My wife and I came to Wilkes-Barre from DC for a funeral and ended here by accident. Wow, were we surprised by the quality of this wonderful little restaurant. Had a great chat with the owner as well, very hospitable. He hired a new chef who clearly knows what she is doing. We are both from the hospitality industry, had our own private chef business, and I can tell you that the service as well as the food it top notch. We had a crispy spinach and artichoke pizza as an appetizer (excellent!) and split the Chicken Boursin which you have to try. OMG. I wish I could get the recipe. If you are looking for a truly home-made-tasting meal and great embiance make sure you put this place on your short list. Sit outside or inside. All in all highly recommended. Oh Btw, they have a great very knowledgeable bar(tender) lady as well. Just excellent. (Wish we didn't live 4 hours away, though). read more

The Cafe - Outside seating. Heated! - New American Near Me - Plains, Pennsylvania

I decided to get lunch from this restaurant for some clients and myself. I ordered everything online, and when I arrived, I parked in the plaza lot. I walked in and gave the lady my name. The place was cute! My food wasn't quite done so I waited a few. When it was done, I left. When we all dug in the food was really good! I enjoyed the pasta mainly. All in all I had a good experience. read more

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The cafe brings me back to the days of childhood, the bar is covered with classic cars and cool colors of the dining area is relaxing. The sandwiches are the perfect portion, filling and not overwhelming. The service is just as pleasant and cheerful ensuring your taking care of with a pleasant experience. read more

I hate giving this review because I have always had a great experience with the cafe. Food has always been amazing except for our last experience. My fiancé and I went for lunch after a doctors appointment and grant you we havnt been there in awhile but I use to love their Buffalo chicken wrap. It was terrible this time almost to the point of inedible. The cheese wasn't melted chicken was cold and chewy and the sauce was like just plain hot sauce. My fiancé got a roast beef sandwich. He said it was ok but lacked flavor. I really hope it gets better because it use to be so good. read more

After a long 11-hour drive, which culminated in a snow squall, and checking into my hotel.. I needed some good, hot and healthy food fast. A quick Yelp search found this spot not too far from my hotel and right off RT 81. Pasta primavera with chicken - great fresh vegetables including asparagus, summer squash and mushrooms, with fresh chicken cooked just right. Not over-cooked! A huge plate I cannot finish and a side of delicious crispy on the outside, soft in the inside, baguette slices with a wonderful herbed butter. (Just with the butter had been soft and not directly from the fridge). The service was quick and friendly. A very good choice for a last-minute one!! read more

The Cafe - New American Near Me - Plains, Pennsylvania

Ordered a Roast Beef Sub with no mayo for delivery. They gave me an empty bun in plastic wrap. I've attached a photo, and then also included the famous #FyreFestival sandwich for reference. The Fyre sandwich still has one up on what I was delivered as it is TECHNICALLY a sandwich. Anyway, I got a salad and soup, which were decent so I'm not going to give them one star. They're also sending me a new sub eventually, which puts them up to a three. I just had to share this photo because it is HILARIOUS. read more

The Cafe - Behold! A bun in plastic wrap! - New American Near Me - Plains, Pennsylvania

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I remember the night the clown below me (Little Petey C) sat two tables across from me throwing a SISSY FIT because the bar was out of his favorite beer. He whined like a little girl eventually promoting the attention of the owner who tried to appease him. Instead of accepting the owners apology he got worse intentionally spilling his drink across the table and calling the owner names. I really thought I was going to have to put this DOUCHE into a choke hold.The only TRASH I saw that night was this SHEMALE being ousted by the owner. There's a first time for everything and this was the first time I ever saw somebody thrown out of this place. The owner was able to take care of it, this guy (Little Petey) isn't much of a man at all. Look at him!!! LOL. Casual Atmosphere, Good People, Good Food! read more

We occasionally order take out and it's really good! If you call early enough/with enough notice they will deliver to certain locations. I always get (and have only gotten) the Citrus Salad with dressing on the side. If i bring it home I'll bake some vegan chicken to put on top of the salad. Delish! The salad consists of tender spring mix, craisins, mandarin oranges sugar walnuts, cucumber and house citrus dressing. I did eat in there once years ago and didn't love the dining experience. We felt like we were nonstop being watched. But i would try it again since it's been quite some time. read more

The Cafe - Cirtus Salad - New American Near Me - Plains, Pennsylvania

Not bad. Food came out slow, but they have a good menu. Nice, chill, coffee shop style atmosphere.

