Kaffe Landskap, Union Station’s Sleek New Scandinavian Coffee Cafe, Offers Pour-Over and Pastries With a Healthful Bent

LoDo will get a big jolt of both caffeine and Scandanavian style when a new coffee shop and all-day cafe called Kaffe Landskap debuts not one but two locations in the neighborhood next week.

The cafes, which will serve coffee, espresso, and tea along with European pastries, salads, sandwiches, and other cafe fare with a healthful bent, are located within blocks of each other, ensuring that both residents and visitors to the area will now never be far from a sleek spot to enjoy some cold brew and a Swedish chocolate ball.

The larger of those cafes (which will also be the first to open) is a 2,500-square-foot cafe located on the ground floor of the swanky new The Coloradoan residential high-rise building located just off the train platform behind Union Station. The address for that cafe is 1750 Wewatta Street.

That space will feature a large kitchen and baking area that will supply most of the food and baked goods for both shops as well as a dining room with large windows and plenty of seating, and an outdoor patio offering views of the outdoor platform and station behind it.

The second location will be located in a 900-square-foot-space at 1419 Lawrence Street on the ground floor of another high-rise building around the corner from Larimer Square.

The cafes have roots in New York, where co-owner Tomas Tjarnberg currently operates three other coffee cafes as well as a Brooklyn roastery called Landskap Kaffe Rosteri. Tjanberg is a native of Sweden and says one of his goals in opening the cafes is to bring Scandanavian culture and approaches to food and health to Denver.

That focus is evident in the design of both spaces, which feature large windows and a clean minimalistic design heavy on natural wood. It is also carried through in the kitchen, where toasts, sandwiches, soups, and even pastries are made with clean and simple ingredients.

“Often when you go into other coffee shops, especially specialty ones like this, they tend to be very focused on coffee and then they might have some pastries that are sort of a second thought,” Tjarnbeg said. “We want this space to be a little more complete so you can actually come here in here at any time of day and get something that is good for you and not just a sugar kick.”

Still, coffee will be a major focus with the shop sourcing beans from farmers through international coffee importer Collaborative Coffee Source that have been roasted at Landskap Kaffe Rosteri. Each shop will typically offer six pour-over options as well as batch brew coffee and espresso drinks.

Tjamberg said the passion of Denver residents for nature and healthful ways of living made the city a natural fit for a coffee shop with those focuses.

Although the Kaffe Landskap’s owners will now focus on perfecting the new shops, it is likely more locations, possibly in the mountains, will eventually follow. Both LoDo cafes will have “soft openings” next week but it will likely take several days for them to roll out all food and pastry products. They will then be open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.