Cai's Cafe
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Cai's is a nice cafe to study at in Metuchen! I recently caught up with a friend here and we also decided to do a co-working session! There is free wifi and the drinks here are good. They do serve food so if you get hungry you can order a salad or sandwich. They serve both breakfast and lunch! Most cafes also aren't able to accommodate or modify matcha into an Americano style (where it's just water with no milk) but Cai's is able to!
Love coming here just to have me time. Service was great, the cookies were too sweet for me, the latte was perfect, I prefer it hot(is it possible to request that?) over all the place is cozy and warm.
Love this locally owned coffee shop in the heart of downtown Machuchen. On a cold Monday came by as a suggestion from another local business and was not disappointed. As entered, we could smell the aroma of good, strongly made coffee. The chill music and vibe of this Cafe would be perfect for studying or relaxing. The staff was superb as they made the coffee extra hot as requested with a design for our Yelping images. It was easy to get to with metered parking up front and was exactly what was wanted on a cold, windy day. Return: likely
Cai's Cafe is a popular spot in downtown Metuchen. Very nice aesthetic with fireplace and surrounding couches and tables. The coffee is spot on but that's the limit of their range. A few pastries which looked shipped in and snacks like bags of chips. I would like to see this spot add some hot food options and fresh baked goods.
The wait times were exceptionally long. It took more than 15 minutes for me to get a basic drip coffee. The coffee was good but not worth the wait time. People who ordered complicated drinks after me got them before mine was ready. The staff was ok, but they clearly couldn't handle the 5-6 people in line. The decor was dark leather sofas and plenty of tables to sit. Power strips and Wi-Fi are available.
TLDR; cute reasonable cafe. Adjust your expectations. Cute place in the heart of Metuchen. Parked on a side street. Not too packed on a Sunday even though there was a street fair going on. I'm slightly disappointed since this place was so hyped but not bad. First of all, this is not waiter service. You order at the counter and seat yourself. You pick up drinks when they shout them out. Food gets delivered to you. It wasnt initially clear on coming in so there was a tiny bit of confusion. Standard cafe mismatched furniture. One of the chairs at our table was almost falling apart which didn't seem safe. Food did not come out altogether which was really annoying. My meal and my husband's came out but my mother in law only got her side plate of scrambled eggs. By the time she got her French toast, she was done with the eggs. They also weren't cooked as well as she prefers. We had to keep asking the staff for stuff - napkins, syrup (it didn't come with the French toast???), I wanted to ask for more hot sauce but the girls delivering the food didn't ask how our meal was, didn't stay, etc. they would drop our food and run. The good: I had an oat milk chai latte that was excellent. So few places can do a chai with your milk choice because they're premade usually. Like a different review said, cafe drinks hit differently when served in a mug (for here). For some reason my mother in law's tea was served in a paper cup (maybe because of size?) and she had to wait for her milk. On the bright side, she said it was fantastic decaf tea. I had the Buffalo chicken avocado mash (avocado toast). It's pretty standard - like something you would make at home but not in a bad way. Just nothing stellar. Mashed avocado. Multigrain bread. Pieces of chicken in a very creamy Buffalo sauce. Had very little Buffalo flavor. Could have been stronger. Served with good ranch on the side. Husband ordered a breakfast platter but it came as a sandwich. He didn't mind and ate it anyway. He said it was good. Mother in law got the Texas toast French toast, my brain was expecting huge thick slices, this was pretty standard bread. You can tell that it wasn't crusty or dried out bread, just fresh bread dipped in batter. So it was good but not revolutionary. Her French toast came with a huge side of fresh fruit, mostly blueberries with some strawberries. That was a nice surprise and huge portion. Bathrooms are nice and clean (two gender neutral ones next to each other)
I clearly don't spend enough time in Metuchen because I was blown away by how packed the main street was with amazing little shops and eateries. And Cai's Cafe is definitely one of those gems. Firstly, the two lovely ladies working the day I stopped in were so friendly and helpful. They made suggestions, didn't rush my order, helped me get on the wifi. They were awesome. And on top of just great people working here, the coffee was fantastic and the food was just what I was looking for. I got an oat milk latte and the eggy avocado toast. I love that they put my latte in a real mug because I was staying and not taking everything to go. If there is one thing that makes a cup of coffee over the top when it is already great, it is a real mug. It came out piping hot and was a perfect pickmeup. The Eggy Avocado toast was also wonderful. I ended up needing to add a little salt to give it more flavor, but it was still a perfect and filling snack. I ended up getting a tea after I was done working and the ladies helped me pick a nice herbal/decaf one. They have plenty of tables, all spaced out really well so no one is on top of each other, as well as a few couches. I stayed for awhile, got some work done and even switched from a table to the couch half way through when I was ready to unwind a bit more. The streets are lined with parking spaces (metered) and there are plenty of shops nearby if you want a spot to grab coffee and then walk. Highly recommend a stop here!
