My radar went up recently when I heard talk of the new Washington Street Coffee House at the old Bean & Leaf location on Washington Street in New London. The beat on the street is this places makes some pretty tasty food.

So I went to check it out for lunch today. I was expecting the usual coffee house lunch fare: a turkey sandwich, vegetable wrap, caprese sandwich with tomato and mozzarella, and maybe a veggie burger.

But I was really excited when I saw how unique their menu was. There’s a BBQ brisket with coleslaw and cheddar on a baguette, chicken tacos with cabbage, red onion, cilantro and house made jalapeño hot sauce, and chicken Rueben with house made sauerkraut, cheddar and Russian dressing on rye bread to name a few.

On the breakfast side of things, there’s bread pudding French toast, organic yogurt and house made granola, egg sandwich on English muffin and bagels.

I went with the chicken tacos, which came to $7 for three tacos (see above picture). I’m going out on a limb here, but, I think, this is probably the most inventive lunch I’ve had at a New London coffee shop to date.

The tacos were small grilled corn tortillas. The cabbage gave a nice crunchy texture and complimented the flavor of the moist chicken and mildly spicy jalapeño sauce. I would highly recommend this meal.

The café space itself looks a little different than it did during the old Bean & Leaf days. The decorations are probably a little more minimalist, with old photographs of New London and street maps hung throughout. There’s rustic but clean wood furniture throughout the dining area.

Washington Street Coffee House has not been open too long and it seems they’re still squaring away a few details—when I was in they didn’t have any chips yet (But they assured me they are on the way!).

Regardless, this is already a great place for a quick and delicious lunch, and I’m looking forward to what’s in store.