Over Coffee Cafe in Hockessin

OCC Club and honey barbecue wings from Over Coffee Cafe. (Credit: Jessica Bratton)

Typically when making our way to a new lunch spot, the car conversation focuses mostly on how hungry we are, what we hope the dining destination has to offer on their menu, and what we're planning on eating once we get there. (Also, we talk about how hungry we are.)

But last week, on our way to a brand new eatery in Lantana Square, called the Over Coffee Cafe, we kept discussing the name of the place, rather than what we'd read about their menu. Quite frankly, the peculiar title was giving us fits.

So we'll cut to the chase and tell you what owner Ben Cordova told us: "We wanted to open a spot where folks could come in and have their senses stimulated, along with food and conversation, over coffee. Hence our name, the Over Coffee Cafe."

Suddenly, the name made sense to us, especially as Ben went on to explain the stimulation of senses, beginning with the six flatscreen TVs which air the Discovery Channel's "Planet Earth" to invigorate the eyes, while contemporary tunes placate the ears.

Books like "Bad Girls of the Bible" also align the shelves opposite the spacious dining counter, where we sat and listened to the coffee machines hissing and puffing in the background, while bells and shouts of "Order's up!" came from the kitchen.

Having already ordered at the front register, we sat patiently at the counter for our first round of appetizers, which included the hummus ($4.95), served with peppers, cucumbers, carrots and warm pita points, and the wings ($7.95 for 10), tossed in either honey BBQ or buffalo sauce.

Half-n-half was the way to go with the wings, but the honey BBQ won the battle of sauces, with its sweet and smoky flavor. The buffalo was solid and buttery, but could have used a little more kick.

The wings themselves were moderate in size, and overall might have been better served with another 30-60 seconds in the fryer. However, the softer skin and tender meat made for an easy clean sweep to the bone.

The hummus had plenty of nutty tahini flavor and chic peas galore, although was a tad salty and could have used more garlic. The veggies that came with were especially fresh and crunchy, and the pita points were toasted to crispy.

For convenience, they offer $4.95 half sandwiches, without the typical strings of having to order a half salad or half soup (whole sandwiches are $7.95). So, we chose two paninis: pulled pork BBQ and Kennett chicken.

The slow roasted pork on the crispy panini was more tugged than pulled, as there were still big chunks of pork interspersed with the shreds. The smoked gouda and baked bean spread certainly helped the "pressed to perfection" billing -- great flavors indeed.

A spread also highlighted the Kennett chicken, this time in the form of a mushroom duxelle, topped with melted provolone. Mushrooms on a sandwich can often be messy, but the neat coating not only made for easy eating, but had that great local flavor.

Coffee was obivously a must at meal's end. We split one of the cafe's coffee creations, the affogato ($3.50), a mix of vanilla bean ice cream, two shots of espresso, whipped cream and dark chocolate drizzle.

But their coffee is just as tasty without the ice cream. The latte we tried was smooth, rich and not in the least bitter, with the perfect proportion of foam to milk.

The drinks turned out to be a delectably delicious way to cap off a comforting meal of different colors from the flavor spectrum, providing a lunch that stimulated all the senses.

Insider tips:

A bag of chips

All their sandwiches are served with fresh made house potato chips, which were crunchy, salty and delicious.

Break the fast

Breakfast is served daily from 6-11 a.m. We recommend the whole wheat pancakes, because you can get just one for $1.95 if you'd like. (Two pancakes are $3.75.)

*Have you visited this eatery or plan on doing so? Give people your thoughts via the "add a comment" box below or write a full on user review yourself. Also, remember to check out our last 5 restaurant reviews via the "related links" on the right side of this page.

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