NOSHING IN LA VERNE: LOCAL COFFEE AND WAFFLE HOUSE IS AUSSIE APPROVED!

From left, Aussies Ben Noblet and Josh White enjoy American hospitality courtesy of Wahfles in La Verne.

Here was our challenge. Colleen and I have been hosting a couple of social media mavens from Australia here to explore new business opportunities when they asked us where they could pick up a good latte after their morning jog around our fair town of La Verne.

Immediately, panic set in, because, you see, Australians don’t take a back seat to anyone — not even the Italians — when it comes to caffeinating. Again, our two visitors weren’t from the Australian outback, but from Adelaide, South Australia’s cosmopolitan and sophisticated coastal capital where they drink lattes and cappuccinos like water from dawn to dusk.

At first, we thought of Klatch Coffee in San Dimas, which has a well-earned coffeehouse vibe, but the suggestion made us feel a little traitorous to our home town of La Verne. Surely, there had to be a La Verne java joint that could show off our local coffee culture.

Then we remembered Wahfles, a relatively new (2015) waffle and coffeehouse with the weird spelling in the Von’s shopping center.

Upon opening the doors to Wahfles on a Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., we knew we had made the right decision. Once inside, we were warmly welcomed by the dark mocha ceiling, gray-tiled floors and north-facing wall of roughly cut timber. The strip mall from which we had entered was long forgotten.

Ronnie, our barista, gave us menus after which we found a table to peruse our menu selections. Aussies Ben Noblet and Josh White each ordered Spanish coffees (a coffee leche with condensed milk). After they gave their libations the thumbs up, the Down Under duo were emboldened to dive deeper into the menu.

Both found their sweet spot by ordering the wahfle with “Nutella, Freshly Sliced Bananas, Whipped Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream and finished with Cinnamon Sugar.” Having completed their morning jogs, they made no apologies for their mid-morning indulgences.

I joined the sweet fest by ordering a moist blueberry scone with an irresistible bronze sugary glaze while Colleen shamed us all by enjoying the protein-packed “California,” consisting of freshly sliced smoked turkey, Applewood smoked bacon, fresh avocado, Dijon mustard and sharp cheddar cheese served with a side of our house slaw. She insisted we all sample the coleslaw, which she found crisp and perfectly seasoned.

After enjoying our treats, we leaned back in our chairs and chatted things up, feeling very much at home in La Verne’s new hipster, laptop-loving, coffee-infused venue.

Separately, Colleen and I were relieved that we now had a go-to coffee (and waffle) place with which to impress our new Aussie mates.

In a word, Wahfles is “delight-fle!”

Address: 1502 Foothill Blvd #101, La Verne, CA 91750

Hours: Open today · 6AM–10PM

Phone: (909) 392-5959

Menu: wahfles.com