Fallbrook restaurant and coffee shop remains open

Fallbrook locals Lori Tillery and her son Ryan Panzino run the coffee and restaurant duo, Coffee Corks and Cuisine, at 139 S. Main Ave. in Fallbrook. They haven't closed their doors, despite COVID-19.

The shop itself has been there for about 15 years, changing names and things over the years, according to Tillery. Her and her son have owned the place since June 2019.

"Him and I were looking for something to do together, and the owner wanted to get out," Tillery said. "So we said this looks like a good opportunity."

They have a variety of pastry items, coffee and drinks, and a restaurant on the other half of the shop that serves Cuban-infused food. They also serve beer and wine.

"We just started serving boba and chai tea and all that," Tillery said. "We do paninis and bowls with black beans and meat, things like that, and right now our special is wagyu hamburgers."

They'll be running the wagyu hamburger special until they run out of meat, she said.

"The food is really good here, all fresh, everything is prepared from scratch," she said.

Since taking ownership, they've added a few things, including changing the quality of some items. They're open seven days a week, Monday through Friday starting at 6 a.m.

"Kitchen closes at 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and then we're open till 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays," Tillery said, adding that they close at 2 p.m. on Sundays.

"We opened the drive-thru. That was a part of the COVID-19 opening," Tillery said. "It's kind of like curbside service, only they came through the old drive-thru which has helped a lot."

They've also been participating in the Friday and Saturday evening street extension, which has allowed restaurants to pull tables out onto the street to help bring back some business that they've lost.

So far it's been successful for them, she said, and it's helped.

"During non-COVID-19 times, no matter what time of day you come in here this place is packed," Tillery said. "Everybody's sitting here with their friends, some people use it as an office and they're here all day long. A lot of people come and they just sit in the corner and relax and read and drink a cup of coffee.

"I really miss that atmosphere. You walk in the door and you hear everybody talking and laughing and feeling good about being out with their friends, and it makes your heart feel good, that's the best part about this place," she said.

While they don't have in-house dining as of now, Tillery said she hopes that will change soon.

For more information on Coffee Corks and Cuisine, visit https://www.facebook.com/coffeecorksandcuisine/.

Lexington Howe can be reached by email at [email protected].