Eh. Not bad. I've been sitting here trying to come up with something more enchanting to say about this place, but in truth, it's a very average cafe, with very average service and a pretty good menu. 34th Street Cafe & Catering is one leg in the tripod of restaurants owned by Austinite Eddie Bernal. If asked to rank them, I maintain my affection for the nearby Santa Rita Tex-Mex Cantina, while also maintaining my disdain for Blue Star Cafeteria. 34th is maxed out on space during the lunch hour. Professionals crowd in to the small, split-level building, but despite (or maybe because of) the busy hour, the mood of the wait staff does not match the cheery, colorful decor of the dining room. Solid grub at a moderate price. Ham and swiss is good, but I'm still on my quest for the best. Parking is a major pain. Hint: At lunch, order at the counter and the food is delivered. At dinner, full wait staff. Also, I've never experienced this firsthand, but I hear they are commendable for catering. Worth a visit. read more

34th Street Cafe - New American Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I do like this place. Their food is fresh. The menu is interesting. The service is good. What I did not like...one time I went with a groupon....not a good idea. It was more crowded. The service suffered. And I really think the attitude of the server changed when they were informed about the Groupon. Without a groupon everything is spot on. Another thing I did not like was one time we were seated in dark corner. There was not enough light to read the menu much less see each other. The ambiance was much different in that space too - much colder. A candle might have helped. Overall I recommend this place. I would ask for another table not in a dark corner. The food is good! read more

I found this spot at my lunch break and the staff and owner treat everyone so well. They remembered my birthday and brought me a brownie and my favorite Prosecco. They just know how to make someone feel really special read more

34th Street Cafe - Birthday treats - New American Near Me - Austin, Texas

It pains me to write this. I have eaten at this former-gem of a place back in the recent past. In fact, my last meal there was nearly identical to what I had today -- tortilla soup with a side salad and an iced tea. It was memorable then, and I thought I would replicate my experience today. Not so good today. The soup was spiced out of its own gourd. I'm not saying that it was too hot for my flower-like taste buds, just that the heavy-handed spicing of the soup took away any balance of flavors you would have achieved just from cooking. And my serving of soup seemed to have been sitting around for a bit, imho -- it was heavy on the bottom-feeding ingredients (your peppers chunks and other things that sink) and light on the ingredients that you want to actually feature in a soup. More than that, though, was a sharp decrease in the service. I remember last time the owner/manager (?) walked through and checked on our satisfaction. When a guest I was with expressed surprise that his soup didn't come with a roll (it didn't), the manager/owner just went and got one for him, no questions asked. Today -- no one checked on me. (Again, could be The Curse of Dining Alone striking again.) In fact, one server brought plates to the table immediately adjacent to me, came back and said, "And, more tea for you" and left my 90% empty glass of tea sitting in my table looking pathetically empty. Despite my trying to catch a server's eye for several minutes (one was too busy reconciling out his tips from the register), no one came to my assist and I continued to plow my way through the over-priced and over-spiced soup sans beverage. Quite a disappointment. I will tentatively agree with the other reviews that comment on the dinner menu being different than the lunch. I did glance at the appetizer happy-hour menu, which alluded to a different dinner scene altogether. Maybe the food is better at dinner. But that's a rather sad statement to make, too. Why would you run a business that kicks ass at one time of day, but is only fair-to-middlin at lunch? read more

I had the most amazing experience here! Craving a steak and my expectations were exceeded! Bravo to the kitchen and expert wait staff! Can't wait to come back again! The bacon wrapped shrimp appetizer was a perfect way to start the meal....I had a black angus steak medium rare with potato gratin, and instead of asparagus I had the Brussels sprouts and they were AMAZING! read more

34th Street Cafe offered a fun little outing for me and the bf. I bought a groupon earlier and it looked pretty cool. When we arrived I thought we were at the wrong place. Sorry... but from the website it looked like an upscale classy place, and from the outside it didn't. But it's all good! We walked in and it was clean and beautiful. We decided to order the bruschetta, hanger steak, and chicken piccata. The complimentary bread was yummy with the olive oil. The bruschetta is listed under snacks for a good reason- they give you three itty bitty pieces. Those little tastes were probably the best part of the night- they were heavenly. My taste buds squealed for more crunchy, cheesy bread. There was a herby bite from the peso and creaminess from the cheese. The tomato added a nice flavor and the olive oil made the end smooth and amazing. 34th Street Cafe knows how to tease you with their bruschetta- best bruschetta I've ever had! I'm not saying their hanger steak and chicken piccata were bad, but the start was music to my mouth. Anyway, the chicken piccata was pretty massive, and it was settled over some lovely sauteed spinach and rice. The sauce was a tad bitter with the capers (in a good way) and was nicely placed so I could smother the ever so crunchy and juicy chicken in it. The rice was moist and a yummy addition as well. It was a very very good dish, I liked it better than the hanger steak. I tried the steak and it was pretty good, it lacked flavor compared to the chicken piccata but it wasn't bad at all. Sadly I don't remember the waitress name, but we were very nicely taken care of. :) Oh and I almost forgot, we ended up parking in a lot diagonal to the restaurant, but they actually have parking in the back. read more

