Cafe Renata

Cafe Renata - Cafe, Restaurant, BYOB
4305 Locust St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (267) 275-8254
Date of Review: Sunday, April 27, 2014

This restaurant, situated in the heart of the University City/West Philly area is one of the hidden gem brunch spots of the city.  While offering a titillating diversity of food choices - just the salad choices alone may include Tabouleh, Fattoush, Greek, Caprese - the MAIN event of Cafe Renata is the brunch menu.

The menu is exquisitely priced- a cup of coffee sells for a mere $3 while the main dishes only range from $10-15. The quality of the food is amazing for the money being spent. There are also some surprising menu options, more of which I will discuss later.

We began the meal with an exquisite glass of the homemade fresh ginger lemonade with sugar on the rim, which was a nice touch.  Definitely worth checking out if you are in the mood for a refreshing, fresh summer drink. It was neither too tart or too sweet and sat well on the palate.

As I was already tired from the day, I joined the lemonade with a cup of Cafe Au Lait, French for "Coffee with Milk."  The main difference between traditional coffee and milk and Cafe Au Lait is that hot milk is added which helps to give a more frothy, creamy taste.  In the commercial setting it is prepared using steamed milk and espresso machines.

As I knew I would be writing a review, I decided to start the meal with the more unusual menu items I could find. This is Oatmeal Brulee (Apples, Raisins & Cinnamon) - $5. It was fantastic.  I've never had a "bruleed" oatmeal before and I must say it was nothing short of amazing.  Fantastic dish, and I definitely will be trying to concoct it at home.

(Not Pictured) I accompanied the Brulee with a side of Candied Bacon - $4, which was a combination of small square sized pieces of bacon soaked in a caramelized reduction, probably brown sugar.  Anytime you mix sugar+bacon, the result can only be orgasmic.  If you take nothing else from this review, try the candied bacon.

Napoli Roasted Red Peppers & Fresh Mozzarella ($8.50). After much debate I settled on the Napoli, and I am not happier I did.  The Mozzarella is fresh on the premises and the mixed sweet and white potatoes was an excellent accompaniment to the Omelet.  One critique however was the bread was not served with jelly or preserves.

Eggs Benedict Poached or Fried Eggs, Canadian Bacon, Tomato& Hollandaise, Served with Roasted Potatoes - $11. The Eggs Benedict were well done served with the roasted sweet potatoes.  The Hollandaise sauce could have used a bit more pepper (black or Cayanne) but it had the expected mild tang and smoothness of a good egg yolk/butter emulsion.

You can learn more about Cafe Renata and their services (including catering) by visiting them at http://caferenata.com.

UPDATE
8/20/14

Stopped in today for a bite to eat and was greeted by a girl cleaning the windows/doors of the establishment. I grabbed a slice of their lemon pound cake (the last one) and a glass of their fresh squeezed orange juice. Both were superb. Cafe Renata features a rotating dessert menu and for the first time guest, I'd recommend the orange juice- certainly VERY fresh.

A view of the rotating dessert menu and that last slice of the lemon pound cake.

Who says you shouldn't have dessert first.

Caprese House Made Mozzarella, Basil Pesto, & Tomato. I rounded out my lemon pound cake with a sandwich with some house-pickled vegetables.  Very tart and tasty.

Turkey Sonoma Smoked Turkey, Bacon & Avocado with Lettuce, Tomato & Mayo.  Another fine choice, very tasty.  Liked the addition of the avocado.

In addition, I ordered two smoothies: the peach and strawberry banana smoothies with my meal which were very tasty.  Not too sweet, and very freshly made.  You could tell that there was no frozen fruit here.

Greek Salad Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Cucumber, Feta & Olives $7.00.  I split this with my friend and it was certainly a nice accompaniment to our sandwiches.

Of Note: 

House teas adorn the shelves in mason-type jars.

Some customers enjoy a light lunch while students can do work using the Free WiFi.