My favorite lunch spot in HP. Everything is really, really good. The smoothies, the sandwiches, the pastries. They even make an awesome banana pudding that comes in a glass jelly jar. Knocked one star just becasue of the prices. I can't afford to eat here too often. BUt I'd like to! read more

Had never been here, saw nice reviews.We came for a late lunch at 2:15. Saw a luscious looking crepes on the menu. As i approached to order the young lady behind the counter chirped "we don't serve crepes after two." That seemed surprising to us since they were open until 4 with no mention of a kitchen cut- off. What really got us was she smiled gleefully as she again said "no crepes after two". It seemed like she was really relishing the experience. We walked out without saying a word our whole time there. Staff needs retraining in a high rent area. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Coffee served cold and did not order an iced coffee.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Blueberry bread sliced was stale and awful-- supposedly was to be heated. Serving staff more interested in their own social time rather than serving customers. Won't be back yet. Am on to the Little French place round the corner read more

Central Cafe offers a limited drink selection as well as breakfast plates, crepes, waffles, salads, bowls, and sandwiches. They also had some pastries behind a case, but they seemed a bit dried out and nothing out of the ordinary. We ordered: +a Cafe au Lait +a couple of Cafe Lattes with almond milk +a Pesto Caprese - a baguette with basil pestos mozzarella, and oven-dried tomatoes The drinks came in a generously-sized mug, but they were all weak. The sandwich could have been good, but it was not prepared nor heated properly, as it was cold on the inside but hard and chewy on the outside, making it difficult to eat. Besides the drinks/food being mediocre, the staff here is what makes this place really something - the individual who was at the front area, taking orders, has some type of an attitude issue. She forgot to give us a table number stand (and, other parties), picked and chose to deliver drinks and/food items to certain tables (and, became irritated and annoyed that some weren't picking up their items - she wasn't even calling out the orders and seemed to expect patrons to have ESP?), and spoke to individuals in a condescending way - pretty appalling . When she delivered our sandwich plate, she handed it over aggressively, almost having the items spill over. Like, what's wrong with you? Why are you putting it on others when you're unable to communicate, do, or handle your job properly? In addition, one of the staff's child was running around, screaming, and walking and jumping on the seats. Great that the place allows you to bring your kids to work, but come on. What's hilarious is that the cafe has a large signage hanging by the entrance area that states 'Kindness Matters' - it's obvious that this wall piece is strictly for decor and not at all believed in. The place itself has a handful of table with some outdoor availability for al fresco dining, and there seems to be a regular flow of foot traffic from the locals. Such a poor and a ridiculous experience. Some street parking and some spots in the rear of the building. +rude staff with attitude issues +watered down coffee +improperly prepared sandwiches +street and rear lot parking available read more

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This is a small and charming cafe on Central Avenue. We had omelettes -- I had one with assorted mushrooms and my companion had the French one with ham/prosciutto and cheese. Light, delicious and accompanied by a green side salad. We took our drinks to go - my cappuccino was too hot to drink -- I dropped off my friend at the airport and it had finally cooled down enough to drink on the way home. I will try a crepe one of these days. read more

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Love this little place that's attached to a great store! I read some of the other reviews, but I have to say everyone was very nice and [[HIGHLIGHT]]the food and coffee were delicious[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Central Cafe - Chicken sandwich - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

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I am always happy to support a local business, and it is one I'd check out again, but there were a few concerns that showed themselves. First of all, it's a lovely setup, with tasteful faux marble tables and a store attached to it with housewares. Everyone working there seemed nice! I got a cafe latte with a breakfast sandwich. The main issue here was that the breakfast sandwich had bread that was basically cold, while the ingredients in the middle were hot. Eating that together was very weird. I am not sure why part of it would be cold, but this was probably an assembly/timing issue. I have made this error at home, here and there, but it's not while I am charging people for my food or working in a professional capacity. The salad on the side was good. I'm not a huge fan of balsamic, so dressing options would be nice, but I know many like it. Another major issue was that it began to smell terrible. It smelled like overcooked fish, almost like someone heating it up in a confined office setting. My friend noticed before I could mention it, and she thought it smelled like someone was cooking fish skin. It was too cold to take our orders outside, but this was very unpleasant. Despite the above issues, the variety seems interesting, and I would be interested in trying other options. [[HIGHLIGHT]]I like how many types of coffee they have, as well as how they show you what each type means and what it looks like![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I'll come back here, and I hope they work out some kinks :) read more

