Branch Cafe & Market — Restaurant in Carbondale

I've been coming to Longbranch for years. The tasty meals, interesting menu, delicious drinks, and awesome baked goods keep me coming back for more. If you ever see the mint chocolate fudge brownies in the bakery case, buy multiples. You won't regret it. I never regretted buying them, ever. I used to keep a few in my freezer wrapped in wax paper and thaw them out as needed to enjoy. Food, baked goods and drinks here are a mix of vegetarian and vegan fair, with gluten-free options. You'll find tofu, real eggs, vegan or vegetarian meat substitutes, dairy and dairy alternatives. The knowledgeable, friendly staff are happy to make recommendations and answer questions. Although a few years have passed since my last visit, I was in town and stopped in for some food with a few friends. Note that due to current COVID restaurant restrictions in Illinois, you are unable to sit down to eat inside the restaurant, but there is outdoor seating nicely spaced out (for social distancing) under a lovely pergola. You can also place carryout orders, which is what we did. Various bags of coffee beans and items with the Longbranch logo like mugs and t-shirts are also available for purchase. Our food was made quickly and with skill. My meal was a super tasty vegan Buddha Power Bowl. Tofu and seasonal veggies like onion, zucchini, red cabbage, kale, yellow squash, red and green bell peppers are tossed in a red Thai coconut milk curry sauce, topped with chopped basil and cashew pieces, and served on a bed of rice noodles. Healthy, flavorful and filling. It was everything I wanted that day. I was lucky enough to enjoy a vegan dark chocolate ginger cookie, a vegan orange dreamsicle cupcake and a vegan pecan sandie cookie for dessert. All were delicious, but my favorite of the bunch was definitely the soft, chewy dark chocolate ginger cookie studded with chocolate chips. It reminded me strongly of comforting spiced gingerbread, but in tender cookie form. Another thing I like about Longbranch is the art made by local artists available for purchase on the walls of the store. The proceeds go to For Kids' Sake, a local organization that fundraises for children, schools and orphanages in Bangladesh. There are so many different kinds of art by so many talented local artists. It's truly a treat for the eyes, and a...

When I first started going here 3 years ago, it was expensive but some decent food options. Noticed over time that the same dish I was ordering weekly was becoming a joke portion size, kelps decreasing to barely anything and the price went up. They’ve lost their great staff that was so nice to see when coming in who were efficient, friendly & have been replaced by some really awful staff. One barista (if you can truly give her that title), is snotty & passive aggressive. The last time I went there I had a waitress I had not seen before who ended up having me get up & walk out with my elderly mother before we even ordered because she was verbally abusive. She acted annoyed that we were there, said she was very busy & would be back to take our order. When she finally came back I asked her about one of the coffee drinks on the menu and she proceeded to yell at me saying that she didn’t have time for this & would come back when we were ready (which we were minus a coffee drink question). I told her don’t worry about it, we’re going. She then proceeded to yell at me for wasting her time and saying she had other people to wait on too...I had to tell her to “just stop, just stop yelling” twice before taking my elderly mother in hand & leaving. Haven’t been back since & I used to stop here for coffee about 3 times a week at least. I won’t be returning after the abuse. That’s just unnecessary to deal with attitudes and an owner who is living in denial and will make excuses for the poor business practices that go on here, very defensive instead of professional &...

Honestly, the food is pretty solid and I would certainly come here again if it wasn't for the employees. I see on other reviews here that apparently their has been some trouble with management, so possibly that is a cause. The employees have been rude to both me and my girlfriend on separate occasions. One time, for example, my girlfriend put a tiny piece of lettuce in my water just as a joke. I didn't care and continued to drink my water, until the waitress came up and said, "Well, guess you're done with this." In a very annoyed voice. She then took my water and I got no more for the remainder of my meal. Then, when she came to take dessert orders, she turned her back to me, as to not allow me to order, like she was punishing me with the silent treatment. I would have thought I had imagined this if not for the other two people I was there with laughing at the absirdity of what the waitress had just done. I'm sorry if the lettuce thing hurt her feelings but I feel she maybe took it a bit far. I have other experiences similar to this in which staff were very rude to us. A shame because we love vegan food and the food has...