Fortezza Coffee

It’s rare that I actually go to a coffee shop other than Starbucks during my bi-weekly grocery shopping trips. When I do, it’s almost always a treat. This week I’m in Fort Wayne, Indiana for a business trip and Fortezza Coffee kept coming up on my map when looking for somewhere to eat dinner. This morning for breakfast I decided to walk the couple blocks and try it. I was not disappointed!

Downtown Fort Wayne has a lot of pretty buildings, but they’re mostly empty. I think they are trying to revitalize the city, but as far as I have ventured there isn’t a lot to do downtown. The Fortezza Coffee building is old red brick and the inside has not been updated to look like new construction either.

The menu is written out on a chalkboard that takes up an entire wall. It’s pretty much the first thing you see when you walk in. They also serve craft beer, but I’m not a beer drinker, so I won’t even pretend to talk about their selection. Normally when I try a coffee shop for the first time I try their Americano. It was sticky hot this morning and I had lugged my laptop bag with me so hot coffee wasn’t happening. I ordered their iced coffee and the quiche.

The inside of the store is really cozy with an eclectic feel. The furniture is mismatched and there’s a lot of artwork in the seating area. Lots of coffee shops have a cramped feel and you have to squeeze in between people to take your seat. Not so here. It is very open and the high ceilings make the space feel huge.

They gave me my coffee right away, but they brought out the quiche. I was pleasantly surprised with the plate. Not only was there quiche, but also yogurt and a small salad.

The mushroom and onion quiche was delicious. Flavorful, moist, with a good textured crust. I’m a big salad fan and even for breakfast I enjoyed it. I’m not a big fan of sweetened yogurt, but it was sweetened with honey and it was delicious. (I actually want to try this when I get home.) I’m a grumpy person without breakfast and this breakfast was perfect!

I’m working right near the hotel, so when I was ready for my afternoon coffee I headed over again and picked up an Americano. They were still busy, so it seems they have a pretty steady crowd. I had a little more chance to look around and they have a nice selection of things to buy as well. They carry Kalita pourover supplies, the Counter Coffee beans that they brew, and some other miscellaneous items.

Onto the coffee now that I’ve talked about the atmosphere and food.

The iced coffee: I am pretty sure by the taste that this is a cold brew. It had a rich coffee flavor with no hint of bitterness. It had a slight acidic taste, but it complemented the drink well.

The Americano: I would drink this every day. Every. Day. This cup again has the slight acidic taste with none of the bitterness. It was hot, rich, and took cream well. It had no overbearing fruity or nutty flavors. This is the type of coffee that I wish my Moka Pot would brew and makes me wonder about getting an espresso machine.

The price: Fortezza Coffee is affordable. My iced coffee and breakfast was $9.67. My Americano was $2.65. Those prices are extremely comparable to Starbucks with a much better quality.

If you’re in Fort Wayne I definitely recommend you stop in and try their coffee!

Image Credits: Most images taken from their Facebook or Yelp. Both times I was there, there were many people and I did not wish to violate anyone’s privacy.