Hard to know where to start. Ordered ravioli with Vodka sauce and not sure how it was called Vodka sauce it tasted nothing like Vodka sauce and was super salty. Fried cauliflower was super chewy and so was the calamari. There's a lot of options in the area I'd pick an alternative. Gave two stars since the garden salad was OK. read more

My husband is from the Wilkes-Barre area and I've been going here with him for over 10 years. The restaurant has a nice atmosphere and the staff is always very welcoming and friendly. On top of having a great atmosphere, we absolutely love the food there! Since we don't live in Pennsylvania, we're always stopping in when we visit family and friends. In fact, I can't visit Wilkes-Barre without stopping at The Cafe! Their buffalo chicken wrap is my absolute favorite food in all of Pennsylvania. read more

The best spot for great food. Every dish is made and prepared with love. Everything is always fresh and delicious. Perfect size portions. Great prices. Great food. Very professional staff, owner is always around socializing and making sure his guests are happy. I would recommend this place to everyone and anyone. read more

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Excellent sandwiches and service was pleasant and prompt. Would recommend and look forward to the next time I am in the area.

Nice atmosphere - BUT on the food... the "pad Thai"was simply inedible and tasted like my 14 year old made it. Simply put it was Pasta / shrimp / soy sauce and chili flakes. My salmon was edible, but just barely. Seems like it's a good deli, that's trying to do a dinner... nothing wrong with that... but the menu is too ambitious for the skill of the chef. read more

We heard a lot of good things about the Cafe, tried it for lunch. I got a Reuben, my wife a half a sandwich and a cup of soup. Ordered at 12:06, food came out at at 12:27, after we asked for it to be wrapped as my wife only has a 1/2 hour for lunch. When she got back to office, they gave her the wrong soup. Not impressed. If you need a quick business lunch, not the place for you. read more

We had a great dining experience at The Cafe. The service was great, the menu was extensive and the ambience was very comfortable. The special was polo napoletana. Tender chicken in a fabulous cream sauce with artichokes, capers, tomatoes, carrots and peppers. I savored every bight. We traveled here to attend a wedding and were surprised with a wonderful meal after a long drive. read more

Traveling and surprised to find this gem. Fantastic club sandwich! People were all very nice and it was clean,clean,clean!

This place is awesome. We always have great service (Thanks Liv!) and the food is delicious. I love supporting small places like this with good people. Would definitely recommend. read more

The food is OK. Nothing to complain about but nothing to brag about either. Everything I saw them bring to our table was plain Jane. I could have made it at home for much less. I came here with coworkers for a lunch following a business meeting. They recommended this spot. At lunch time their parking lot is just not big enough. I basically made a spot for myself by parking illegally. If I ever return to the Wilkes Barre area I'll probably not return. read more

The Cafe was a perfect mix of delicious food and warm ambiance. The meal started with delicious honey butter and warm bread, and fresh salads with the House Citrus Vinaigrette dressing. The dressing was unique and refreshing. Our meals, Shrimp & Scallops Fra Diablo and Salmon Pommery, were absolutely delicious. In the end, we were so full that we took our homemade desserts to-go. My husband and I had a delightful evening here! read more

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I feel like this place is flying under the radar. We have been to The Cafe multiple times and the food is really great. Both the food and service are top notch. read more

I ordered on Uber Eats so I don't know what the place actually looks like, but the food is food. As a previous person mentioned, it's nothing to brag about, and I'd throw in overpriced as well for the flavor profile. The food actually was cooked well in the sense of temperature and texture, but maybe if the chef improves the flavor delivery in all the food, then this would be a great place. For example, my blackened chicken could have been great, but there was no flavor in it thus rendering it inedible along with the flavorless spinach in my entree. Also some foods are masquerading as something they are not. Risotto is not white long grain rice with cheese added, it's either Arborio or Carnaroli short grain rice cooked with the Italian risotto technique. I was disappointed to have received this place's long grain rice with some Parmesan cheese added instead of true risotto. My partner wasn't sure if the duck he ordered was duck, but it was actually good whatever the meat was. We also had some type of shrimp from the appetizers that was supposed to have spicy Thai sauce on them. I don't recall the name, but they were actually decent. I must note though the sauce tasted like Thousand Island Dressing and peanut sauce. Again it was good, but I just got the feeling of shortcuts and masking of things were being done. This place could be great if more care was taken in the flavoring of food rather than making noticeable short cuts. Food tells us things sometimes. I can tell the chef knows how to cook, but something is amidst and dampers the food being it's best. read more

