Don Diego Coffee House & Wine Bar

Don Diego confused me. I met a group there for breakfast since I had some business downtown Saturday (OK…who in their right mind has «business» downtown on a Saturday?). Anyway, it’s a really small space on the first floor of the Hermann Building, but there isn’t any sort of signage that says Don Diego. There was a flashing neon «open» sign that was totally out of place, though. Nothing else. No window signage. No hanging signage. Nothing.
The confusion continued inside. It didn’t feel like Houston at all (which really can be a good thing sometimes). It was quiet, a little bossa nova playing in the background, and since it was cool and cloudy outside, the doors were open. It felt like a lot of small coffeehouses I’ve been to outside the US. The menu confused me more since it said I was at Manacondo’s or someplace like that.
Now, about the food and drink. The columbian coffee was excellent. My breakfast sandwich was excellent. migas on an english muffin. The menu, whether it’s Don Diego’s or someone else’s, has a strong latin influence. A lot of eggs, beans, and white cheese plates. If you’ve travelled to Central or South America, it’s like a basic breakfast there. If you aren’t into that, there were pancakes and omelets on the menu as well.
The restaurant filled up pretty quickly and got noisy and then I woke up out of my confused haze and realized I really was in Houston eating a surprisingly good breakfast.

So, there’s a possibility I’m moving to Houston in the next few months… well that was unexpected. My wife has a conference this weekend here, so I came too to check the city out. In our wandering around for nightlife last night, we spotted this coffee house and wine bar. It wasn’t quite what we were in the mood for last night, but I was definitely coming back for breakfast and I am incredibly glad I did. The staff are super friendly and this place has a great neighborhood feel thanks to the fact that most of the people there seemed to be regulars. The food (I got the Pericos – scrambled eggs with tomato and green onions, fried plaintains… sooo freakin’ good… and rice) was great, and the columbian espresso coffee even better. If we move here, I would definitely see us taking the bus in to downtown houston (which is really quiet on a Sunday morning) to enjoy some good breakfast and coffee at Don Diego’s…oh and did I mention they serve Mimosas and Sangria??? Definitely a reason to go back and check it out!!!

The wine list is very eclectic, from the old standbys to some very nice choices. The place is welcoming and has a good menu with great prices. The enchiladas were very tasty. I would definitely recommend popping in here for breakfast before being sent to jail at the Courthouse down the street!

They are still pretty new, having been open for 3 months. The coffee isn’t bad, the atmosphere is nice, and the staff is friendly, but it just doesn’t seem to come together. No music, just silence. Not much traffic on the weekends either. I would give it another chance… and maybe ask for a real cup instead of a paper one.