After a very busy week at school, I decided that I would take this Friday evening to relax and treat myself to some coffee. Entering the drive thru at Scooters, I realized that I’d been getting the same three orders for the past three years from the same three places: Starbucks, Scooter, and Dunkin Donuts. 

Itching for a new taste, I asked around to find a new cafe that was worth going to in Omaha. Luckily, my friend mentioned a cafe in Benson. So, we headed towards the Edge of the Universe, a cafe that is said to have my two favorite things: mesmerizing artwork and coffee.

Located in Benson, Edge of the Universe is an art cafe filled with creativity, delicious baked goods, and refreshing drinks.   Standing outside a busy alley in the Benson area, my friend and I pushed open the glass doors to the cafe. Our first step inside gave way to what we felt like entering a whole new world. The cafe was filled with heavy, vivid paint strokes that recreated the famous painting by Vincent Van Gogh: The Starry Night. 

My eyes glazed across the room, and I noticed the soft music that played throughout the room, creating a homey environment. The sparkling chandeliers and fairy lights that hung from the ceiling added to the Starry Night theme. By  the time we took our second step, we were greeted with excitement and kindness by the workers. 

Full of curiosity, we took a seat in the cafe and started reading the menu. The menu was very simple: baked goods, charcuterie boards, and hot or iced coffees with the option of 10 different syrups to compliment them. Yet, we were unable to choose what to order, wanting to taste all the unique flavors offered. After realizing I had spaced out, lost in the artwork, I hurriedly scoured the menu, and at last, I decided to try the iced latte with three different flavours: white mocha, strawberry cream, and pumpkin spice. Within the first five minutes of ordering, my drink was served to me in a large glass super mug.

Trying the iced latte with white mocha first, I noticed that it didn’t stand out too much from other iced lattes around Omaha. It was a regular latte with a hint of some sweetness from the white mocha. But, nonetheless, it was a refreshing and tasteful drink after a busy day. 

The next flavor I tried was Strawberry Cream. Initially, I hoped that it would have had a powerful strawberry flavor. However, after tasting this drink, I noticed that the coffee flavor was a bit too strong, taking over the strawberry. My sweet tooth began to beg for something sweeter, as the drink was too bitter compared to how I normally take my coffee.  

The last flavor I tried was Pumpkin Spice. Pumpkin is usually not a favorite flavor of mine, but this drink truly surprised me. It was sweeter than the other two lattes, resolving my craving for something sweet in the process, and I could still taste the spices in the aftertaste. There was a good balance between the light hint of spice and sweet; it was definitely a drink I would come back for. 

Before leaving the cafe, I decided  to try one of the few baked goods they were serving, soI went with the cheesecake topped with blueberries. The base was a sweet pressed crumb shell with syrup. The creamy filling on the base was topped with blueberry puree, adding a rich and fruity flavor. 

Overall, Edge of the Universe was a welcoming and whimsical experience. It was almost as if it was filled with magic, making it feel like a place where you could escape reality.