Our visit was a complete disappointment. After returning back from a few years ago we finally came back. When we arrived they only had about 2 other groups of customers. We were seated quickly, but waited for waters and our waitress came a few minutes after. At some point we were served a basket of bread with honey butter. The bread was warm and the bread was too, it seemed like an alright start. We both ordered the potato gnocchi. I ordered mine with vodka sauce while my other half ordered a regular potato gnocchi meal. We both got side salads with our meals. The side salads were ok and my other half had their house dressing which he seemed to like. After waiting a good while we are now one of only two groups in the dinning area. We were served with two gnocchi, both with vodka sauce. One had to be sent back while the other waited to eat and also watched the one plate of food get cold. We were not offered extra bread while we waited and they left the oil and vinegar bottles (which are huge!) on the table (they didn't get put back until our check was taken!). I don't believe the cook or the waitress knew the menu to be honest. Potato gnocchi should be pretty simple... if you look on their menu it describes it coming with prosciutto, peas, and fresh mozzarella... however... there were no fresh peas... no fresh mozzarella... and no prosciutto. We had just our sauce and gnocchi with some "sprinkle" aka not fresh mozzarella. Don't worry though... we were still charged full price for our meals. No one apologized. Our waitress basically blew us off until it was time for her to pick up the payment. We had about 3 different people assisting us, which sounds great... but no one ever asked us how things were or if we wanted additional bread. We even had empty water glasses for a majority of our meal. Sorry it is a long explanation... but it was such a disappointment! The service was terrible, the food was not worth the price. Like other reviewers had mentioned it seems like they are cutting corners. Which if that is the case update your menu... or serve what your menu states. I don't think it is that difficult. Save your money and go somewhere else. We have written this restaurant off and will be urging our friends and family to do the same. read more

Beware! If you are considering having a private event at this location, be prepared to have a back-up plan because there is a chance of getting bumped for something bigger and better! (I would give them zero stars if Yelp would let me!) My fiance and I had booked their private room for our 30+ person rehearsal dinner months ago - we put a deposit down, had the menu set and everything. Less then a month before the dinner, I receive a call from Jeff saying that a big reunion was actually booked a year prior, it just somehow got deleted off his calendar and he wants to move us to his good friend's restaurant, Portofino's - which, by the way, has been closed down for months and may still be closed by then. He then proceeds to tell me that I shouldn't be concerned because he's not concerned and it's not a problem. Unfortunately, I was and still am concerned for a number of reasons - not the least bit being how unprofessionally he has handled this situation and the lack of empathy for the clients he is trying to boot out of his restaurant. There was also never an offer to make up for the inconvenience in any way. With that being said, I believe our business will be better appreciated elsewhere and yours will be too. read more

This is my all time favorite restaurant. I love everything from the owners to the food to the decor. It's one of Wilkes-Barre's brighter spots. They let me order off of the lunch menu even if it's dinner time. My favorites include the delmonico cesar salad, the buffalo chicken wrap and the chicken francaise. The desserts are to die for (and some are homemade!). The bar area is my favorite to sit in -- you can put on a game you want to watch or just relax and socialize. I even had my grad party here three years ago which was awesome. Not sure about the complaint regarding the private party: my family has had two there, and they've been nothing but gracious & helpful. Anything we asked for, Jeff was open to doing. Everyone that attends is always impressed with the food. I even asked my mom the other day what the next event we would have there could be. To each his own I guess! My advice: go here immediately. Like... right now. Hurry up. read more

Working in the area, I often stop in here for lunch or order small amounts of catering for a team luncheon. The lunch food is generally very good, but pricey. At times, orders have been wrong. Still, if you can afford a $15 lunch, they're generally consistent. read more

The Cafe was a great spot for dinner. Quiet, great lighting, and the service was friendly. Read the specials they put by the door - those are the same things the waitress will say. The scallop sandwich appetizer special was $10, and tasted very good. You only get 2 though. We ordered a Chicken Sorrentino, and Stuffed Haddock. The chicken was a big piece, and the entree was very filling! Place was near empty when we got there around 6PM on a weekday, and then it was getting busier as the night went on. It's nice that they separate the bar and dine in tables. If I want to eat and get full, I would come here again! read more

I will NEVER frequent this business again. I was in on 11/14/18 at around 12:20 pm. There was a bit of business but nothing that was not manageable. I sat at the bar and for 12 minutes, I had 4 different employees make eye contact, but none asked if I was taken care of. One server came to the person next to me TWICE, to bring him his order. This reeks of absolutely poor customer service. When you see someone sitting there for 12 minutes, maybe ask if they are taken care of? Ask your fellow servers, did anyone get the person at the bar? read more

It's the best that Wilkes Barre has to offer. Up to now, Cooper's in Pittston has been my favorite, but that is getting old. Told the husband I want to go here for my birthday. You can dress up without feeling out of place, or go in wearing jeans. Wonderful atmosphere, service was fantastic and the food was to die for. We only went for dinner, but I may try them for lunch after seeing the reviews. read more

By itself the food would probably deserve a four star rating. But the greeting and ordering process was a disaster so I adjusted down.

