The Sign is a Sign is a Sign: Achille's Art Cafe and Coffee Shop

I passed it every time I went to the bank, and kept telling myself, "I should go there." It was a green, nondescript "Coffee Shop" sign, with a small patio of tables out front for Orlando's locals to enjoy the nice warm weather and their beverage of choice.

I recently moved back to the City of Orlando a few months ago to live with my sister (I was born here), and deeply missed the cafe-culture surrounding my college town in the Winter Park/UCF area. I was looking for a local scene to frequent for some hot drinks and mingling. So, I took the sign as a sign, and chose to check it out.

Unexpectedly, I found that this "Coffee Shop" was none other than the well-reviewed, Achille's Art Cafe.

After walking into this little shop, I first noticed a group huddled together on some chairs and sofas playing a game of Apples to Apples. I felt like I was walking into their living room, with several extensions and a few random strangers at the corners.

Continuing to the counter, I discovered the menu, hand-written on the wall. I danced for a moment with indecision, because I had decided beforehand to go out in search of a cup of tea, but that "Coffee Shop" sign loomed over me, saying "You should order coffee!" So, I ordered a Cafe Latte.

It was the best choice I could have made. The cup came out of the maker's hands like something out of a Heaven for coffee lovers. It was divine. The frothy top was sprinkled with some kind of spices, for light flavor and decadent appearance. Just...beautiful.

I set up camp on one of the comfy couches, and started writing for the evening (I'm a Food Culture blogger, poet, communications specialist, and one day soon, hopefully a published author of 3-4 books, which are in progress).

During the course of the night, various characters came in and out of the shop - a man in a business suit, an Internet-using professor-type who told me the WiFi-password, a long-haired male hippie, a couple doing a group project (or awkwardly trying to engage each other on a blind first date), and a flamboyant, overweight gay guy who strutted his stuff in his shorts like it was nobody's business (and it wasn't), who was trying to persuade and joke with his cousin and friends about going to a strip club later. Needless to say, I was amazed at the diversity of the group!

A few of us were tapping feet and hands to the beats of Bonobo and the Gotan Project playing over the radio (I Shazammed them). It was the perfect background music to compliment the space, the art on the walls, and the overall design of the shop.

As closing time approached, and the bottom of my coffee mug came into view, I packed up and left feeling satisfied. I knew that this would be my new favorite cafe in Orlando, and in the coming months, I will swarm it like a fly over a feast for a king!

Message Takeaway: Sometimes the sign is a sign, and sometimes the words are exactly what you should order in life.

Go check out Achille's Art Cafe! It's worth its coffee bean weight in gold.