COLOMBINO Coffee

COLOMBINO sources its beans directly from origin in Colombia and runs sister shops in Bethel Park and Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville. The Bethel Park location sits in the Ruthfred Shopping Center on South Park Road. There is a free-to-use printer for customers, which is the kind of detail a shopping-center cafe rarely bothers with and which tells you who the shop is built for: the customer in and out on errands, not the customer settling in for the afternoon.

One recent customer said it plainly. This is not the place to settle in for an afternoon.

The storefront is quirky, with murals and a comfy sofa set, bar-style counter seating, and a small kitchen. Wifi exists. The design just is not built around it, and the kitchen and the counter take up enough of the room that lingering becomes awkward when the place fills.

The oat-milk cappuccino is the order for the customer who wants the Colombian beans presented straight. The dulce de leche caramel iced coffee is the sweet-leaning pull, the chai hot chocolate is the left-field move, and the farmer's latte is on the menu for a reason. The Americano is reliable.

The food is where COLOMBINO earns the trip. Colombian arepas in savory and breakfast versions, chicken empanadas, and the chorizo breakfast. The breakfast arepa is the order for the customer who has not had one before.

No outdoor seating. Shopping-center layout with the usual constraints.

For the customer who wants Colombian beans direct from origin and Colombian food to go with them, COLOMBINO does what its name promises in a part of Pittsburgh that does not have many alternatives. Order the empanada, order the arepa, take the cappuccino, and do not plan to linger. The model is the model. Use the printer if you need it on the way out.