I had quite the Wednesday morning. After getting lost somewhere east of 11th street downtown in desperate search of the Gold Dome Cathedral, I had to call home (much to my dismay) and ask for directions. Next, I had to rely on the confusing navigation of my GPS system to get to UMKC, where one of my friends waited patiently for me to pick her up. However, the day brightened up as soon as we parked and walked down the misty streets of the Plaza.

As per usual, we both obviously needed coffee. We rounded the corner and immediately came up to a quaint little cafe: Kaldi’s Coffee.

A small block in a plethora of Plaza shops, Kaldi’s Coffee has a little black fence in front, giving it a modern feel.

The interior conveys strong coffee tones, with lots of browns and light blues.

After pouring over the menu and asking a bunch of questions to figure out what I wanted to try first, one of the baristas let me in on a secret menu item: the Carmella. A mix of a cappuccino and a latte, the Carmella is around the equivalent of a Caramel Machiato from Starbucks. However, I enjoyed it a lot more because it wasn’t overly sweet. Along with the Carmella, I ordered a yogurt bowl that included strawberries, granola, honey and mint. I was pleasantly surprised by the mint — it gave the yogurt a refreshing twist along with being sweetened with honey.

All-in-all, Kaldi’s Coffee is a plaza stop that I will most definitely be making again. It is a delightful alternative to the usual Starbucks order, and the classy location makes it a nice treat for when you want to go visit the Plaza.

Visit the website at http://kaldiscoffee.com.