Continental Cafe

Father Feeney has deserted the little red house on 12 Bow Street to go on to bigger and better things. Fortunately for the citizens of Cambridge, the 200-year-old house has not been left unoccupied. It is now the proud possession of Josefina Yanguas who owns and runs the Cafe Pamplona.

Miss Yanguas came to the United States nine years ago. Since then she has always wanted to open a European Coffee House. The basement of Father Feeney's old stamping ground proved to be just the right place for what she had in mind.

Born in Pamplona, Miss Yanguas missed the coffee houses of her native city. She felt that Cambridge lacked a place where people could meet and talk in a quiet, pleasant atmosphere. So when she opened the Cafe Pamplona last May, she tried to keep it in this European tradition. As a result, the Cafe Pamplona is unique among the Cambridge Coffee Houses.

Part of the Cafe Pamplona's individuality lies in the fact that it has an outdoor terrace where coffee-sippers can watch the passing scene and enjoy the fresh air.

The cafe proper is a small room in the basement. While it serves the usual fare (at a little less cost) of espresso, capuccino, mokka and assorted pastries, it adds a few specialties of its own like Cranberry Punch. The coffee served at the Cafe Pamplona is absolutely fresh. Miss Yanguas has installed a coffee grinder as well as an espresso machine, and fresh coffee is ground for every three or four cups ordered.

But the Cafe Pamplona's greatest distinction lies not in what it serves or the excellent quality of its fare, but in its special atmosphere. Miss Yanguas believes that a cafe should be an uncluttered room and has decorated her coffee house acordingly. She has also tried to capture a little of the spirit of old Spain without overdoing it.

The decor is traditionally Spanish black and white. The floor is black and white tile, the walls are white stucco. A mural maintaining the black and white motif will eventually fill one wall. The room is discreetly well lit, and the limited number of tables avoids the danger of overcrowding.

Unlike the smoke-filled, dimly lit coffee houses found in Cambridge and elsewhere, the Cafe Pamplona does not attract the bearded, beat set. (Miss Yanguas thinks that perhaps the light keeps the bohemians away.) Her clientele ranges from the international set to the solitary student who comes in to study in the peaceful atmosphere.

In keeping with the European tradition of the coffee house as a place to meet and converse with friends, Miss Yanguas does not allow any guitar playing or background music in her cafe. Even Segovia would not be allowed to disturb the quiet. Nor will she permit eccentric barefoot students to enter. "You wouldn't go to see a friend without your shoes," she declares.

One of the cafe's little known features is that it opens at eleven in the morning and does business until late at night. A student, tired of the noise and dirt at the Bick, can take his morning coffee break in the relative tranquility of 12 Bow Street.

Miss Yanguas also plans to open a small Spanish restaurant (with an outdoor terrace) on the first floor of the house. She plans to retain the style of her coffee house in the restaurant. Gourmets will be as pleased about this as the coffeegoer is with the Cafe Pamplona.