Thursday afternoon at Odyssey Coffee. Paul Goldfinger photo. 4/10/25
Odyssey cappuccino and apple pastry: superb. Paul Goldfinger photo at Odyssey Coffee.
A Greek scholar no doubt writing an epic poem at Odyssey. His hero must be Homer. He is seated in the vertical corridor with the sun illuminating his work, late afternoon Ocean Grove. Paul Goldfinger photograph. 3/4/25.
Paul Goldfinger Editor. Blogfinger.net
Main Avenue at Pilgrim Pathway in a former bank.
Ocean Grove, NJ, USA
4/10/25.
The verdict isn’t in yet regarding the new coffee emporium on Main Avenue in Ocean Grove, NJ. This v. 2.0 iteration of the original Odyssey Coffee is larger with more seating, and that is great, but it has a peculiar design, with most of the seating down a long and narrow corridor. There is minimal seating near the counter which is near the entrance and which runs perpendicular to the long run.
Even though the seating is more numerous compared to v. 1.0, it looks like visitors may often enter the shop only to find minimal or no seating. This will become an issue when warm weather arrives in the Grove. There will be alfresco seating later. As far as seating is concerned, it is what it is.
Yet, Café Volan in Asbury has less seating yet it seems more inviting. So there is more to consider besides the number of seats. A groovy and welcoming coffeeshop will offer comfort to visitors; but does Odyssey do that? Judging from the people there this afternoon, maybe it does, but there is a needed vibe which seems to be absent. However it’s too soon to be sure about that quality.
However, the good news is that I had a superb cappuccino and an excellent apple pastry. They also had sandwiches and quiche which customers tend to rave about. Their delicious coffee is roasted in Brooklyn, and you can buy a bag of beans. And they have some tempting souvenirs such as sweatshirts with the shop’s logo and notebooks so that visitors might write their own epic adventures. The logo is a ship that Odysseus sailed on during his epic adventure. Is it any wonder that the ancient Greeks were admired more than the ancient Hebrews who walked everywhere for 40 years eating manna.
So the final judgement is still out regarding Odyssey Coffee. Tell us what you think. Comment below. And as for the moody girl above, she is de-lovely indeed while sipping her Odyssey coffee.
ROBBIE WILLIAMS. from the film De-Lovely