The Cafe — Restaurant in Key West

I had the pleasure of visiting The Cafe and I must say it was an extraordinary culinary experience for any plant-based food enthusiast. From the moment I stepped in, I was immediately drawn in by the inviting ambiance of the restaurant, complemented by the captivating artwork gracing the walls. I saw their delectable vegan dishes online and couldn't wait to sample their offerings.

The array of dishes I tried was nothing short of outstanding. The Truffled French Fries were perfectly crisp, and the addition of delectable vegan cheese on top took them to a whole new level of satisfaction. The Spinach Gyoza Dumplings were a delightful combination of flavors, and the Un-Wing Dings with tahini sauce stole the show as my favorite appetizer – absolutely exceptional!

However, the true highlight of the meal was the Pepper "Steak" & Swiss sandwich. Made with seitan, shitake & portobello mushrooms, peppers, onions, and vegan cheese, it evoked fond memories of a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich, but I dare say it surpassed my recollection of the traditional version. The flavors were incredibly rich, and the combination of ingredients was simply divine.

On this sweltering day, the Dad's Classic Red sangria provided the perfect refreshment, and I found it to be a delightful complement to the dishes.

Yet, what truly set The Cafe apart was the exceptional service provided by Lucas, our waiter. Despite the restaurant not being bustling with activity, there was still a considerable number of patrons dining on a busy Saturday afternoon, and Lucas managed everything with remarkable grace and efficiency. He managed all of the tables, including the bar patrons, and yet his attention to detail, extensive knowledge of the menu, and genuine warmth made us feel like we were the only guests in the restaurant.

Lucas not only took our orders but also went the extra mile to provide suggestions, answer questions about the dishes, and engage in a friendly chat about his time in Key West and south Florida. His dedication to ensuring each guest received quality service was remarkable.

Overall, The Cafe offers an unforgettable culinary experience that is sure to impress even the most discerning vegan foodies. The delicious food, especially the Pepper "Steak" & Swiss, combined with Lucas's exceptional service, made my visit truly memorable. I wholeheartedly recommend The Cafe to anyone in Key West, especially those who lead a plant-based lifestyle. It will undoubtedly become a must-visit spot every time you return...

Although not purely vegan, the place has a good number of vegetarian and vegan options. The food - not as great as Sugar Apple or Date & Thyme - was good.

Food: We went for Spinach Gyoza dumplings (served with soy-ginger sauce) and Grilled Marinated Tofu Chimichurri (with lemon garlic kale and sweet potato fries (substituted against mashed potatoes)). Spinach Gyoza dumplings were okay. The dumplings were a little short of filling and the flavors didn't come together that well. It was also a tad bit more oily as we could see it on the surface. Boiled would have been better instead of fried, I guess. Tofu Chimichurri, on the other hand, was great. The kale and the sweet potato fries were great as well. A little more grill on tofu to make it drier would have been great. But overall, I loved the dish. For drinks, we went for their Homemade Iced Chai with Soy Milk and Cafe Housemade Kombucha on tap. Iced Chai was great. The Housemade Kombucha served in a mason jar, was really great. For desserts, we went for their Vegan Chocolate Pudding (served with vanilla bean-coconut cream on top) and Vegan Keylime Cheesecake (as they say the only vegan cheesecake in Key West). We loved the chocolate pudding part of the Vegan Chocolate Pudding. Vanilla bean-coconut cream had more ice flakes into it than cream. However, the chocolate pudding was good at the bottom. Vegan Keylime Cheesecake was good and had a perfect sour-sweet balance.

Ambiance: It has a little loud interior - with too many things on the walls. There are t-shirts, artifacts, quotes and much more. It is probably one of the rare restaurants that celebrate vegetarianism out loud!! Various cool messages are there on the printed t-shirts, plaques, and other items. There are a few paintings as well. Overall, very colorful. It's a place where you would love to have breakfast/brunch on a bright sunny day.

Service and Staff: The service was good and quick. The lady attending us was quite friendly. No issues there. At the time of billing, they put a little postcard along with the bill with greetings, which you can take along with you as a memory. It was an innovative and a very nice gesture.

Overall, while the food was good, except for the Spinach Gyoza and the cream (or I may say ice flakes) part of Vegan Chocolate Pudding, but it is definitely...

My beet, carrot and goat cheese salad was absolutely delicious and full of great flavor. The salad originally comes with arugula, and I added spinach for extra greens, which was a nice touch. I just wished the portion size remained the same even after adding the spinach for an additional three dollars, as I was hoping for a little more to match the extra ingredients. I felt a little cheated. In addition to the salad being the same amount of greens, although I added additional and paid for, upon eating the salad, I realize that the olives that I ordered were not on the salad. I looked at my receipt and it says sorry no olives, however, the additional amount I paid for The olives was not refunded. It just seems as they have an horrendously bad business practice although a good product. Overall, though, the taste was fantastic, and they have a really high-quality product.

For my recent order, I used Uber Eats and noticed that, despite referencing in the notes to include two sets of utensils, I only received one, less salad greens, although I paid for additional and no olives, although I paid additional to add them. When I contacted the restaurant, they apologized for the utensils, which I really appreciated. However, the apology didn’t address the dilemma of two eaters with one fork, less food and additions than what was paid for. It would be great if all special requests could be fulfilled consistently, especially when more than one person is sharing the meal.

The overall cost of the salad far...