I went here once for dinner and it was OK, but definitely not worth the price. It was a Saturday night and we were the only people there and still the waiter wasn't really into talking to us. I kind of felt like they were trying to close and go home but it was 7pm. The pepperoni butter was amazing though. I would probably go there again, maybe what I had just wasn't very good, I'm not sure. It's not outrageously expensive but I think I've had cheaper meals elsewhere that have been much better and more memorable. I cant even really remember what all I had and it wasn't that long ago and I usually remember a really awesome meal, this one was clearly not anything great. Edit: I went here a second (and third) time, and wanted to up my original review because the next two times I went were awesome. I recommend the lobster mac and cheese or the swordfish!! read more

Do yourself a favor and try this amazing place. This is a true gemstone hidden in the middle of Wilkes Barre. The meat ravioli was so fresh and tasty, chicken napoli was and explosion of flavour to my taste buds and last but certainly not least the mac and cheese Made with prima dona was a true palate orgasm. God help me since I'll be here constantly and i dont want to get fat, but honestly who cares when the food tastes like heaven. read more

The Cafe - New American Near Me - Plains, Pennsylvania

Pretty good lunches - the menu really never changes, so it gets a tad boring - and you seriously can not beat the price for the quality. Their salads are AWESOME. And their sandwiches, particularly the turkey BLT, is very, very good... However, because they never change the menu (although their lunch specials are pretty good), I can't give the cafe 5 stars. Also, their soups are a little off. I had the crab bisque...no crab. I had the lentil soup... no lentils. Hmmm... Dinner is a whole other ball game. They make a mean meal at night, I'm telling you! It's very surprising, I ordered the stone crab legs as an appetizer, they were succulent and delicious, then I had this pork loin with some coconut thai sauce...(it was on special)....it knocked my socks off. I was incredibly impressed. Try it for dinner if you get a chance... it's relaxing, the service is inviting, and the food is killer. read more

It is an immediate turnoff to me when I walk into a restaurant and they have Fox News on the television. Businesses are entitled to their point of view, but should have the sense to know that half the population finds those politics to be abhorrent. I mentioned that coming into the restaurant, and the staff apparently was indifferent to my complaint, since Fox News was blaring some kooky Hilary conspiracy theory on my way out. The wait staff was competent, the place was clean and pleasant, and the food was acceptable, but politics that I find abhorrent in my face ruined the experience for me. read more

Stone crabs are amazing! Soups to die for. I highly recommend this place. Never had anything i would not recommend. Chef Bill is amazing. Has really unique features. A must try!! read more

This place should be called the salad instead of the cafe. We had a fresh decent salad but they have no clue what a cappuccino is. We ordered mochas and got iced coffee that tasted burnt. read more

What an amazing delight! We sampled drinks from the unbelievable Olivia, bar tender extraordinaire! I had the Smoked Bourbon Old fashioned which was DELICIOUS, and my friend had the Bouquet Martini- OUTSTANDING! The Reuben was fantastic and her Asian salad also plentiful and soooo gooood. We'll be back for dinner next time! read more

Friendly staff, and a very exciting menu for both lunch and dinner. One of the better restaurants in Luzerne county. Nice selection of take out beer also. read more

The food is always great! They have the BEST chocolate chip cookies. The staff is also always friendly. I travel for work and love coming here when I am in the area. I have never once had a bad experience read more

I was at The Cafe with my family. When we arrived it was not too busy. While the server was attentive and kind, she seemed to be responsible for too many tables, not leaving her enough attention to devote to our dinner. For example, while all of the tables around us were served a basket of bread prior to their meal, we never received one. My daughter ordered a Caesar salad entree; she was served a side salad instead, and when the server realized her error the salad was taken from the table. Upon finally getting our dinner (which seemingly took much longer than it should have) only 3 of us were served, and we were told my son's chicken fingers were coming. They were served at least 5-10 minutes later. The food was mediocre. I ordered an eggplant dish; the eggplant was good, but the angel hair pasta was pretty soft. The chicken my son had ordered was dry (and I might add it only came with about 10 french fries), as was my wife's tuna. My daughter's Caesar salad had way too much dressing on it. Lastly, while the desserts were good, there was a very long gap in time between receiving the dessert menu and actually getting to order it. We were charged for tea that my wife orderes but never received. The functioning of the restaurant seemed more disorganized than as a cohesively functioning unit. read more