Nisa's Cafe at High Tech Spa & Salon ... new coffee spot in Staunton area

There's a new eatery in town. Nisa's Cafe in Verona serves a wide variety of gourmet coffees, teas, smoothies, and espresso drinks as well as daily breakfast and lunch specials. Opened in November, this local cafe whose name is derived from the two owners' names -- Nikki and Lisa -- can be found in an airy, bright space adjacent to High Tech Salon and Spa.

On Tuesday I checked out Nisa's after my appointment at High Tech. All the ladies working the counter were friendly and personable, and very agreeable when I asked to take photos.  They were making up samples of Chai Tea Lattes to take into the adjacent salon and asked if I would like to taste. Have to admit I'd never tasted Chai tea although I'd heard of it. As I sipped the spicy drink, they were eager to hear my opinion. It was good. It was a little different. It tasted, I told them, like what a cinnamon potpourri would taste like so a little would go a long way. We all laughed, and then non-coffee drinker me ordered a chocolate mocha frappé with skim milk -- it was good -- and hung out for a while, talking with the mother-in-law of one of the owners and getting a feel for the place.

Daily Specials are posted at the door and on their Facebook page like these for today, January 8:

Today's Specials:
+Coffee flavor: English Toffee
+Cream cheese flavors: Veggie & Strawberry
+Bagel Flavors: Plain,wheat, everything & blueberry
+Baked oatmeal
+Gourmet cupcake flavors-chocolate with old fashion caramel icing and golden "oreo"
+French apple cake
Lunch:
+Chicken Noodle Soup - 12 oz bowl $5.25 8 oz cup $4.25
+Gourmet grilled cheese & bacon on wheat berry bread with Nisa's dressing and bag of chips $7.50

Come in out of the cold and have some hot coffee in a warm & cozy atmosphere!!

Open at 7:00 a.m. with breakfast items that include bacon or ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches, bagels, hard boiled eggs with bacon and toast, oatmeal, and muffins, Nisa's Cafe stays open until 4:00 Tuesday through Friday. On Saturdays they are open 8-1:00.

For gluten-free diets, they offer gluten-free muffins as well as gluten-free bread for any of the sandwiches. Their chicken salad is homemade as is most everything else they offer.

Nisa's is also available to host parties and special events in the cafe. With its cozy conversation areas and wide variety of goodies for just about any taste buds, it's becoming the popular place to gather in central Augusta County at 11 Green Hills Drive, Verona / 540.248-8800, adjacent to High Tech Styling Salon. While there, be sure to grab a punch card ... after 10 punches, get a free coffee of your choice.

It sounds like a lot of time and effort has gone into this venture and, since I only purchased a frappé yesterday, I'm looking forward to stopping by again to try out a sandwich or salad or homemade soup. See you at Nisa's!

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
January 7, 2014

Waynesboro's Chatter Bus coffee shop chatters no more....

The advances of Waynesboro's westend with Target and Kohl's and Wal-Mart and Starbucks have made a casualty of a downtown icon.

The Chatter Bus, a tan-colored Bluebird school bus parked on a lot at the corner of Poplar and Broad streets has closed its doors. When it first opened in 2003, coffee shops were rare in the area but now an abundance of them has robbed the Chatter Bus of its novelty and its customers.

My sister and SWAC Niece loved to stop there when they came to visit from Richmond. With its outdoors seating, its comfy interior, and the friendliness of owner Colleen Paixao, it was the spot to feel welcomed ... sit a spell ... visit ... no purchase necessary if you didn't want to buy anything.

Not sure what you wanted? Colleen had suggestions ... perhaps this? Maybe that? Not just coffee but fruit smoothies were a specialty ... or make a suggestion and she would give it a whirl. Her friendly banter as she worked was a world away from impersonal chain stores.

The Chatter Bus had its 15 minutes of fame when the Travel Channel came to town a few years ago to film for a feature of unusual eateries ... we actually caught the show when it ran. They were often featured also in magazines and newspapers. Perhaps it was the name ... perhaps it was the bus ... perhaps it was the Paixaos. Whatever it was, it will be missed.

How sad. SWAC Niece will be terribly disappointed to not be able to visit the Chatter Bus when she visits....