We stumbled upon this little gem by accident, while wandering around downtown Astoria. The windows were dark and the door was small, but the signboard promised something delicious and, as usual while we’re exploring, we were hungry!
What we found was a very cute cafe, decorated in a retro art deco style. The menu was fairly extensive for such a small place and there was an entire page dedicated to quesadillas!
My daughter ordered the buffalo chicken-style quesadilla and I ordered the Urban Cuban. I had thoughts of ordering a dessert to share, but that was completely impossible after our big meal!
As we waited for our order we looked around at the décor. The cafe is full of interesting things to look at and our food came before we knew it.
The quesadilla, which I had imagined was buffalo chicken in a tortilla, was nothing short of a masterpiece. I’m not sure what all was in it, but there were red onions, savory cheese, and delicious chicken. The chicken wasn’t overwhelming or overly spicy. The flavor blended perfectly with the other ingredients. I traded half of my sandwich for one of 5 pieces of quesadilla and secretly wanted more, but I was worried about getting through the rest of my food.
The cuban…I’ve never had one before but it was quite possibly the best sandwich I’ve ever eaten. Thin layers of: pulled pork, grilled ham, bacon, cheese, pickles, mustard, and a touch of slightly sweet sauce were piled on a soft baguette. The result was a hint of sweet, salty, and savory melding together to make your taste buds sing.
The quantities were such that after half a sandwich and a 5th of a quesadilla, I could not finish my salad. Dessert was out of the question but it sure sounded good. The price was about $25 for the two of us and well worth it in my opinion. I can’t wait to go back and try some of their other dishes!
- T Paul’s Urban Cafe 1119 Commercial Street, Astoria, Oregon 97103
- T Paul’s Urban Cafe Website tpaulsurbancafe.com
- About the city of Astoria, Oregon
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Love the food description and the entire feel of what you wrote. You and your daughter had a great experience, I can sense that 😀 I do have one stupid question though. What is… buffalo chicken? Is it a chicken that looks like a buffalo or a buffalo with chicken wings. Or… maybe it is a chicken that tastes like buffalo?!
What a great question Black Knight! Buffalo chicken, or more commonly buffalo wings are baked or deep-fried chicken wings, coated in a hot, vinegary, cayenne pepper sauce that tastes something like tabasco. They are often dipped in ranch or bleu cheese salad dressing when eaten. There are shops that specialize in them.
This makes me crave them even more! Though I did imagine a flying buffalo, this detailed explanation is even better. I’ve already contemplated how would anyone be able to herd winged buffalo and it won’t be an easy job…
Haha. A specially trained buffalo wrangler with a sturdy net is required.
Hello there Black Knight buffalo chicken is actually named after hot sauce from buffalo. usually on buffalo wings once again named after the city not the animal. Though the city’s name may be inspired by the mighty buffalo. Its usually orange in color stains the fingers but is delicious and of a medium heat. I also enjoyed this tour and when able to travel outside of Canada this is the sort of place I really like! Plus I can bring my Father as the washroom is nice!
Thank you for your most wonderful explanation Skylerbeargunn. I actually didn’t know they were from Buffalo, which now makes perfect sense!
Oh. My. Goodness! The food looks scrumptious and even early in the morning I am craving that sandwich! The description of the food makes my mouth water and taste buds tingle! It sounds like a wonderful little stop on a journey.
Hi Leona! I’m glad if the description does it justice because I’m afraid the photo doesn’t. Have you ever seen a picture of a house that looks like it’s a pile of blocks or an old barn and then seen the inside and wow! Inside is some kind of magical place, filled with light and luxury? That’s how that sandwich was. The signboard description and outter appearance didn’t prepare me at all for the culinary bliss that I experienced with that first bite.
Criminally wholesome sammich!
I left a rather excellent explanation…. It seems not to have posted… those words lost forever like a dream forgotten in a flood of orange wing sauce…
I can read it! All that history bits about the sauce and everything 😀