+57 Genova Cafe

Description: A Colombian-inspired coffee and dessert café serving specialty coffee drinks, fresh juices, ice cream, baked treats, and other sweet and savory offerings. Its name incorporates +57, Colombia's international dialing code, and Génova, a municipality in the country's renowned coffee-growing Quindío region. Located in a below-street-level storefront, the café offers a casual setting for enjoying drinks and desserts, meeting friends, and spending time together.

Comments: Feels like a cool hidden gem because it’s down a flight of stairs. Once you get down there, it’s a very thoughtfully adorned small space with bar-style seating all around, a small pastry case, and walls covered with Colombian art and heritage pieces.

All the standard coffee shop options are available, including matcha lattes, but they also have ice cream, fresh-squeezed juices, and bakery items, including empanadas. I like empanadas.

Access to outlets is surprisingly fantastic, which is not usually the case with bar-style seating. I think it’d be hard to find a spot here where you wouldn’t have outlet access, so it’s great for plopping down with a laptop and getting some work done. Particularly in the mornings when it’s chill and most people are coming in just to grab a drink and leave.

It’s in downtown Gastonia, which, if you strain your eyes, is charming. Parking is free for 2 hours on the street right out front, but you can drive around and find some lots without a time limit and walk over if you plan to stay longer.