One of the odd details of NH that you don’t really appreciate until living here is that we only have two major interstates (I-89 and I-93), and if you aren’t driving between Manchester and Vermont (I-89), or heading to the Whites from Boston, there’s a good chance the ideal route for your travel isn’t highways, but a lot of 35 mph driving through some of NH’s quieter towns. Particularly, for us the optimal routes to Maine or Lake Winnipesaukee regions end up passing through either Franklin or Bristol NH, both fairly quiet former mill towns. Bristol, in particular, is a surprisingly nice little town, just south of Newfound Lake, with a nice little downtown. The downtownalready punches about its weight with at least three breakfast diners (The Bristol Diner, Gina’s Place, and Gilly’s), a good Mexican place (Cielito), and a brewpub (Shackett’s), but I repeatedly found myself driving by a place that opened a few years ago, Odysea.
Odysea started in 2023, when owners Francisco and Gabrielle moved from Honduras to Bristol, New Hampshire, and wanted to bring coffee from Honduras (from Francisco’s family Galeano roasters and other Honduras-based plantations) to coffee drinkers in New Hampshire. Purchasing a worn building on Lake Street that used to be a car dealership, they spent several months refurbishing the place, making for an open interior for diners to enjoy the coffee, pastries, and light meals that Odysea sells for breakfast and lunch (and occasionally on Fridays and Saturdays they hold “Odysea After Hours” events with dinner, wine, and dancing). I rather enjoy the spot, it’s bright and airy, and a nice place to enjoy breakfast and a newspaper.
The coffee at Odysea is quite good, with usually 3 different roasts available for dine-in (although, while they have cold brew on the menu, they’ve not had it available on several of my visits), and a good half dozen varieties of beans available to go. I had a San Sebastian coffee from western Honduras that was nicely robust and flavor but smooth in mouth feel, with notes of chocolate and dried fruit. I also got one of their regular breakfast items: the berry and cream crêpe: a nice, large, perfectly done crêpe, served up with their house three-berry compote (nice and rich, not overly sweet), a dollop of whipped mascarpone, and a little carafe of maple syrup. A nice, simple breakfast, and a great combination with my morning coffee.
I rather liked Odysea, and while I’ve just gotten coffee and light breakfast, their lunches looked good, so I’m sure I’ll give them a revisit at some point; the location is a mere quarter mile off my usual route through the Bristol area. And from what they’ve published online, the Odysea After Hours events look particularly good, and worth a trip in themselves.
