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    City Lights Cafe

    4.0 (161 reviews)
    ModerateBakeries, Cafes, Beer Bar
    Closed 8:00 am - 3:00 pm

    City Lights Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    CITY LIGHTS CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - City Lights Cafe

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    Outdoors
    Rickey S.

    A friend and I tried City Lights for breakfast while visiting the Sylva area. The ambiance both inside and outside was so cute and perfect for this North Carolina small town! The woman who took our order at the counter was knowledgeable and helpful with our coffee and food questions. Both of our lattes were delicious! I especially loved my oat milk latte with honey. Our breakfast burrito and bagel were hot, fresh, and came out promptly. My favorite part of this business is it is also a bookstore! They have a good selection of both new and used titles, fiction and non-fiction. Plus, there is an adorable cat to pet inside the bookstore!

    Iced brown sugar cinnamon latte
    Gracie G.

    This place is so adorable, stopped by on the way through Asheville. The staff was super friendly and helpful, I did the build your own burrito, was very tasty and filling. I also got the brown sugar cinnamon iced latte, flavor is good and the coffee taste is present which is nice! If you're looking for a laid back flavor with lots of character, give them a try!

    Garden Breakfast Burrito
    Thomas L.

    May 16, 2023 - 2 for breakfast while travelling. Quick stop in for breakfast on a 12 hours travel day from Murphy, NC to Philly, PA Eclectic and quaint we quickly ordered from this more of a take-out joint with tables. I got the Vegan Brekkie and my wife got the Garden Breakfast Burrito. We started with a Cinnamon Bun to split. Coffee was good, tableware and the facility was good and clean. The cinnamon was not 'exciting' and more doughy than flavorful. I worked in a bakery who won Philly Best Cinnamon Buns back in the 70s so maybe I am the harsh German judge?? But it was nice, just not awesome and sinful. 6/10 My Vegan sandwich was tasty with good ingredients a hearty affair. lightly nicely toasted and good. Tempeh not too slimy, but the sandwich was pretty wet and not very hot when we finally got it. 6/10 My wife Garden Breakfast Burrito looked awesome and had some nice ingredients, but as with my sandwich arrived 'cool' and the eggs and the sandwich also kinda soggy and wet. 6/10 So I guess the kitchen needs some attention and maybe help in getting the food out to the tables. All in all a nice spot to stop in and grab (or sit down) and have a bite.

    10/10

    Absolutely love city lights cafe. We go there anytime we care close to that part of NC. The service has always been great. The food never takes long to come to the table. It is worth visiting.

    Come on in!
    Dixie B.

    Well, I saw gluten free crepes, and was ready to go. Thankfully, hubby agreed. This little spot is just off Main Street in Sylva. The food is very good. BUT - and that's a big but - they were very dogmatic about germs, mask-wearing, etc. So, although we enjoyed the food, we haven't visited for months. Who knows? Maybe we'll check it out again soon.

    Turkey melt on gluten free
    Lisa M.

    We stumbled upon this place after doing some Horseback riding. There are so many gluten free and vegan options. It is a contactless ordering system. You can dine inside but you have to order from your phone. We both ordered the turkey melt on gluten free with chips and salsa. I was not a huge fan of my sandwich. I think it might've been the vegan cashew cheese because my husband loved his. We split a sweet gluten free/dairy free crepe and oh my--it was so yummy. The crepes is definitely where it's at here! They also have bakery items. We ordered the midnight cake to go. It comes frozen but quickly defrost. It was very yummy and was gluten and dairy free!

    Downtown Turkey Club, added Ham
    Mike S.

    Had never been to City Lights but after looking at the menu it looked like a nice spot for lunch. We walked in an ordered at the counter. My wife liked all the coffee options as well as the fresh made desserts. I ordered the Downtown Turkey Club Panini and added Ham. For my side I went with the chips & salsa. I did like that they were able to change up your sandwich cause I'm always down for more meat. I mean is it right a club if their isn't turkey, bacon, and ham. Our food came out in about 15 minutes and glad it wasn't any longer because we were hungry. My club was good but wasn't great by any means. I was a little odd too that the deli meat seemed to be made up of multiple little pieces. All and all everything was just OK. Might go back but will probably try something different.

    Ariana L.

    This is one of the few places in DT Sylva to get a quick coffee and breakfast in the morning, so I give it props for that. The coffee was very decent, they have TONS of flavor options to choose from. I opted for the seasonal snickerdoodle but honestly I couldn't taste any flavors besides oat milk. My boyfriend had the chocolate covered strawberry that was actually really good, and I think it had chunks of freeze dried strawberries in it. A nice, flavorful touch! The food took forever to come out which was weird for a bagel sandwich and a bagel with cream cheese. The bagels were tough and not really warm. Overall food was very average. I liked the location and the atmosphere a lot and I do think it's a good spot for a (kinda) quick meal.

    Menu Cover Page
    John H.

    Unique spot with a variety of menu and drink options. Came on Christmas Eve day for lunch on our drive back to ATL and the place was hopping. While standing to place our ordered, I was trying to figure out the type of place this really was.....it seemed to be a little of everything. A coffee shop - yet draft beer and wine selection. Breakfast items and pastries - yet sandwiches and Mexican - all rolled into one place. The interior atmosphere is pretty chill and laid back - and served both people wanting to work by themselves on a laptop or places for groups to sit. My bride ordered the Chicken Crepadilla ($10) and wasn't a big fan as proportionally it was mostly crepe and not much flavor. I went with the Turkey Club Panini ($10) and it was decent. Unfortunately, neither of us liked the house made salsa - seemed bitter. Service was good and the food came out pretty fast.

    Employee policy   Living wage and Staff Development

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    3 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    4 years ago

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    10 months ago

    Food to expensive and u do not get alot we did not get the bar service was slow nah wasn't all that

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Just needed a snack- ordered hummus and chips- hummus was dry and flavorless. The chips were dyed blue and red- yuck. Staff was very nice

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    2 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Loved it! Everything came out great - especially the crepes. "Liberals make great coffee" - I should know.

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Good healthy food. Haven't been in awhile because it tends to be pricey. But I guess that's the literal price you pay for good food.

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The staff is amazing and so kind, the atmosphere is so cozy, and the food is delicious!

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    3 years ago

    Tried it. Couldn't get service at a counter service place. Not clean. Weird entrance.

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    3 years ago

    Always a cute little place to get brunch with friends and AMAZING FOOD and chai, I would definitely recommend the crepes

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

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