You’ve heard of heirloom tomatoes, but have you heard of heirloom coffee? In 1991, Jilla and Shallom Berkman opened their first Urth Caffé in Manhattan Beach, California, bringing their passion for organic, fair trade heirloom coffee beans to the West Coast. Like heirloom vegetables, heirloom coffee beans are described as the purest on the market.
Urth’s attention to detail doesn’t end at coffee, making it a perfect fit for its upscale clientele inside the Wynn Plaza Shops. The café opened its doors in November, bringing surprisingly affordable and wholesome eats to the resort. Urth offers breakfast all day, including green tea pancakes ($16), stuffed French toast ($17) and a spicy chicken sausage and potato omelet ($13), along with a bevy of lunch options. Vegetarians, vegans and omnivores can all find something on Urth’s gigantic menu; the restaurant offers everything from unique pizzas—like the butternut squash and ricotta ($15) and the D’Lox ($18) with smoked salmon, herbed mascarpone, red onions, arugula, fennel and capers—to sandwiches and paninis, like the chicken curry salad sandwich ($11-$14) and the classic New Yorker Reuben ($15) with pastrami, Russian dressing, braised green cabbage and imported Swiss.
Still, Urth’s most attention-grabbing attraction is its dessert case, home to Bavarian fruit tarts, Napoleons and a variety of cakes, pies and vegan treats (dairy-free pumpkin pie!). Pair your pick with an Italian cappuccino for the perfect afternoon pick-me-up.
