Berry Fresh Cafe — Restaurant in Jupiter

Berry Fresh Cafe

This morning after fasting labs in Jupiter, Florida, I consulted Siri: "Breakfast near me." The top pick - Berry Fresh Cafe - was less than a mile away, so I made a U-turn and soon was delighted to discover this perfect gem, located on the corner of a little strip mall anchored by Sprouts Farmer's Market.

The outdoor tables at this breakfast-brunch-and-lunch eatery were mostly full at 11.15 a.m. on a pretty South Florida spring day. Inside, I was led to a nice booth, with Cindy as my server.

This is blueberry season, and so in addition to Berry Fresh Cafe's extensive regular menu, there was a rich selection of brunch beverages (mimosas, spiked screwdrivers and coffees and more ).

And their Blueberry Festival menu, which featured such selections as a Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Waffle (this looked too good to pass up - and it was delicious!) and a Dark Chocolate Blueberry Cheesecake Roll-Up, both of which were Cindy's top recommendations.

My Mega Very Berry Lemonade Mimosa (another of Cindy's recommendations) was a generous pour and delicious blend of champagne, lemonade and the house-made Mixed Berry Jam. Conveniently, a squeeze bottle of the jam was on the table, so I added a bit to the mimosa for some extra berry sweetness.

I'd barely accessed the free WiFi at Berry Fresh Cafe and made a few social media posts when my waffle arrived. It was made in the finest Belgian tradition, drizzled with a country cream and white chocolate sauce, topped with blueberries and fresh chantilly cream, and crowned with a scoop of lemony ricotta.

Upon greeting me, Cindy had asked whether this was my first visit to Very Berry Cafe. It was, and as I was finishing my delicious meal, Brandy, the Assistant Manager, stopped by with a $5 Gift Certificate - a gift for a first time guest!

I got a bit emotional at this generous gift on top of a wonderful meal. I'd recently had a catastrophic fire at my home - I escaped with my life but lost everything I owned - something I'd shared with Brandy. But it was not the loss I've been mourning - but the kindness, compassion and generosity of friends and perfect strangers I've been finding myself celebrating ever since!

Brandy totally got that I'm not feeling a victim - but a survivor who has unlimited new possibilities and opportunities now, and who is filled with joy for the love, compassion and generous gifts of friends and strangers alike. "You attract what you give out," she said.

I hadn't thought about that. But I realized that this is a key value underscoring the Berry Fresh Cafe's corporate values! These include not just farm-to-table, chef-driven “made-from-scratch” dishes, but ethical business practices like transparency and corporate social responsibility.

The first thing I had noticed when seated was a statement affirming that each staff member was paid an hourly wage plus commission. And that this was reflected in an 18% service charge in the bill.

Unlike most other establishments with automatic gratuities, here, the server receives 100% of the commission. Of course, you can provide an additional gratuity, which your server also will receive. Plus - almost unheard of in US service industries - staff members receive full health benefits. I respect and applaud such values!

Oh, and I left Berry Fresh Cafe with a personal gift from Brandy: an order of freshly-made Blueberry Fritters! They were delicious shaken with the included sugar and cinnamon and dipped in the also included strawberry yogurt! Thank you!

Do check out Berry Fresh Cafe. I visited the Jupiter location on Military Trail, but there are other locations, in Palm Beach Gardens and Port St. Lucie. My only regret - not taking a photo of my Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Waffle to...

I went for brunch on a Sunday (3mos ago). Daylight savings caught me by surprise, so I called slightly before they closed. I was a few minutes away, and they told me the kitchen would close in 10 minutes from that time I was calling. I didn't know the menu, so I was trying to ask questions and order to go. By the time this happened, I arrived, so they said via phone I could eat in.

When I walked in, there were still several tables eating and being served. A few people at the front of the house did not greet me but stared at me. Then I was asked if I would like to eat in or to go. I said I would like to eat in. As the lady was seating me, she said, "just make it quick we are closing." Initially, if you wanted me to place a to-go order, you should have just said that you are not seating anyone, and I would have been okay with that. That left a little bit of a sour taste right off the get-go.

Nevertheless, my server was very nice! They have a separate vegan menu; what's labeled on the regular menu as vegan doesn't seem to always line up as being an option. So I felt things were not so straightforward menu-wise. I ordered the vegan pancakes, Buddha bowl, and coffee. My server was knowledgeable, patient, and attentive. The pancakes are good; the Buddha bowl is okay though it has a decent presentation. My server offered a to-go coffee as well, which was nice of her. She increased the experience as positive and did not rush me, although I did finish before three other tables. I would go back again to try different dishes and give them more chances as I usually have a three-strikes policy unless an establishment messes up. So go check them out, try the pancakes; I would add something to them, like blueberries; they are kind of dry without any fruit inside.

UPDATE: 9/12/21 - I came in with no expectations and looked forward to the vegan menu and having pancakes again. The regular menu is labeled "V" and "VG" we usually means vegan in a restaurant and VG means vegetarian. They clearly cannot decipher what is what. So my girlfriend and I order from the vegan menu. We asked for a side salad because their french fries are cooked with meat and the side salad from the vegan menu was not vegan. If someone orders a vegan dish anything that comes with that dish should also be vegan. Also, they forgot to bring and put avocado on the side. What im appalled at was that I was told that none of the pancakes are vegan and the last server may have lied to me. The mix itself is vegan but they combine it with butter. Our server Laura B was very nice and investigated everything for us told us she let management know - a dining experience should not be so confusing I appreciate their " Healthier Side" niche though they could have done the research or fix their menus prior. I may not be...

Second Visit: (March 18, 2018) I decided to give it a second try and sat down for breakfast this time. I am leaving my rating at two stars because the hostess and our server were both very nice.

However, the issue still remains the same from my initial visit. The food is not worth the time and especially not the money.

My father ordered one of the eggs benedict plates and had no complaint other than the biscuits being very dense, and even then he still enjoyed his meal.

I ordered their “meal deal” that comes with two eggs, bacon or sausage, home fries, toast, and a coffee. My coffee arrived after our meals were delivered unfortunately. The potatoes were not visibly burnt this time, but still had a burnt flavor and little to no seasoning. I ordered my eggs scrambled well done and then had to send them back to have them cooked more. They came back still wet so I asked for a box to bring them home and finish cooking them. My meal was removed from the bill thankfully, but after reheating the potatoes and cooking the eggs at home I was still disappointed to find out that the burnt flavor of the potatoes overpowered any other seasoning I added.

Overall I would suggest saving yourself some money and just go to iHop...

First Visit: (Nov/Dec 2017) Ordered a bacon, egg and cheddar cheese sandwich on wheat with potatoes for pick up and was very disappointed. There were only two pieces of bacon (one on each half), which wasn’t enough bacon to offer any flavor to a sandwich with 2 eggs and 2 thick pieces of bread. The potatoes were completely void of any seasoning and simply tasted burnt. I gave 2 stars because the food was ready on time and the staff were very pleasant. Maybe I just had bad luck today, but I wouldn’t recommend a...