Café Paradiso Bistro & Social Club — Restaurant in Titusville

The Cafe Paradiso Bistro & Social Club 337 S. Washington Ave., Titusville, FL 32796

3.5 Stars

In the downtown area of the bristling metropolis known as Titusville, FL sits a rather ambitious little joint with a name reminiscent of an old Fonda/Stewart movie and a classic Italian coming-of-age flick, The Cafe Paradiso Bistro & Social Club. The first thing I noticed upon entry was the eclectic décor. It's almost too busy, but it's not. I found it to be bright, cheerful and inviting.

Steven is the waiter for the meal. Steven was charming, congenial and professional. He seemed to be slightly hearing impaired, noticing that I adjusted my speech volume, and Steven answered all of my questions regarding the menu. In regards to the menu, I found it to be pioneering in it's flavor combinations, however, there was a lot of crossover. Executive Chef Elisandrya De Sade Way (Chef Gypsy) is one to watch. She is extremely creative in her desire to bring the Space Coast unique, yet well-known meals. I asked for a cup of their Jambalaya, some Haitian Beef Griot and a glass of Tropical Hibiscus unsweetened tea.

Kicking back and enjoyin' the digs, I snapped a few pics of the interior and eagerly awaited Steven's return. Before too long (I do time this), Steven was seen bringing forth my fare. The warm aroma of the Jambalaya preceded him and had my mouth watering in anticipation. Taking the requisite pictures of the food, I got to work.

First up was the cup of Jambalaya. For those not in the know, Jambalaya is an American Creole and Cajun rice dish of Provencal French, African and Spanish influence. Done right, it is savory, spicy and scrumptious. A truly wonderful belly-warming dish. Chef Gypsy's take on this Louisiana staple included seasoned chicken, spicy Andouille sausage and savory vegetables. However, the all-important rice was a bit on the overcooked side. I chalked this up to sitting in a steamer/warmer. The flavor did not suffer due to this, but it did detract from the overall enjoyment of the Jambalaya.

Moving on, I found the Haitian Beef Griot to be the opposite. In this case, the rice was slightly undercooked. This makes one ask, was the rice cooker on the fritz, or did someone become distracted for a minute in the kitchen? The chunks of sirloin were tender and perfectly seasoned and the accompanying Haitian Pikliz (slaw) and Caribbean black beans were outstanding and had my taste-buds breaking into an Affranchi. I would be remiss if I failed to mention the incredible flavor of the Hibiscus tea. This was a true delight on the palate and perfect for washing down a few forkfuls of the slaw. I have to say, if the rice in each dish had been prepared and served to the standard of the Pikliz, this would have been a solid 4.5 stars. However, as it is,

the Big Boy says, “3.5 stars is still a good first date or family outing. Oh, and keep your eye on Chef Gypsy. I expect things to get better and...

It's not often I come across a 5-star place, and honestly, it shouldn't be often. For a place to earn 5--stars (IMHO) it needs to be special, it needs to be authentic, it needs to be almost a one-of-a-kind, and it needs to be consistent...Well, this place is all that and more, a place is truly worthy of 5-star status...

Located in historic Downtown Titusville (now in it's own revival) this is a great addition to the existing places that have survived the dark days of the down turn of the area, and worthy of a special status with the upturn that is happening.

If you're not careful, you will miss this place from the road and even from the sidewalk. It's forward face is small and unassuming, but when you enter, you are transported to a beautifully decorated, furnished, and authentic Cajun/creole restaurant. The place is 'longer' than it is 'wider', and there are three stories of space with tables for folks to eat at. Though it doesn't look at first there's much room, with the additional space on the second and third floor, it makes up for what you see on the first.

I've been here twice and both times the service was spectacularly friendly, the wait staff other than our own waitress was helpful as well. The ambiance is a mix of relaxing and romantic which makes for a good mix in my opinion, and with cards on the table, you can pass the time playing your favorite card game as you wait for your meal (brilliant!)

The kitchen of the place is scratch, and you can tell from the meal as it comes out. Whether it's their Cuban Sandwich Salad, the Fried Oyster Po'boy, or the Crawfish and Shrimp Etouffee, all of it was served hot, fresh and it was all delicious. They have an extensive craft beer menu, quite possibly the best in the area and surrounding area for that matter, and they offer the standard fare in terms of soft drinks, tea, and of course water. For dessert we had pralines and their Spanish truffles, but be aware, those truffles are a bit spicy.

I really can't gush enough about this place. I've added this to my list of go-to places when friends comes to visit, and I've moved it to first place! If you're a local and haven't gone -...

Our family of 3 saw the Cajun/southern items in the menu and total reviews of 4.7 stars of this place so decided to dine in based on the total review scores. We were beyond UTTERLY disappointed 😞. How is it possible that this place gets 4.7 overall score? AI, bots?

FOOD: Gumbo with rice - very salty with hardly any noticeable sausages or meats; a few barely noticeable okra; very runny and very small portion. Does this have any roux at all? 0/10

French onion soup - extremely salty, hardly any caramelized onions in the soup. Where are the caramelized onions? 0/10

Grilled beets salad with added chicken - there were only a few small pieces of beets approximately 1.5 cubic centimeter in size hardly noticeable in the salad; no chicken, because our waitress forgot to add that to our order; the salad was the size of a "side salad" but with the price of a dinner salad. 0/10

Clam chowder - very salty and very runny; this is not creamy like a typical clam chowder and we had a hard time finding any clam pieces. The menu item name is very misleading because we're not able to find the clams and the soup is too runny to be a chowder. 0/10

Fresh Beignet - we ordered a portion with 4 pieces for dine-in and all 4 pieces were actually fluffy, perfect texture, and tasty; then just before settling our dinner check, we ordered another portion for take-out, but upon looking inside the foam take-out box we noticed 2 beignets were flat, like pancakes, 1 was partially puffy. Beignet dough and puffiness should be consistent. 3/10

Brisket sandwich - The brisket was tender, but the roll was soggy. This sandwich portion is small like a kid's meal. The side order of sweet potato fries were soggy and over seasoned, to the point it was too salty. 1/10

SERVICE: Attentiveness with the initial order would have been helpful, but the staff members were friendly.

ATMOSPHERE: Rustic decor with semblance of the New Orleans feel. Cramped.

VALUE: The price is too high for very poor quality and meager size portions.

SUMMARY: Social club...yes. Bistro....NO. Our first time and also last time to this place. I do not recommend this...