I wasn't in the mood to cook breakfast so I went over to Central Cafe for a quick bite. The food is fine but I could make it at home which is why I'm giving it a lower rating. I am also giving it a lower rating because the service could have been better. The girl bringing out food to each table needs an attitude check and to be retrained on customer service etiquette. I liked that the ingredients are fresh but for the price, it's not worth it. I will only come here again if it is the last resort or if my meal is being paid for. It's only okay. read more

Central Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

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Cute little cafe in downtown HP! Love everything we had, and love that they have a few toys to keep the little one occupied! It's connected to a home decor store with a lot of cute stuff! So be warned. read more

Central Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

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Central Ave Cafe is a treat. Not only is it handy on Central, but the selections are creative and fun, and the food is wonderful. A real pleasant surprise is the reasonable pricing! Everyone is a pleasure to interact with and the grill staff are really talented. One favorite is the Havarti and Turkey sandwich. Today I tried Mushroom, Swiss Cheese, and Caramelized Onions. It's great. It's complete with a bit of salad (very fresh veggies) with a nice sweet dressing, very tasty. Highly recommended. The Blueberry coffee cake amazing as well. read more

Central Cafe - Mushroom and Swiss cheese crepe with caramelized onions and a bit of salad with a sweet dressing. Fantastic! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

Came here for my annual visit while in town. Still a great place to grab a bit and sit for a bit. The workers there are friendly and the food and coffee are good. The only thing is the WiFi was a little slow for me. Otherwise still a great place read more

Central Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

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Came here before a White Sox game and this was the cutest breakfast spot we could have chosen! The menu made it so hard to not get the entire list! Everything sounded delicious, we all decided to get a version of the Benedict. My mom, step dad and boyfriend all gave their meal 2 thumbs up! This place would be a 6/5 if I could choose. Highly recommend giving this place a try, they are dog friendly we sat around various puppies and dogs this day. It was beautiful weather to sit outside and enjoy a nice meal with the family! read more

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Great little spot! [[HIGHLIGHT]]I enjoyed the coffee, omelette, and service.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Worth a stop if you're in the neighborhood. read more

Central Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

This place is insanely overpriced. I ordered the quinoa salad to go, (which is $15 with no protein) and it had barely anything on it. The almond croissant I ordered for breakfast was as hard as a rock. Horrible. I will not be returning. I don't mind paying for quality, but this is not that. read more

A cute, bright cafe! Like the bakeries here and the coffee was decent. Got an iced latte and chocolate cheesecake loaf and had nothing to complain. Definitely a good place to get coffee if you are in downtown highland park. read more

Central Cafe - a table with a cup of coffee on it - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

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Cute little coffee shop, the interior is super clean feeling and peaceful. I got an iced coffee with oat milk, the chicken and waffles, and the banana mini loaf. I hate to talk anything bad about a small business but... I would avoid the chicken and waffles, it was pretty bad. The chicken breading was almost soggy with no crisp or crunch what so ever. Also the banana bread wasn't great either, not very banana flavored and a little too bready. Next time I'll order different items and hopefully they'll be better! read more

Central Cafe - Dining area and chicken and waffles - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Highland Park, Illinois

I ordered a savory prosciutto and havarti crepe this time around (last time having gotten the French omelette) with an iced oatmilk matcha latte. The crepe was good and the prosciutto and cheese inside were tasty, although I would describe the outside more as a thin pancake. It came with a side salad and some strawberries and it was delicious with a light balsamic vinaigrette. The matcha latte, however, was more bitter than I am used to. It was a vibrant green color, which made me excited to try it. Honestly, this is a much better matcha latte than certain other cafes in the area that use too much milk or poor quality matcha. But I wasn't expecting such a bitter tang in the tea flavor since I'm used to a more savory/umami flavor in my drink. But the service was quick and the staff were all nice. The dining area is bright and clean. read more

Adorable cafe in the heart of downtown highland park with a European feel. Ordered a delicious marshmallow filled hot chocolate and can't wait to return to try their food. They are open on Sundays which is great as the rest of the block is closed. Bright, airy, cheerful little cafe. Recommend! read more

