:30am to 1:30, and Sunday from 6:30am to 11:30am.