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went in to get two slices of cake from the counter. they charged us not only a 4 dollar packaging fee but a 7 dollar service fee?? for counter service???? absolutely insane, never returning. read more

One of the best salads I've had! We got there right after they had opened again in the afternoon, so we were two of four people dining. The reason I only give 4 stars to this spot is because it felt a little snobby. I'm not sure if this was due to only having a few people in there at the time or not. Besides that, I ordered the salad with mushrooms, blue cheese, apples, and an AMAZING vinaigrette. It came out PERFECTLY spiced with salt and pepper, and the plate was beautiful. My roommate got the salad with the beets, which he also enjoyed. His plate was so colorful and fun! They had a wine special going on with $5 house choices of a red and a white. I got the Chardonnay they were offering, and they give you a good amount for the money and pretty decent wine. It also came in a cute little carafe which, of course, makes everything better anyway. ;) The prices were what I would expect for my salad. The other entrees on the menu looked slightly pricey, but I can't judge on the rest of the food...yet. =) Go see this place! read more

34th Street Cafe - One of the best salads I've had! - New American Near Me - Austin, Texas

Excellent coffee, service was absolutely on point too. The staff here are very hospitable and nice. Would recommend to anyone!

I'm doing a review only on their lunch menu. It was a very disappointing experience. We ordered 4 salads, 1 burger and 1 sandwich for 6 people for lunch. The salads were ridiculously pricey for how much food it comes with. My shrimp Caesar had only about 5 pieces of shrimps in it for $15, half peeled with shells still on, burnt croutons and basically an entire head of lettuce in there. The lettuce were wilted and not fresh. I was still starving after my grassy lunch. My other friends' salad were not good either. Same story with the lettuce leaves. Was told quinoa would come on the salads for two of them, it did not. The salmon was dry and tasteless. My other friend's burger was cooked over well done when she asked for medium rare. Only person happy was the sandwich guy. We will NOT be back again. read more

This past Friday seemed like a fine day for a mom and daughter date, so after our morning bible study that we both attend, the two of us headed out on the open road, towards Austin, to grab a bite to eat. But where would we go? I put it to Slow Down and Savor's Facebook friends, and asked for suggestions. I got a super quick response from local friend, Janie G., suggesting we head to 34th Street Cafe. Sounded good to us, and how's this for convenient? We were just turning onto 34th St. when I read the message! I took it as a sign, and we took the very last parking spot in their private lot. I took that as another sign. 34th Street Cafe The cafe itself was small, but the space was super fun, and super comfortable. We headed straight for the counter at the front, to go over the menu. 34th4 Honestly, everything on their menu sounded pretty phenomenal, and I had a really difficult time deciding what I wanted to eat. Luckily, the staff at 34th Street Cafe were ultra friendly and helped me come to a lunchtime conclusion. My mom didn't have as hard of a time coming to a decision. Salmon salad is her very favorite thing ever, so she went with that. I ended up with the Roast Beef and Gouda sandwich and a side Caesar salad. Yum. We found one of the few empty seats in the house, and basked in the sun while we waited for our order. The salmon salad was a thing of true beauty. There were so many colors and just as many delicious smells emanating from this dish. Holy cow. I couldn't stop staring. Good thing it was a salad and not a person, because that could have gotten awkward. The salmon was cooked perfectly, and I should count myself lucky for being allowed a taste of that deliciously smokey, savory and sweet salmon. My word. My mom fell in love with it, and kept asking, "How did they make the salmon taste so good? How'd they do that?" It's one of life's great mysteries. As for my sandwich, I couldn't have been happier. The meat was delicious, the bread was delicious, and the horseradish sauce was just what the doctor ordered. The combination, while classic, was fresh and delicious. I fell head over heals for their creamy Caesar dressing. It was super thick, deliciously briny, simply sweet, tangy, and downright perfect. Yes, Perfect. Basically, we loved the place, and I owe a huge, giant "THANK YOU" to Janie G. for a great reccomendation. read more

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This is one of my favorite places in Austin and it's off the beaten path. I always get the chicken hack salad, which is on the menu for lunch. However, they will serve it for dinner even though it's not on the menu. I love, love, love it! Taste it and you'll see why. read more

Quail, Crab cakes and Shrimp appetizers with an IPA and wine for our first get together in months.....terrific

We've started a Thursday night date night again, and went back here after a long hiatus Food was excellent, Scandi design calming, love the playlist one of their manager's chose for the night, and the customer service was very friendly and prompt. We had the shrimp gemelli with pistachio pesto, chicken picatta and then because we needed to put ourselves in food coma ordered two delicious desserts. The coconut cake is food crack. Great experience back out in the world. read more

I ordered online and paid with Chow now. When I went to pick it up I don't even think they had looked at their online orders. If you're not going to look at the system then don't use i, don't have time to sit and wait when I ordered and just want to pick up! $12.00 for a hack salad which was the size of a small dinner salad. That's way overpriced for a stupid salad if you want to charge that much make it bigger. Three dollars for a tiny little Styrofoam cup of ice tea to go, really that wasn't even with $1.50 if you can't get bigger cups reduced the price very simple it's called customer service! Just not impressed at all with this place you think is so grand read more