Cute place with great location but that's all I can really say. The coffee was priced reasonably but rightfully so since I thought it was flavorless and tasted watery. There wasn't much selection of baked goods. The service was meh. The cashier didn't even smile or ask, "May I help you?" The barista was pleasant though. Seaters could use reupholstering but I sat in the newer looking loveseat and it was the best seat in the house.
Came here for coffee on a Sunday morning. It was fairly busy there. The place has nice ambiance with couches for lounging and sit down tables for food. There is a vast selection of flavors you can add to your coffees/lattes. We ordered two latte flavors that we haven't seen anywhere else. I got the raspberry white chocolate latte and my wife got the lavender latte. The raspberry white chocolate latte had a nice raspberry flavor that didn't taste artificial and the white chocolate balanced the tartness of the raspberry without being too sweet. The lavender latte was also deliciously unique. My wife wanted it to be a little sweeter so I told her to ask for some honey to make it a honey lavender latte and that helped bring out the slightly florally lavender flavor more. Overall I think if your looking for something different than your run of the mill lattes this is the place.
3 years ago
5 years ago
The vibe of this cafe is really nice, lots of people either chatting or studying. The cold brew was excellent and they have tons of fun flavor options. Would be nice if there was even more seating because it was hard to find a spot on a Sunday morning. read more
8 years ago
I've been here a few times. Each time nothing exceptional to note, good bad or otherwise. Workers are generally welcoming. But today was just ridiculous. My friend ordered avocado toast and iced mocha, I ordered caprese toast. My order came out 30 minutes later. I asked about the order about 15 min in. My friend got hers within 10 minutes. When I finally received it the cheese had that "melted and left to harden" look and taste on the edges. Underneath the tomato was straight up unmelted cold cheese. No, it wasn't packed. Yes, they had enough workers, at least 4 people behind the counter. Service was below average. While friendly, they were completely unapologetic about taking 30 minutes to toast bread, slice some mozzarella and tomato, and assemble (possibly warm?). The mocha was Hershey-like chocolate sauce which was not melted in and sat at the bottom of her drink despite trying to mix it in. I didn't try it so I have no opinions on it. The place has a cool vibe and looks like it would be nice to study here. But they really showed they do deliver on service. read more
8 years ago
3 years ago
9 years ago
Foodie Judy here!!!! I will not be rating a 5 because I think the taste of their coffee and treats could be improved. My coffee sometimes didn't taste as strongly as coffee as I'd like (too chocolately), but was still good! However, my crossaunt was cold, with a solid chocolate center and did not taste fresh This is still my favorite café in Metuchen. I love to come have a sit here with a cup of coffee and relax or read!!! The environment is great --cute decorations, plenty of seating and outlet, and the staff is incredibly nice!!! (Patient and answer all questions) Happy Judy :^) read more
5 years ago
9 years ago
The cafe is located on a cute strip of smaller restaurants and businesses and definitely fits in. Walking in, I noticed a few smaller groups and a lot of single patrons doing their own thing--studying, reading the newspaper, etc. which was the perfect environment I was looking for to study. I ordered a medium coffee, which was alright, but I liked the huge mug it came in because I ordered in. Each table has a small bouquet of fresh flowers and a menu which I browsed through--they have wine, which if you're segwaying from working to relaxing, would be perfect! It wasn't too loud, the customers all seemed very respectful of each other's bubbles, and the baristas too weren't loud and rambunctious. Definitely a good place to study with lots of natural light flowing in, it's just a little bit cold in the place so I would recommend some layering. read more
9 years ago
