When they couldn’t find locally owned dining options where they lived in Lakewood Ranch, Jim and Weyli Angus decided the time was right to open their own place. Thus, Atria Bread+ Coffee was born, a testament to the adage “build it and they will come.”
The cafe features artisan sourdough breads made with whole grains milled in-house, seasonal ingredients, specialty coffee, and other beverages. All of Atria’s breads and pastries are made using Atria’s own sourdough starter. The two main types of bread on the farm-to-table breakfast and lunch menu are a classic rustic sourdough loaf and Hokkaido milk bread, which has a soft, fluffy texture. The egg sandwich and the BLT are crowd favorites. The seasonal menu features twelve standard pastries during the week, with specialty pastries available on weekends. (Go for the buckwheat puff pastry with lingonberry jam and hazelnut!)
The couple is intent on making as much as they can in-house with many of their beverages featuring housemade syrups. Daniel’s buttered rum latte is an excellent choice for brunch, and for non-coffee drinkers, there’s the chrysanthemum tea or indigo lemonade.
The name Atria has two meanings, both aligning with the owners’ philosophy of creating a space for community connections. The restaurant is designed with a glass atrium, allowing guests a bird’s-eye view of the bread-making process in the kitchen; as they sit in the dining room, they can watch the steps, from milled grain to baked loaf. The second aspect of the name is related to how a human heart functions, with one atrium receiving depleted blood and the second pumping out revitalized blood into the body.
After dining at Atria, Jim and Weyli want their customers to feel nourished and refreshed. Dishes like eggplant and beet-cured salmon with smoked grapes, carotene aïoli, shiso furikake, and crispy garlic or the blood orange and radicchio salad with Medjool dates, chèvre buttercream, pickled onions, pecans, and vinaigrette, are sure to delight.
CAN’T MISS
Drinks: A sparkling indigo lemonade or Earl’s Foggy Morning, made with nitro earl gray tea
Pastry: Buckwheat puff pastry with lingonberry jam and the daily scone offering
Mains: If your tastes skew sweet, get the french toast made from Hokkaido bread; for savory, the eggplant and beet-cured salmon topped with crispy garlic
