At what point does a coffee shop become less about coffee and more about sambal shrimp and coconut grits?
Great question. Really glad you fake-asked that.
The answer lies, of course, in Drip Line, a little hidden gem of a café that’s now open in Oakland and that looks like this.
You’ll enter through the modern facade resembling a garage door and start with a cup of coffee, as one does. Next thing you know, you’re looking at this menu and making a crucial decision to “work from home” at a dark-wood table.
That’s because, in addition to a great many caffeinated things, this place also offers a seasonally changing, California/Southeast Asian menu from a former Blue Bottle chef. Koji fried-chicken sandwiches with herb aioli and Asian pear. Grilled cheese on house brioche. That aforementioned shrimp-and-grits scenario. All possible here.
Get comfortable. Call a friend or a coffee date and invite them in on your little secret. Or don’t and keep it all to yourself. Just make sure to grab a Chinese five-spice croissant bun to go once you’ve decided it’s time to hit the road.
You’ll eventually have to decide that, you know.