What's a sweet little find to get some studying done. When your tired of going to the regular places and want something new to check out this is the place. It's a nice little cozy place with good coffee and snacks. I got the cappuccino and a caprese grill cheese and a raspberry cheese danish. Both of which were delicious and would definitely get again. Cute little place to sit down and do some work and study or just come down for coffee and a date. I think this place would work for any of those situations. Quick update we ended up here again after enjoying it the first time. Wanted something to eat so we got the avocado toast. And I can say it was not good in anyway to be honest. It was quite watery and looked like they barley used an avocado. The other food was good but this was not and I don't recommend getting it for that price I would except it to be great even good but it was no where near that. read more
3 years ago
5 years ago
Coffee here is awesome. They allow indoor diners so while you are ordering your food or drinks there are people in there without masks. They do however have a lot of nice and spacious outdoor dining as well. Food is ok. got the french toast and it was average, the sandwiches are made on regular toast, they would be a lot better if they had a different type of bread. read more
5 years ago
Nice atmosphere, nice music playing in the background, nice place to lounge and read, but the coffee I ordered turned out awful. I ordered a caramel coffee and it was watered down with very little caramel. They tried to fix it and made it worse. I then asked for just a plain iced coffee cream and sugar and that was also just bad, undrinkable!!!. $10 worth of coffee wasted. read more
3 years ago
9 years ago
Visited on a whim on a Sunday night to hang out with a friend. The atmosphere was a nice split between people working on their computers and others just talking with one another. A friend and I split a french press, and were helped by the barista as to which beans we wanted -- which had more caffeine, and a bolder taste etc. Price was fair for what warranted multiple cups of coffee that tasted great. An issue with a lot of coffee shops in the area is the atmosphere, some are too quiet, others too pretentious and expensive etc. Cai's manages to strike a balance and seems to encourage a fun experience with their assortment of board games and books, and the wine they offer in the evenings. Would definitely visit again. read more
6 years ago
Great small coffeeshop with warm and chill atmosphere! Tried there oat latte and apricot danish - was delicious read more
3 years ago
6 years ago
I've been coming to Cai's for years, it's my favorite cafe. I have a sweet tooth so the French Lavender White Mocha patter is my go-to drink but I am also a big fan of their matcha and chai lattes. Their sandwiches are also very tasty and a wide selection for a cute little cafe, I've never been disappointed. Plenty of vegetarian options for me which I love :) I live in North Jersey now but I'll always stop by when I'm in the area! Also following COVID-19 regulations very well, comfortable outdoor seating and friendly service. read more
7 years ago
3 years ago
9 years ago
This was my second time coming here and I thoroughly feel like I got exactly what I wanted. The two girls working the counter were extremely nice and helped my friend and I with the type of coffee we wanted. We ordered a drip coffee and played board games in the cafe and enjoyed our time for hours. Overall if you want a chill atmosphere to hang out in, Cai's cafe is the place for you. read more
3 years ago
5 years ago
This coffee shop is a real gem. I found it by accident because I needed to drop off a package at the UPS store on my way to a massage. I intended to just buy a latte but I saw chai tea on the menu and decided to order a chai tea. The barista offered to make a dirty chai which I've never tried before and was pleasantly surprised. He even offered to sprinkle a little cinnamon on top which was a nice touch. They have a punch card that offers a you a free drink after six beverage purchases which is pretty generous as punch cards go. They also offer typical pastries and bagels for a quick breakfast. The decor is cozy, eclectic and cute and there is quite a lot of seating space including tables and a couch in front of a fireplace to hang out and chat or be antisocial on their computers or phones (like me). read more
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More info about Cai's Cafe
420 Main St
Metuchen, NJ 08840
Directions
(732) 243-9926
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Visit Website
https://caiscafe.com
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