Opened in January, Evermore Café is earning a reputation with Largo residents as a great stop for coffee, pastry and reasonably priced food. Just check the Yelp reviews.
Owners Laura Guroian and Nazim Ali envisioned the café at 325 West Bay Drive as a healthier, local alternative to restaurant chains that serve mostly processed food. It’s no wonder, as Ali and Guroian both have backgrounds in health and fitness.
“We both wanted a place that provides healthier options,” Guroian said.
Their young café carries a full menu of breakfast sandwiches, quiches, panini, soups, salads and sandwiches, plus coffee and French-inspired pastries, all in the $3 to $7 range. The pastries are made in-house daily and include macarons, tarts, croissants, danishes and Mediterranean cookies with combinations like almond and honey or date and walnut.
For those who don’t have time to drop in and drool over the cases of sweets in person, Evermore offers delivery through an online service called BiteSquad.
According to Guroian, they use “local and good” ingredients in the kitchen wherever possible.
“People have more of an interest in what they are eating now, how it’s being made,” Guroian said. “We can point and say, 'There it is!'”
Available for purchase at the café, the olive oil used for salad dressings and cooking is made by Tampa Bay’s Melina International Trading Co. Evermore tea and coffee are also from local companies. The two featured roasts — Mountain Supremo, a balanced Latin blend, and a bold blend called Majestic Kaffa — are specially roasted for the newcomer. A variety of blended coffee drinks, hot and iced, and espressos with flavor shots are on hand, too.
So far, Largonians seem to be enjoying the café in the heart of downtown.
“It’s a very welcoming area, the people are very friendly,” Guroian said.
Downtown Largo, at the moment, is more of a thoroughfare than a true city center. But Guroian says they hope to be part of the area’s transformation into a more vibrant community. The West Bay Lofts are planned for the 500 and 600 blocks of the drive, and the new residential development will likely make for a more bustling strip.
“We heard about the plans and wanted to be a part of that growth,” Guroian said.
The Evermore crew are doing their part to keep things interesting, participating in events like the annual Art Hops at Largo Public Library and putting on their own at the café, which recently hosted a night of live jazz music. There are plans to start a book club on-site as well.
Café employee Wil Toro is also an actor, who’s performed in area productions at Eight O’Clock Theatre. He says he’s excited about Evermore becoming an active part of the community, and that he hopes it can help “get Largo going.”
