Pannikin Cafe - Encinitas - TravBuddy

At the western coast of Encinitas, California lies the funky surfer community of Leucadia.  And at the center of Leucadia, greeting the bicyclists and SUVs on the Pacific Coast Highway, sits the Pannikin Cafe.   Having coffee in the morning at the Pannikin is the easiest way to get introduced to the uniquely california nature of Leucadia.  Sitting on the second floor balcony while you sip, and you can see the legions of street bicycles stop on their morning rides and release their yuppie riders dressed in multi-colored skin tight spandex.  Competing for parking is a variety of Mercedes and Porche SUVs full of overpaid and uniteresting executives trying to absorb some of the casual cool that is Leucadia.

The locals of course, just walk to the shop. and the service is definetly local.  The staff is nice, and friendly, but not fake in any way.  I always get the feeling that they might have great advice about new music or who knows what, but they are always too busy to chat.  The Bakery is unique, tasty, and baked fresh every day.  The coffee is excellent, and a small variety of breakfast is available, such as bagel sandwiches and egss and toast.

Of course, the real charm of Pannikin is the place!  Aside from it's location, the building itself is fabulous.  It's an old train station that was moved from it's original location.  The building is dark old wood inside with a large second floor balcony that is always the perfect temperature and offers a fun overview of the comings and goings.  The interior is decorated with old railroad paraphenalia and paintings for sale by local artists, the perfect combination of trendy antique and beach cool.

I don't think I am a good enough writter to fully explain the Pannikin.  It's the kind of place you need to visit to get the feel for the place.  It's well worth the visit any morning of the week, even if you have to drive.  This is more than just your local coffee shop, this is the essence of california beach town.