Approaching the iconic covered wagon outside the shops on Westport Rd, I saw a small, rustic looking coffee shop: the Filling Station Coffee Garage. It seemed like it could be just another cute, hipster coffee shop. I started second guessing my decision to eat there, but I was already committed to a parking space right outside and had to go in.
It looked a little cramped at first, but the space issue was soon 
resolved when my friend and I realized we had the place to ourselves. Had we been there an hour earlier, we probably would’ve had to eat outside or taken our order to go because there were only a few bar-stools and a couple tables. Luckily, we were there at 8:30 a.m. and missed the rush hour crowd. The room was empty and we had the few seats to choose from, so we plopped down on the bar-stools overlooking Belleview Avenue’s surprisingly pleasant Thursday morning traffic.
Up at the counter, there was a wide selection of pastries to choose from: a variety of scones, cinnamon rolls, croissants and cookies. The drink menu wasn’t that unique, having the classic coffees or teas you could find anywhere. But with the assortment of food, an extravagant beverage wasn’t necessary.
My friend and I decided to order four different pastries and split them, then each get our own drink. For pastries, we went with the blackberry peach muffin, spinach and cheese scone, cinnamon roll and blueberry scone. Drink-wise, my friend chose the mocha and I ordered a classic hot chocolate.
I expected the food to be overpriced, like most other hipster coffee shops, but I was surprised that our total came out to be $19.01. This seemed reasonable considering we ordered so much. Even if the price came out to be double that, the food would have justified it.
The cutie who took our order called out that the mocha and hot chocolate were ready. As I picked up my drink, I was delighted to see that he had taken the time to create latte artwork in the foam of my hot chocolate and my friend’s mocha. I immediately wanted to give into my inner-hipster and Instagrama photo of my newly acclaimed work of art, but I restrained myself and enjoyed it without social media.
I was unsure about the combination of blackberry and peach in the muffin, thinking it would result in an oddly sweet and sour taste, but after my first bite, all my doubts were set aside. I was expecting a dry, bizarre taste; however I was proved wrong with its moist, decadent taste. This was easily my favorite pastry of the morning.
The spinach and cheese scone was the only substantial food we ordered. It didn’t even taste like there was spinach, though, leaving out some of the flavor I hoped for. After sitting in the pastry window all morning, the scone lacked the warmth I expected and the cheese had hardened. Had it been fresh out of the oven, I would not hesitate to order this again.
The cinnamon roll was perfectly gooey and messy. The sweet glaze drizzled over the warm bread was all I could’ve hoped for. The cinnamon-to-roll ratio was just right – I’m definitely ordering this when I go back.
The blueberry scone was tasty, but it got old after a few bites. There wasn’t a distinguishing feature that would make it stand out against any other blueberry scone.
Overall, I’d give the whole experience a 5/5, and I would go back for the food without any hesitations, even during morning rush hour. I’m not usually a breakfast person, but the Filling Station Coffee Garage made me one that morning.