If you have planned a hike in the Müllerthal region for the coming spring days, you should definitely consider a visit to Carli’s Coffee. Whether as a refreshment before the start with an energising bowl, delicious blueberry pancakes and a glass of fresh fruit juice or as a reward after the tour with a piece of homemade cake and a cup of coffee – at Carli’s you will find everything you need for a perfect break.
A modern café with history…
Caroline welcomes you behind the counter of the cosy café. The owner is the heart and soul of the café and a real Echternach native through and through. Her family has been livening up the business in the abbey town on the River Sauer for several generations. After studying tourism in Munich, she decided to follow in the footsteps of her parents and grandparents: “I grew up in this environment and the desire to become an entrepreneur never really left me. In my early 30s, the point came when I told myself it was now or never!”
The idea of opening a café came to Caroline during a holiday in Malta, where a small café with its homemade pancakes captured her heart. Back in Echternach, she seized the opportunity to turn the corner shop on Rte. de Luxembourg, which had been in the family for generations and had been run as a bakery by her grandfather until the late 1960s, into a modern café. “Before I moved in, the shop was rented out to a sports bike dealer, so I first had to rebuild, renovate and redecorate quite a bit. I designed the entire interior myself and then realised it with a lot of help from the family.” Carli’s finally opened its doors in July 2020 – a place that combines tradition and modernity and perhaps reminds long-established Echternach residents of the days when Caroline’s grandmother stood behind the counter.
When she opened, she was assisted by a cook and a waitress, who have been indispensable to date. In the meantime, the small but efficient female power team has even expanded to six members, including an additional kitchen assistant and two students who help to cope with the weekend brunch rush.
Shortly after opening in summer 2020, the second lockdown presented a certain obstacle, but Caroline proved her business and inventive spirit and offered her brunch menus as take-away boxes – a concept that was so well received that it is still an integral part of the offer today: “People like the concept,” she explains. “In summer, many customers pick up a box to take with them to Lake Echternach.”
Fresh, tasty & local!
Cooperation with local producers is a key aspect of Carli’s Coffee. In addition to the Echternach-based coffee roastery “Mondo del Caffè”, partners include the Jeitz bakery, “Frombuerger Haff”, Fromagerie Schmalen from Berdorf, “Téi vum Séi” and “Tudorsgeeschter” from Rosport, which supply the café with juices and fruit syrup. Caroline emphasises her commitment to local products: “I try to work with regional producers as much as possible. Unfortunately, this is never 100% possible, as avocados don’t grow on the river Sauer. But as far as possible, the aim is to offer locally produced quality products.”
The brunch is available daily and, in addition to full portions, also offers half-portion sizes that allow guests to enjoy the delicacies as “shared plates” – a refreshing alternative to the typical brunch buffet: “I didn’t want to do a classic buffet, firstly because we wouldn’t have enough space for it and secondly because the food would then often lie around for a long time and not be as fresh as it should be”.
In addition to brunch classics such as overnight oats, various toasts, a cheese platter and the ever-popular pancakes, there are constantly changing drinks with seasonal ingredients as well as a special monthly pancake and toast variation. Caroline explains: “I have put together a small but good menu. For our classics, which are available all year round, I have taken care not to be too reliant on seasonal products. For our monthly changing specials, however, we work with the seasonal products that our suppliers have on offer.”
A reservation is essential for Sunday brunch to ensure that you get a seat. This is possible either for the time slot between 9:30 and 12:30 or between 12:40 and 15:00. In general, the kitchen is open from Wednesday to Saturday from 9:00 to 14:00, but guests can drop by for a cup of coffee and a slice of cake until 17:00 – on Saturdays, only until 16:00.
Carli’s Coffee
31, Rte de Luxembourg, Echternach
Website: : https://www.carliscoffee.lu/
Pictures: KACHEN