Puna Cafe — Restaurant in Arnold Township

We had been eager to try this place for a while, and today was finally the day! Tucked into the corner of a strip mall, the restaurant's exterior was unassuming, but stepping inside, we were met with a surprising lounge-like atmosphere—black furnishings, cozy seating vignettes, and a stylish yet intimate vibe.

As we approached the counter, thinking that’s where we’d order, a waitress greeted us and let us know she’d take our order at the table. Menus were available via QR code, and she assured us she’d be with us shortly.

The restaurant is small, with just a handful of tables. We found a spot, though the high-top chairs were quite uncomfortable. Our drink order came first: a hot chocolate and a hazelnut latte with almond milk. We also asked for water and learned that bottled water was available for $1.50- we ordered two. Notably, all non-coffee drinks were bottled.

We finished our drinks well before the food arrived—waiting 30 minutes for our order despite only one other table of six in the restaurant.

Our meal included a meat pie, a cheese pie, chicken teriyaki, and cevapi—since we weren’t sure we’d be back, we wanted to sample a bit of everything!

The chicken teriyaki was dry and lacked sauce, though the waitress noticed this herself and brought us an extra container.

The pies were just okay. The cheese pie’s filling was underwhelming, while the meat pie had good flavor. A garnish of sour cream or salsa would have elevated both.

The standout dish? The cevapi. The sausages were delicious, the pita was even better, and the combination of onion, sour cream, and paprika sauce took it to another level.

Overall, the experience had its highs and lows. While the wait was longer than expected and some dishes missed the mark, the cevapi was a clear winner!

Enjoying life 1 sip, 1 bite, and 1 small town at a time....

I'm a huge coffee lover, but I generally like making my own. I might take a trip to Starbucks here and there, but it's not worth it to me to pay for their admittedly good coffee when what I can make at home is much cheaper and nearly as good. I still mainly just make my own coffee, but since I discovered Puna Cafe, I've gone out for coffee three times in the past couple weeks. That's probably not a lot for some people, but considering I'd only picked up coffee three times all of last year, it's a lot for me. I just love their coffee, to the point I usually pick up two at a time when I do go. It's fantastic.

They've also got a really great selection of food. I've only tired a handful of things so far, a burger and the tiramisu, but they were both fantastic. My girlfriend had the creme brulee, and she said that was amazing too. I'm looking forward to trying some of the other things on the menu as well. And the cool thing is, I don't have to break my bank to do so because they have great prices on everything.

Lastly, it's run by some very nice people. I'm not sure how many staff they have entirely, but I've dealt with a very nice gentleman and a very nice lady who were both just so thrilled to have had my patronage, and they're so happy when you're happy, the sign of people that really care about their customers. I highly recommend Puna Cafe to anyone looking for some great coffee or a tasty treat. Just writing this makes me want to go grab a...

Puna is our absolute favorite place to go for coffee! We can’t have caffeine anymore but love the taste of coffee - Puna is one of the ONLY coffee shops in the area that serve DECAF so we are regulars. Every time we have the best experience - every person there is kind, professional and friendly! They are very honest if they have a lunch/dinner rush and if our order may take a little longer than usual which is respectable and we never mind waiting, but 90% of the time our order is so quick. We do drive thru usually which is a HUGE bonus. They just did the inside of the restaurant which looks AMAZING! Perfect place to hang out and enjoy...