Common Bond Bakery and Café, Houston

What better way to spend the Fourth of July morning than to venture out to one of Houston's new bakery/brunch spots...Common Bond. With the expectations of getting coffee and some decent grub, we arrived at this charming little place that sits of the corner of Westheimer and Dunlavy St. near midtown Houston.

Walking in, my eyes were drawn to the abundance of pastries that were in full sight in the counter area. Breads, croissants, cookies, brownies and cheesecake were just a few of the items. For the moment, we stayed on course and began to browse the brunch menu. Suprisingly, there were not that many options but considering that the main focus here is baked goods and sweets, it was understandable. Out of the 4 or 5 different options, without too much hesitation I chose the Shrooms and Grits and my husband decided on the Torta al Pastor.

It was very crowded so we found a counter bar seat at the coffee bar where we were able to look around and have a terrific view of the entire place. I must say, I loved the atmosphere here. It's rustic warehouse architecture and modern decor provided a pleasant visual to enjoy while sipping our coffee and chowing down on our yummy food. You kind of get the feeling that you are in a modern-day upscale but yet rustic diner.

We thoroughly enjoyed our food. My husband even went as far as saying that his pork sandwhich was maybe the best sandwhich that he has ever had. And he has had a lot of sandwhiches....and pork for that matter (but he rides his bike a lot so it's all good) To drink I had a cafe au lait and Edward had a Nebraska IPA....Yes, they do serve beer at this bakery much to his delight.

We chatted with some of the guys working behind the coffee bar.

The attitude seemed to be very upbeat and positive amongst all of the employees. It's nice to be at a place where you feel everyone enjoys being there and you are welcome. We were able to relax, and casually enjoy our breakfast with out feeling rushed at all, despite the hustle and bustle around us.

Before leaving, we thought it appropritate to sample something from the bakery so we headed back over to the counter to make the very difficult decision. We selected four different flavors of the macaroons- green tea matcha, salted caramel, mexican chocolate, and vanilla. (there was also lemon and chocolate ) WOW!! These little treats were delicious. My absolute favorite was the salted caramel. I can't wait to return to get a dozen of these to take with me.

I now have a new spot to add to my long list of favorite Houston spots.

I will most certainly be returning to Common Bond as soon as I can to revisit this most pleasant brunch experience.