To me, there is nothing better than weekend mornings. Why, you may ask? Let me tell you.

I’ve always been a morning person. Ever since I was small, while the rest of the world was too preoccupied with catching up on their sleep, I was eager to start my day. Besides, that’s when the best cartoons were on. When I was older and participated in high school sports or theater productions, our practices would always take place in the mornings. Moving into college, my habit of rising early persuaded me to sign up for 7:30 a.m. classes.

Waking up before everyone else allowed me to bask in the quiet and actually get some “me time”. What do I like to do when it’s quiet before the night owls decide to start their day? Have a well-brewed cup of coffee and read the news; and, one of my favorite places to do that is Rustica Bakery in St. Louis Park.

My husband and I have been going to Rustica for quite a while since we moved to the cities close to three years ago. We keep coming back because of their dedication to making artisan breads and pastries the old fashioned way: with hard work and good ingredients. Most importantly, I come back because of their amazing coffee, which is sourced Dogwood Coffee Company and brewed to perfection. You really can’t get a bad cup here. This morning, I had a vanilla latte (above) and my husband had a coconut chocolate tart (below).

I like Rustica because it’s a meeting place for everyone. On a typical Saturday morning, you can find anyone from students doing homework to families enjoying breakfast together and everything in between. Tony and I go for the quiet before things get too busy, grab a copy of The New York Times or StarTribune, and settle in to catch up on the news while sipping on my favorite brew. After this, nothing could have ruined my day.

If you’d like to read about more of my favorite spots to sip on quality coffee, you can read my other posts on Bull Run Coffee Bar and Dogwood Coffee. Also, consider going on a caffeine crawl. This event typically happens in June so stay tuned!