This place was awesome in pretty much every way imaginable. It's good vibes as soon as you step in…read more-- very laid back with old board games on the tables, a claw machine, a foosball table, an Ibanez guitar that visitors are welcome to jam on, a cozy fireplace heater if it's cold out, and a TV.
The food was excellent, and the portions were super filling. We ordered a couple of the paninis -- the ham and cheese, and the chicken caprese. They were both delicious, unpretentious comfort food, but you could tell a lot of thought went into making them something a little more special than what you'll whip up in your own kitchen. Like the ham and cheese had something a little sweet -- I think a fruit jam? Which really took the flavor up a notch. Delicious. And the caprese sandwich had a homemade pesto. Like a real, proper pesto. Probably the best I've had in any restaurant, ever, period. I come from a big Italian family, and it's not often that I'm impressed by Italian flavors at restaurants. But wow. I was not expecting this little cafe to have such an excellent, fresh pesto, but just wow.
The prices were great. Both of us got lunch combos, which came with the panini, a soda, and a side (you could choose from a couple, like chips or a side salad) for $12 each. And I was so full I could barely finish. I wanted to save room to try dessert, but the food was so good I also wanted to finish my sandwich -- it was a real pickle haha. But not a bad problem to have! Especially when you consider going to one of the chains like Panera, you'll pay at least that much for lunch (if not more) and not get nearly as much food, or food that's nearly as good. So I would call this an absolute steal.
We spent some time chatting with Kevin, the owner, who was such a nice guy and really passionate about what he does. He told us about the culinary classes he's taking so he can level up the desserts he offers at the restaurant, including a realistic fruit pastry that's all over social media. It's made to look like a realistic piece of fruit, and then inside the pastry is a variety of fillings flavored with that fruit. Like we had the pineapple one, which was filled with pineapple sorbet, pineapple cake, pineapple jam, etc. You can tell he really cares about his customers and making great food for them.
They're also known for their ice cream, which we sampled. Kevin told us about how you only need a couple ingredients to make ice cream, not all of these crazy ingredients some companies put in. Just real ingredients, and it turned out so good.
They also have some natural energy drinks and real fruit smoothies on the menu, which I would be excited to try.
I know this is a long review, but I really can not say enough good things about this restaurant.
TLDR; Locally owned restaurant with real food from local ingredients. Great vibes, great people, great prices, great food. Absolutely worth stopping in!