Main Street Cafe & Bakery — Restaurant in Ankeny

This place has quite a neat setup. We ate here while passing through. It was insanely busy so that wasn't exactly great for us (we have small children and it was very loud with all the business), but I could see this as a great place to go on a date or out with friends. The menu was geared to healthy choices, and we all enjoyed our food. Their dessert selection is like having to choose what delicious, beautiful item you want from a bakery. The food being good and the impressive dessert selection is why I gave this place as high as 4 stars. The reason I couldn't give it 5 stars was for 2 reasons. This place is expensive. It was way more than I would expect to pay at a cafe. Yes, we enjoyed the food and it was healthier and made well, but with the portion sizes being as small as they were, I felt like the prices were not exactly reasonable. The 2nd reason was because we ordered chocolate milk for our kids, and it was bad. Like really bad. Our 5 year old wasn't drinking his so we told him as expensive as it was, he needed to drink it. He asked me if I remembered what the giraffe enclosure at the zoo smelled like. I was like, "yes..." He then explained that he tried so hard to drink his milk, but it tasted like the giraffe enclosure at the zoo. Hilarious, right? He wasn't kidding. I tried his milk and proceeded to laugh hysterically at the most fitting description that this milk could have. It wasn't funny, not really, because it was so appalling but it was so well said that it left me in giggling tears. The manager on duty (I think he was the manager) did seem quite unhappy about the situation and offered to pour them new drinks, but since we were basically finished with our meals at that point, we declined that option. We had already paid (you pay at the counter), but no other compensation was offered. This milk was rotten. A refund of the milk at the very least should have been a given. It was just a disappointing way to end what would have otherwise been an...

First time here but I'll return it was the Best chicken tortilla soup that ive ever had,the salads,desserts yummy.look forward to trying breakfast in future. First thought it was kinda pricey for soup salad combos around $9-$10 but portions was big (soup bowl not cup) and lots of toppings on salad,alot of pecans and berries,loved it.so price was reasonable after I saw portions and ingredients and taste,well worth it. Dessert portions r big enough for two. Only thing bad I can say is the person who helped us didn't know much about menu and ingredients in items ,I had to read menu to find out ingredients , she might have been new?? ( but so was I) but she needed more training and needed to smile and speak up,very soft spoken girl who acted tired and felt she was annoyed at even helping us,I told her it was our first time coming and I was sorry I had questions,but she just looked at me, then kept looking to coworker for answers who was with other customers.in fact when we first arrived there was a line ,when I was next she just stood at register looking down never greated us or asked to help or said hello, only thing she asked was what kind of bagette each of us wanted, we both said white,but we never got them,so think it didn't come with combo meal? She asked what side my son wanted with wrap but when I asked the sides were? She said them fast and couldn't hear her,I asked again,and again she rattled them off so fast,i then asked if he could get soup? Not sure if that was an option or up charge? But it was worth it. She didn't tell us where drinks or Silverwear was, she left cups and dessert on counter for us but didn't even see her do this after we paid and sat down, someone else brought the stuff on counter to us with our food ( food came out fast) So if customer service is better I'd give 5 stars because food and...

Nice building and fantastic food. The menu is large and quite varied. The only issue that keeps me from giving it 4 or 5 stars is that it's not a welcoming environment for those who work from home, want to take their laptop out of the office, or don't plan to leave at the exact moment they finish eating.

If you bring a book or a laptop, prepare to get "the look" once you're sitting there without food. They're very prompt about clearing empty plates, which is definitely nice...but it kind of feels like there's an unspoken desire for you to leave. At a restaurant with wait staff, it's great when plates disappear immediately after you're done; at a cafe, it makes you feel hurried and rushed.

During peak hours, they may also ask you to move over to communal seating--which can be very loud. It also offers no privacy if you don't like folks staring at your screen or just don't want to sit with random people.

Don't get me wrong, I totally understand the desire to turn tables and drive sales; and nobody wants to be another Smokey Row with college students who never leave. But it just feels awkward--especially when you're a regular customer who eats there 2-4 times a week. And no matter how nicely someone asks you to move to communal seating, you feel like you're being told to leave the cafe. This happened to me today about 2-3 minutes after I finished eating my food. My plate disappears, and then someone else promptly walks over and asks me to move. What if I was thinking of going back up and getting coffee or dessert?

With that said, the food is quite wonderful. Definitely worth a visit for that alone. Just be advised that there are more welcoming alternatives if you're planning to work remotely or hang out a bit. (Although you may have to drive out of Ankeny to visit them) Freedom Blend Coffee on MLK/Hickman...