==>Check out this OC Register Post by Jan Norman!

City Perk at Vantis in Aliso Viejo is a sustainable independent business that uses some ideas that worked well in the past, when people actually knew their neighbors and in some cases lived upstairs from their shops. Today this style of living is more common in Europe, but is more rare to find in the U.S.  Now, Vantis in Aliso Viejo offers the Live/Work lifestyle! At City Perk, we live upstairs above the café! We live here and work here so we especially care about the quality of our service and the quality of our neighborhood. This lifestyle also allows us to be more sustainable, including minimizing our vehicle trips and carbon footprint. Sustainability was one of the key factors that led us to locate in Vantis and become a strong advocate of the Live/Work lifestyle.

We encourage diversity in the types of independent businesses in our Vantis Community. We want the area to be interesting, vibrant and inviting - somewhere you feel very safe and comfortable visiting, again and again! Whenever possible we buy locally and support our neighboring independent businesses. We encourage you to do the same!

City Perk, our independent coffee house and mini-café, draws on over 20 years of food service experience. We spent over a year profiling hundreds of coffees. Then we selected the finest equipment, including the Italian Simonelli espresso machine that is the heart of our espresso-based drinks. It's back to the basics of coffee art here. No one-touch buttons! Whether coffee or tea … the WATER matters, so we use a proprietary multi-stage process to filter our water, including sediment, nano and carbon filters. We use Ghirardelli chocolate in our mochas and hot chocolate, and offer organic or sugar free flavorings for our coffee drinks and Italian Sodas. Our customers tell us they can reduce or eliminate sweeteners or additives because of the quality of our coffee beverages.

We strive to use fresh, locally obtained and organic products when available and eliminate the use of high fructose corn syrups and trans fats. The portions of many of our baked goods are ‘mini’ so you can enjoy them in moderation – a sinful treat, but a sensible size! Our fruit smoothies are delicious, yet moderate on calories – approximately 120-140. Our meals are FRESH, made-to-order and never prepackaged. We also offer specials and add variety by introducing new items regularly.