Ava's Island Café — Restaurant in Leavenworth

I almost never do reviews but I have to on this one. This cafe is hands down the best I’ve ever been to. It’s small but quant. When you walk in there’s a few tables w/chairs and an L shaped bar stocked with baked goods and a mini fridge with drinks. They have a menu book and you order at the counter. The people working here, especially the female, are wonderful. Kind and warm. The restaurant gives relaxed vibes. The music is uplifting as well. Now for the food. Oh my gosh yall. The FOOD. I ordered the jerk chicken burrito and my son got fish & chips. The fish & chips are well seasoned. The fish has a good crunch and amazing flavor. It has a good spicy kick. Not too hot and not too lax. I was impressed. The BURRITO. The burrito was hot (temp) and fresh. Large burrito similar to that of chipotle. Has a good char on the tortilla from the grill. The burrito has a slight bbq flavor paired with the jerk. It has a good heat that’s not overwhelming but leaves your taste buds wide awake. We waited probably 10-15mins for our food but that’s to be expected when the food is fresh. Well worth the wait. I HIGHLY recommend...

We walked into this wonderful restaurant as Bob Marley music played in the background. My daughter has an auto immune disease which makes it very difficult for her to eat out anywhere. We stepped inside only to get a bottled drink. Then we met Henry. What a kind and helpful guy he is! Immediately, he began to explain the ingredients of a dish that he though she could safely eat. Everything would be made there on a safe grill with herbs that were "picked out back" and his special care. We sat down and waited while Henry prepared Jerk chicken with fried cabbage and onions, rice and beans, and two special sauces. In a very short time. our meal was set before us. How can we describe the taste? Marvelous! He continued to ask us if this ingredient or that ingredient was OK for her before she ate. Then we dug in and WOW! It was such a hefty portion that I shared the meal with her. We both left full, happy, and sure that the food was safe for her. Oh, and the price was very reasonable! Go! Eat here! Even if you have diet restrictions, Henry and Ava will go out of the way to see that...

Okay, so I have been first wanting REALLY good curry for awhile and asking around is Ava's good. There were a ton of mixed options and some...hesitant answers. Nonetheless I went finally to find out for myself. Oh my goodness, definitely should have taken all those opinions to mind and listened to my first mind and not gone to Ava's. I'm convinced Leavenworth at this point has absolutely NO good restaurants at all here. My curry chicken was rushed cooked, very bland to taste, and my rice was very dry looking and tasting. Everyone knows you cannot rush chicken to cook. It's just gross when you do...and I got gross from Ava's. My food did not have that curry kick in seasoning, the chicken was very tough, and I was disappointed. I threw my food away which was VERY hard for me to especially knowing the price of food these days. I do not recommend this place at all. You are definitely better off attempting curry yourself than wasting your time going here just to be disappointed 😞. Hard lesson...