Coffee and cocktails at Brew Haha!'s new Greenville site
GREENVILLE - Alisa Morkides acknowledges this is a whole new look for her original Brew Ha Ha! location.
Not only has she moved the coffeehouse to a new space in the Powder Mill Square shopping center off Kennett Pike, Morkides has increased the size to 3,000 square feet and pumped up the diversity of coffee-making methods, by adding such newer innovations as a siphon bar, aeropress and pourover area.
But, it’s the expanded menu, weekend brunch, chic European-style decor – tufted banquettes, soft, velvet couches, heavy wooden tables, and beaded and crystal chandeliers – and a new bar featuring a selection of local craft beers, wine by the glass or bottle and $10 cocktails like ginger martinis and caipirinhas that have stunned longtime fans of the 23-year-old Delaware-based coffee chain.
Yep. Brew Ha Ha! now has brunch and booze.
The coffeehouse also has a fireplace, a variety of nooks, cozy chairs and tables for chatting with friends or checking emails, and two outdoor seating areas that feature potted plants and flowers.
“It’s boho meets Brandywine Valley,” says Morkides of the space, adding the Parisian vibe and decor is more than intentional.
Last Friday, two days after opening the new site, Morkides stood near the new bar, explaining more new features to a reporter as customers bustled about.
“Is this your home?” gushed one woman to Morkides, who said she travels widely and has encountered few spots as stunning as the Greenville Brew Ha Ha! “I’m so impressed! Cheers!”
It’s a big change for the small, flagship coffeehouse that Morkides first opened in 1993 after being inspired by Italian espresso cafes and Italy's coffee culture. The Greenville cafe began the start of her Brew Ha Ha! chain that now has nine locations in northern New Castle County.
Morkides began talking about changing the location and look of the Greenville location last year after she moved her Trolley Square Brew Ha Ha! to a new space in April 2015 at 14th and North Du Pont streets.
The rustic look of the Wilmington coffeehouse, five times larger than the previous site that Morkides opened in 1998, won over local coffee lovers. The new site also houses Brandywine Coffee Roasters, Morkides’ new coffee bean roasting business.
While Morkides has described the decor of the Trolley Square Brew Ha Ha! as “an old lived in barn” or “Brandywine Valley meets Terrain at Styers,” referencing the garden cafe adjoining the Terrain store in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, she wanted something completely different for Greenville.
“We wanted it to have a lighter feel,” Morkides says.
The new Greenville cafe is located on the first floor of the Pond Building at Powder Mill Square, where Berkshire Hathaway Realtors has offices. The decor is mostly antiques with some vintage and outlet store finds. A green tufted banquette and heavy wooden tables grace the front room and a collection of mismatched, wrought-iron tables and chairs are situated on the balcony.
“This is how I’d like my house to look,” Morkides jokes.
One of the new eye-catching features is “the wall of art.” Morkides and her staff have been scouring a variety of places, such as the Habitat for Humanity thrift store and other shops, for unique picture frames. Artwork includes funky portraits of everyone from artist Frida Kahlo to former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
The new cafe also is offering an expanded breakfast menu, weekend brunch with omelets, pancakes and a bacon burger ($12.50), and a small-plates menu featuring Latin American- and Mediterranean-inspired dishes, available by 11 a.m. Mondays through Fridays, and after 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
The “tapas” include fried yukons, or twice-cooked potatoes with salsa verde and guajillo chile aioli ($6), and a mezze plate of yogurt raita, roasted peppers, Moroccan carrots, olives and naan ($10).
“We’ve changed all the salads, we’ve added breakfast sandwiches,” Morkides said. New items include avocado toast ($6) with serrano pepper, radish, queso fresco and cilantro.
One of the biggest additions, and a first for Brew Ha Ha!, is the libations menu. Alcoholic beverages are available daily at 11 a.m.
“I’ve always wanted to serve alcohol,” says Morkides. “ In Italy, all the coffee bars have alcohol. Coffee marries very well with liqueurs.”
No reservations are taken at the cafe and Morkides says there will be counter-only service for now. “We want it to operate like the other Brew Ha Has.”
Morkides admits she had a little trepidation about opening in late spring – the summer season in New Castle County can feel empty, especially on weekends – but, she says, “It’s probably a good thing. By fall, we’ll have things ironed out.”
And more changes are coming to other Brew Ha Ha! sites.
“I’m going to redo a couple shops next year. Anything not already redone will get ‘the treatment,’" Morkides jokes.
Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 orptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter@pattytalorico
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Brew Ha Ha! in Greenville
WHERE: Powder Mill Square Shopping Center, 3838 Kennett Pike. The cafe is now located on the first floor of the Pond Building where Berkshire Hathaway Realtors has offices.
HOURS: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., Mon.-Wed.; 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thurs.-Fri.; 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sat.; 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sun. Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
INFORMATION: Visit www.brewhaha.com