Baristas Cafe on Main Street, New Martinsville, recently earned recognition as one of West Virginia’s 101 unique places to dine. (Photo by Tammy Wayman)

New Martinsville can one boast that it is home to one of West Virginia’s 101 unique places to dine, thanks to that award given to Baristas Cafe on Main Street. This award is from the Collaborative for the 21st Century Appalachia, a grassroots nonprofit organization that was formed in 2005 to promote community and economic development, that includes Appalachian cooking with a healthier version of the traditional foods.

Jill Shade, one of the owners of Baristas Cafe, explained the cafe was submitted for this award and then someone assisting in the judging came and ate at Baristas, without their knowledge.

Although it’s a best kept secret for the people in New Martinsville and surrounding areas, they have gained nationwide recognition for a past article in the New York Times magazine in October 2004 with the story “Two Americas, Two Restaurants, One Town” by Rebecca Skloot.

Baristas also had their famous Harvest soup recipe published in the New York Times, Country Weekend Cookbook. They also had their establishment featured in one of the Wild Wonderful West Virginia magazines.

Shade stated, “This was quite a surprise and a honor. We have already had people coming here because of the award.” The brochure published by Collaborative for the 21st Century Appalachia includes two photos from the inside of the cafe with a short biography, what they offer, and their location.

Baristas offers a lot for the community besides quality drinks, soups that are made fresh daily, an assortment of sandwiches, salads, and desserts. They have bike rides every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 12:30 p.m. Euchre tournaments are every Thursday at 8 p.m. and upstairs there is a poetry group that meets every third Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m.

A casual laid back, relaxing atmosphere is what one notices when entering the cafe with music flowing and a friendly face to take your order. If you want to sit back and read with drink, there is no rush. The outdoor dinning is a plus, where one can sit on the deck and watch the Ohio River flow by. Starting at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturdays, you can have brick oven pizza made in a stone oven that is out on the deck.

Also a hang-out place for the local teenagers and college students sometimes, Shade noted the cafe is for all ages. That is noticed throughout the day as people come and go through their front screen door. The original woodwork, floors, and fireplaces of this large home converted in a cafe gives it a down-home feel.

The basement is little, but a great place to be. The pub flows outside onto the stone patio portion where live music is offered, weather permitting. The pub has a semi-circle bar with the old stone basement walls exposed that give off an old country pub feeling of that in European countries.

Baristas’ hours are 7:45 a.m to 9 p.m. and the pub opens 6 p.m. on Mondays, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Their Web site is www.baristacafe-pub.com. Owners are Jeff Shade, Jill Shade, John and Mary Ann Yevuta, Sara Tezarski, and Brian Feldmeier. Baristas phone number is (304) 455-5410.