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Great friendly place. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We loved our omelet, Nutella crepes, banana walnut bread, coffee and frozen hot chocolate.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Cheery open seating inside and outside seating as well. read more

Lovely breakfast place, clean and bright atmosphere, friendly staff and food tastes fresh! A must try read more

Delicious late Sunday brunch. Breakfast burritos (scrambled eggs, cheese and ham) was very yummy. Came with a small side of strawberries and blueberries. Nice ambiance, chic cafe vibe and food brought table side. Will definitely return. read more

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We had my daughter's Sweet 16 at Central Cafe last weekend and Kirby and the staff went above and beyond to make it special, fun, and a celebration. Every guest commented on how cute the cafe was and how incredible the food was. We had an amazing array of homemade waffles, crepes to order, fruit and chocolate, housemade hot cinnamon rolls, and more. The staff were incredible and there was never a wait for food or drinks. The party was flawless and fun, and so relaxing for me. The staff took care of everything from decorating the room and place settings, food and coffees. It was a perfect exerience and I highly recommend Central Cafe !!! read more

This is a new place that opened in my town and I was dying to try! It is so cute inside and decorated wonderfully. I ordered an Arnold Palmer since I was super thirsty and it was pretty hot out. It was great!! My friends ordered 2 coffees and they really enjoyed theirs as well. Happy to have this new spot in HP! read more

Cheese Danish was yummy, excellent latte', very chill and satisfying experience. Just want I needed for a quick pick up before heading to the park. read more

Recently hired a new chef from Abagails and the food is amazing!! They've always had great Benedicts, crepes, and wraps but their new dinner menu is really, really good! read more

Tried to take in the cafe whilst attending the Art festival. Waited far too long to order and apparently was invisible. Waited in line only to be cut while waiting. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Watch a customer complain about her drink having plastic in it.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The worst part is that I asked questions and people buzzed around doing nothing while I stood at the counter to order. Never again. Unorganized, not very friendly, and a waste of time. Walked out. There are too many delicious options and friendly places to waste my time or money. read more

Was there once midday and enjoyed a wrap. I attempted on two different days and times (at least 1.5hrs before closing) to order a chicken wrap and both time I was informed kitchen is closed. Hmm, something is starting to smell here and it's not the wrap I never get to have. Will continue look into why the kitchen decides to close randomly especially when kitchen closing time isn't posted anywhere. I refuse to believe in this day and age small business like this is up to shady ways of refusing service to some customers. read more

Menu isn't really available all day. I came here once before and the avocado toast was great. I stopped by again today at 9:30am to get the same. Unfortunately, even though they are marked as a breakfast place and serve breakfast food, I was told it wouldn't be available to order until at least 10:20. Kind of defeated the purpose of stoping in for breakfast. read more

Amazing coffee! I haven't tried i all but today I bought a Cuba coffee with heavy cream and it was amazing!

Opened about a month ago on the main drag of Central Ave in Highland Park. Great coffee, wonderful friendly staff, yummy sweet treats. They will make your coffee any way you'd like, hot or iced - they really aim to please. I'm always happy to spend my money right here in the community and this spot makes it easy. Nice tables and chairs outside, easy parking on the street or in back (enter from Green Bay Road). Central Cafe is the perfect local coffee shop I was hoping to find when I moved to HP four months ago. Highly recommend, let's support local businesses! read more

Great coffee, homemade pastries, yummy fresh sandwiches, friendly service, very clean. Best place to enjoy all of the above nearby. Only negative is... it's in HP where people act entitled and impatient even while sitting down to enjoy a coffee. read more

Great customer service! Megan was very sweet and made me a different smoothie when she saw I didn't like it. I didn't have to ask, and the new one was fantastic- It's a great welcoming atmosphere and I'll be back! read more

I can't see how this coffee shop will survive, it lacks all of the basic restaurant 101 do's and don'ts. I had the chef there run the food to my table, if he is doing that, how much attention do you think the food and the cleanliness is getting? I don't see how they are able to get away with that kitchen setup. Since they don't pay rent, they might hang on for a while. See Kitchen nightmares. The owners thought it would be cute to have a restaurant. Don't let the great reviews fool you. read more