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Cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven are among the treats that will satisfy one's sweet tooth at the Santa Monica Pastry Shop.

Cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven are among the treats that will satisfy one's sweet tooth at the Santa Monica Pastry Shop. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven are among the treats that will satisfy one's sweet tooth at the Santa Monica Pastry Shop.

Cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven are among the treats that will satisfy one's sweet tooth at the Santa Monica Pastry Shop. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Jars of cookies stand on the counter at the Santa Monica Pastry Shop. The restaurant and coffee shop opened in spring 2016.

Jars of cookies stand on the counter at the Santa Monica Pastry Shop. The restaurant and coffee shop opened in spring 2016. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

The Santa Monica Pastry Shop is a few blocks from the pedestrian zone of Kaiserslautern. These cozy outdoor seats come with blankets to keep customers warm as the weather turns cooler.

The Santa Monica Pastry Shop is a few blocks from the pedestrian zone of Kaiserslautern. These cozy outdoor seats come with blankets to keep customers warm as the weather turns cooler. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

The Santa Monica Pastry Shop in Kaiserslautern, Germany, offers special coffee drinks, milk shakes and fresh fruit and vegetable juice, among other things.

The Santa Monica Pastry Shop in Kaiserslautern, Germany, offers special coffee drinks, milk shakes and fresh fruit and vegetable juice, among other things. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

The Santa Monica Pastry Shop is also a ''kinder cafe,'' with a large room set up as a play area for small children. Parents can enjoy some food or drink while their kids play.

The Santa Monica Pastry Shop is also a ''kinder cafe,'' with a large room set up as a play area for small children. Parents can enjoy some food or drink while their kids play. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

The Santa Monica Pastry Shop in Kaiserslautern, Germany, has a mix of eclectic seating.

The Santa Monica Pastry Shop in Kaiserslautern, Germany, has a mix of eclectic seating. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

This sandwich at the Santa Monica Pastry Shop in Kaiserslautern, Germany, was served on an English muffin and included a fried egg, smoked salmon, cheese, and sun dried tomatoes. It came with a side of hearty breakfast-style  potatoes.

This sandwich at the Santa Monica Pastry Shop in Kaiserslautern, Germany, was served on an English muffin and included a fried egg, smoked salmon, cheese, and sun dried tomatoes. It came with a side of hearty breakfast-style potatoes. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

If you’re a parent with young children, you ought to pull up Google Maps and learn the route to the Santa Monica Pastry Shop.

Fresh scones, espresso drinks and a big play room for kids to romp: It’s a slice of nirvana for harried and hungry caretakers of small tots in the Kaiserslautern area.

Santa Monica is the first “Kinder cafe” in the city, and might be the only of its kind in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, says its owner, Mia Krueger.

Krueger, an American who was born on the now-closed Hahn Air Base, opened the cafe about five months ago after a visit to the area to see her sister turned into a permanent stay.

A single parent, Krueger had been living in Berlin and was looking for a change after experiencing hard times.

“I thought when you really have stress and a lot of turbulence in your life, how do you cope?” she said. “I wanted to make a sanctuary for families and for women, where they can relax, link up with other mothers and other women and just kind of get away from it all.”

Krueger rented and fixed up an old radio shop a few blocks from the downtown pedestrian area.

She set up a kids’ play area equipped with a flat-screen television, books, a play kitchen, a chalkboard, a small climbing wall, toys and tables for the grown-ups.

The front of the cafe invites relaxation, with a mix of chairs and couches, small tables and eclectic decor.

The limited menu has a distinct American flavor. Breakfast-type sandwiches served on English muffins have names such as Georgetown, Savannah and New Orleans. The taco plate comes with “Texas Chili” and the Monterey Chicken is served with tortilla chips.

“Everything here is freshly made,” Krueger said.

Scones are a mainstay, as are the cafe’s line of artisanal cookies: Love + Flour. Chocolate chip walnut and oatmeal raisin are among the daily offerings. Surprises, such as pistachio lemon sugar and sage cashew peanut butter, are courtesy of kitchen innovation.

The drink menu should satisfy health nuts and caffeine junkies alike with a variety of smoothies, fresh fruit and vegetable juices, coffee drinks and tea.

On a recent outing with friends, my caffeine craving was stronger than the need for a liquid spinach fix. The cappuccino was excellent. The iced coffee was also good, one friend said, while the other was disappointed in her milkshake, which tasted more like chocolate milk. Some of the sweets pictured on the cafe’s Facebook page, such as cinnamon rolls and New York-style cheesecake, served on occasion, looked delicious.

Krueger and her staff say they welcome feedback. She will soon introduce a winter menu featuring more soups, including one American staple: “Chicken noodle soup. It’s so basic, but hard to find here.”

svan.jennifer@stripes.com

Santa Monica Pastry Shop

Location: Schubertstrasse 35, Kaiserslautern 67655

Hours: 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays; currently closed weekends, but hours might expand in the wintertime.

Prices: Moderate. Sandwiches and other dishes start around 6 euros (about $6.60) and stay under 10 euros. Expect to pay about 12 euros or less for food and beverage. Pastries and other sweet treats under 5 euros.

Menu: Combination of German and English; staff can help translate.

Clientele: American and German

Dress: Casual

Miscellaneous: Large play area for children. Unique line of artisanal cookies, which can be baked fresh in cafe upon order.

Information: Call (+49) (0) 631-8929-6790. On Facebook: facebook.com/samopaso; website: www.samopaso.com.

author picture
Jennifer reports on the U.S. military from Kaiserslautern, Germany, where she writes about the Air Force, Army and DODEA schools. She’s had previous assignments for Stars and Stripes in Japan, reporting from Yokota and Misawa air bases. Before Stripes, she worked for daily newspapers in Wyoming and Colorado. She’s a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Virginia.

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