Anglers Coffee Cafe

[Phil Lilley]

by John Berry

As many of you know, I am a bit of a coffee addict. I start every day with a pot of fresh java. There is a new coffee shop in town that combines my favorite beverage with my other passion in life, fly fishing. Anglers Coffee Café is located at 1343 Highway 5 South in Mountain Home, Arkansas adjacent to Blue Ribbon Fly Shop, the oldest and most respected fly shop in the Twin Lakes area. The hours are from 6:45 AM to 6:00 PM daily. You can contact the cafe at (870) 508-4040 or coffeeinfo@anglerscoffeecafe.com . Their website is http://www.anglerscoffeecafe.com .

The interior of the shop looks and feels like an old fishing lodge. There is a stone fireplace for nasty days when you would like to warm up by a roaring fire before returning to the river. The place is decorated with a collection of antique fishing tackle and sporting art. There is an old cedar canoe hanging from the rafters, a lot of unusual mounts of interesting animals, and some very comfortable seating. If you need to knock out a few of those special flies that are out producing all others, there is a fly tying bench for your use. To keep you mind occupied, they have a plasma TV with fly fishing videos playing. If you want to check your email, bring in your laptop because the café is wired for Wi-fi. Oh yeah, the Anglers Coffee Café is wader friendly. If you are on your way back from the river and you are still dressed out, there is no need to change before you come in. Are you too busy to stop? Then use the drive through. They made sure that it is big enough to accommodate a vehicle with a boat. Call ahead with your order to save even more time. They are going to offer fly tying and fly fishing classes after hours.

Then, of course, there is coffee. They serve all of your favorite variations, lattes, mochas, expressos and my personal favorite, cappuccino. There is Chai tea, hot tea, hot chocolate, iced coffee drinks, fruit smoothies and bottled beverages. I always like a little snack with my morning coffee. Here they have bagels, jumbo muffins and scones (my personal favorite is the raspberry and white chocolate scones). If you need something a bit heartier for lunch, there is an array of signature sandwiches. The Grand Slam for instance has roast beef, turkey, salami, ham, provolone, cheddar, Swiss, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayonnaise, and mustard. There are Paninis, Italian style grilled sandwiches served on artisan bread (the ham and Swiss Panini is outstanding). There is also an assortment of freshly baked bars, cookies, and brownies (Lori's favorite). This is not a Starbucks where all the food is sent in frozen from some central kitchen but a locally owned coffee shop where the food is cooked on premises.

One thing that has me excited is their angler's boxed lunch. I am always looking for a better shore lunch. This will allow me to serve my clients a superb meal with great deli sandwiches and fresh baked sweets and have some one else do the work. When I get a last minute guide trip, I often have to scramble to the store to get the food for my client's lunch. Now, I just make a phone call and I can have it prepared and waiting for me.

I see this as being the ultimate place to meet my clients for a guide trip. I can get there a bit early and enjoy a steaming cappuccino and a jumbo muffin for breakfast. I can order my lunches while I wait. When my clients arrived we can get a hot coffee to go. If they need anything like a fishing license or rain jacket, a great fly shop is next door. At the end of the day, it is a great place to unwind for a few minutes over a cup of great coffee before heading back to Cotter.

This would be a comfortable place to hang out on a slow day when I am not working. I see myself sitting at a quiet corner table sipping a cappuccino and working on my column. I am pretty sure that Anglers Coffee Café will be the gathering place for anglers when they are unable to get on the water. Where has this place been all my life!

John Berry is a fly fishing guide and serious foodie in Cotter, Arkansas and has been writing restaurant reviews for over twenty years. John can be reached at (870) 435-2169 or http://www.berrybrothersguides.com .

[Kansas Fly Fisher]

Thanks for the report John. It sounds like my kinda place. I will definitely make a stop on my next trip down.

John

[Terry Beeson]

Well, when the weather and the fish are not cooperating, we know where to find you now, JB...

I gotta check that place out for sure...