BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:Café’s a real Italian job

At Andiamo Caffe, Italian is the name of the game ? literally.

Owner Monica Pavelka is proud of her restaurant’s Italian flavor, with old-fashioned espresso and authentic panini sandwiches customers can enjoy at free-standing high bars and Bellagio faux-finish walls hung with dainty European plates.

Andiamo, which means “let’s go” in Italian, is the new hot spot at 488 17th St., Costa Mesa. Pavelka, a first-time restaurant owner, describes the ambience as “a really cozy, lively atmosphere with a hometown feeling.”

Pavelka said she decided 17th Street would be a good location because “everyone comes to 17th Street for coffee, and we’re confident about our product, so once people try it we think it will sell itself.”

She also chose the location because she likes the area and enjoys interacting with the community. So far, Andiamo coffee has been served at local school PTA meetings, charity events and the Newport Aquatic Center, to name a few locations. The café even offers the schools and the Aquatic Center a discount.

Andiamo’s doors have only been open since late March, but already the café has a group of regulars, most of whom are customers of Italian and other European backgrounds.

“We have a real European flair to everything we do ? our coffee and our food,” Pavelka said. “Some people say we’re the best-hidden secret in town. Right now there are some Italians who come in for espresso shots. They really like the homey feel.”

Pavelka knew from the start that she wanted the café to have an Italian/European flair and focus. After all, Pavelka’s mother ? as well as her mother-in-law ? is half Italian. The owner, who is an international flight attendant, grew up with many Italian friends and speaks some Italian.

She appreciates her regular customers and the usually large lunchtime crowd, but Pavelka would like to see Andiamo have busier mornings.

“We’re struggling as a new place starting off, and we’re hoping that the community will give back the same way we’re giving to them.”

Besides, she said, the coffee is all the reason prospective customers should need.

“We get our coffee every day or every other day,” she said. “It’s really fresh, and it’s all Italian. It’s done in wooden containers, the old-fashioned way, so it has a nice roasted flavor without any bitterness.”

As excited as she is about the potential that Andiamo has, Pavelka says she’s content to stay small, and isn’t looking to expand. She said she likes the idea of an independent store, rather than a chain.

She also likes that the café is small and personal, and thus is able to cater to the needs and wants of customers.

“It was our customers who convinced us to make paninis. And there have been lots of requests for salads, so we’ll have salads soon too,” she said.

For a small spot like Andiamo, Pavelka says this type of personal service is both important and enjoyable.

“Something really unique that we do is we have a call-ahead service where people call and we prepare their order, make them a drink and bring their food right out to the car.”dpt.17-bizspot-1-CPhotoInfoU81T0FBV20060717j2hchhncCredit: MARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT Caption: (LA)Monica Pavelka is the owner of Andiamo Caffe, a recently opened espresso cafe in Newport Beach.