Coffee Ride to Sandy Hook Cafe in Sandy Hook, CT
The Ride
One of our Instagram followers in the area suggested Sandy Hook Cafe. Leaving Cross River on the BMW R1200GSA, the Beeline indicated 19.8 miles as the crow flies. See our article on discovering new roads with Beeline. We’d be crossing into Connecticut and many excellent roads there, so I expected our ending mileage to be up a bit from the compass distance.
I headed north on Route 121 toward North Salem. At the split with Route 116, I turned east to align with the compass. Route 116 turns south here, so I needed to find a way to head northeast as the Beeline compass beckoned. As I approached the downtown of Ridgefield, Connecticut, I turned onto Route 35, which was heading in the right direction.
Route 35 terminates at Route 7, where I turn left and head north. I still needed to get more of a northeast heading, so I turned onto a road I’d not tried before named Starrs Plain Road. This started to backtrack, paralleling Route 7 heading south, so I turned onto West Redding Road. This was what I was looking for. A wonderful backroad that winds its way up the ridge next to Route 7. I turned left onto Long Ridge Road, which, true to its name, follows the ridge next to Route 7 with a wonderfully scenic path.
I hit a bit of the southeast edge of Danbury as I headed toward Bethel. My compass was pointing to go over the hill to my left in Bethel, and spotting a road named Passage Road, along with several houses on the top of the ridge, gave me hope. Sadly, winding to the top resulted in a gated community leading further up, so I had to backtrack. In Bethel, I turned onto Plumtrees Road, which was an excellent choice, heading toward Newtown in a way I’d never come before on West Street that approaches the back side of the New Heights Baptist Church at the top of the hill.
I crossed Main Street and onto Church Hill Road, heading down and crossing Interstate 84 before arriving in the hamlet of Sandy Hook. A turn onto Glen Road had my destination on the left. When I pulled up to the parking lot for Sandy Hook Cafe and checked out Rever, it had recorded 34.5 miles, so a decent detour from the original ~20 miles. Check out the route below.
The Coffee Shop
The shop is just off the main drag in downtown Sandy Hook, located in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Parking directly in front was full, but a helpful sign pointed toward an overflow lot just beyond the cafe. The cafe is in an old farmhouse on a rapidly flowing river. The parking lot had a perfect view of the river. Heading toward the cafe, I spied a couple sitting outside on the deck with a view of the river and made a mental note to grab a table out there.
A small space inside with about an even split kitchen to seating was evident. Most of the seats inside were full, but I wanted to sit outside anyway. It was busy with a couple of staff in the kitchen, and the wait staff was busy with other patrons.
I checked out the coffee options and found drip coffee, espresso & cappuccino, and iced coffee. An egg sandwich for breakfast, along with an assortment of pastries and cookies, was also available for early eating. A case of gelato was at the counter but empty when I visited on a weekday morning in early March. Sandwiches and salads were also on the menu.
I grabbed the table outside on the deck as it was a warmer spring day of about 45F. The sound of the babbling river with visible white water 30 feet away made for a beautiful nature experience.
The Refreshments
I ordered a cappuccino and a cinnamon roll, and they said they would bring them to me when they were ready, which gives a bit of an indication of the service experience.
I grabbed a table on the deck outside with a good river view. After a few minutes, my coffee and pastry were served by the staff, who shared their name in case I needed anything.
The coffee was served in a ceramic cup, which put me in a positive mood. It had beautiful foam with a dash of cinnamon on top. A wonderful aroma and delicious flavor were evident—one of the best cappuccinos I’ve had.
The cinnamon roll was presented beautifully on a white plate with fresh icing and cinnamon. It was not your typical coffee shop pastry, more like a gourmet offering. It was served nicely and warmed up. A perfect balance of cinnamon and a soft bite of the pastry melted in my mouth. The sweet crème on top was especially wonderful. It was the best pastry I’ve found thus far on my coffee rides!
The pastry was so good, and it was about lunchtime when I finished, so I decided to grab lunch. I chose their Autumn salad. I was amazed when it came out. Much larger than I’d expected, it was a 10” square bowl about 3” deep, filled to the top. A beautiful presentation hinted at the flavor explosion waiting for me. This isn’t some roadside cafe but rather a gourmet affair.