34th Street Cafe - 3$ a cup of tea. Really?????? Wtf - New American Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Awful. Over priced. Poor service. Just keep driving. I had a question post ordering that the owner/manager clearly couldn't be bothered answering as I had already ordered and paid. Salad was at best made in 3yr olds play group. read more

Hack salad and Shrimp Linguini, both superb. My wife eats here for lunch often, and raves about the Hack Salad. During lunch it is a fast casual style, but we hit dinner which is full service. The whole experience was great, and the single piece of Coconut Cake we shared, was more than we could handle. read more

The service here is downright rude. We came at 5 and there were only two other tables. Our waiter noisily dumped a whole load of silverware on a table right next to ours and started wrapping services in napkins. We had to literally waive down every service request. Response to requests for bread and dessert were ridiculously slow. We left at 6, with still only 3 tables and rude remarks from our waiter. Dine here only if you want to be insulted to your face. read more

A local secret. Excellent service, great wine selection and menu. Local favorite is the chicken piccata. I agree. Tender, full of flavor and good size portion. The steak was cooked to order - medium rare. Seasoned and excellent flavor. A must is the coconut cake. It has become our weekly go-to. read more

The rudest staff ever. Was planning a surprise 50th birthday party, called and confirmed my ressie three days before the reservation... day of, we called to see if we could come 10 mins early to set balloons and were told our reservation was for less people than we reserved (mind you I called ahead to confirm and all was good). The hostess could not have been more rude (our confirmed ressie was for 8pm) and told me we maybe could be seated by 10pm, beyond unapologetic and beyond rude. I would eat out of a dumpster before I would go here. It's a shame this old institution supports this complete lack of customer service. I used to be sad when old Austin places closed but I am starting to think it's a good thing. They literally do not care about the customer and think longevity will keep them afloat. If you want to be treated like garbage, then go here, if you actually want to be treated like a customer... I would recommend McDonalds over this place. read more

Came in here to eat last night at roughly 8:20pm, they close at 10pm. We were originally planning on a bottle of wine, two apps, split entree, and a dessert with coffee- that's my and my better halfs standard way of checking out a new place. We ended up cutting it short after trying their first appetizer. The wine was great and the meal was as follows.. Asian Spiced Pork Belly- the pork belly was well cooked and seasoned, three quarters of each piece were melt in your mouth delicious. The pickled veg on the other hand was essentially over dressed(the veg was LIMP) and there was so much rice wine vinegar without balance, that the dish tasted like we were doing shots of distilled white vinegar. It really felt that the veg was sitting in the bottom of a six pan soaking in the pickling mixture. Couldn't find enough of the fennel or 'Texas honey' either.. Not a bad app, but not great either. Fried Oysters- the oysters were fried perfectly, the undressed raw bell pepper hack- of- a -salad served alongside the oysters was un-meaningful and lame. If you want to put something on the plate, make it mean something. The potato chips served on the dish were under the hot oyster, so instead of being crisp they were initially scorched-over cooked, chewy, and uneventful. The whole dish needed salt-BAD. We cut our meal there. The food was really just lacking finesse and final seasoning. I would like to ask the kitchen if any of their cooks actually taste their food before plating and sending it out. Our waitress, Jillian, was great and attentive to start, knew her wine list. While she was on point (but like another reviewer noted) it seemed like the majority of the staff was irritated by us eating there in the last hour(we left by 9:15). Just a bad vibe from the rest of the staff and with a final ticket of $46.00- for two apps and a glass of 8 dollar wine each, my boyfriend and I just felt HAD. The food was just not exciting or well executed enough to charge those prices with the dim ambience offered. I would go back to try the lunch or dinner if the menu didn't read like "chicken and rice". read more

So so so sad to write this, because this used to be one of my favorite lunch places, but last night's $15 dollar salad was awful! That's right I said "15. Dollar. Salad." When one thinks of a $15 dollar salad one expects high priced ingredients, like Kobe Beef... I could understand that. But this was a Chinese Chicken Salad. It had cabbage, lettuce, maybe 2 slices of bell peppers, and about a 1/2 of an ounce of overcooked rubbery chicken. In the past when I have gotten this salad it has always been a little expensive, but had so much chicken on it that it was worth it. Not this time!! So disappointed!!! read more

I originally wrote a much longer, more detailed review, but I am going to simplify it and say we will simply not be back - ever. Whatever my complaints are about the food being cold, the fact that we arrived 25 minutes early of our Valentine's Day reservation with the intent of grabbing a cocktail at the bar (not being in a rush) but were forced to sit in the worst spot in the restaurant near a very loud, drunk group of 25 people (killing the atmosphere of our rare chance to get out of the house with 2 kids) - I would give a better review if the Manager that night hadn't been a complete jerk to my wife & I, from the time we walked into the restaurant to the time we departed. In order to salvage our evening, we choose not to have dessert (thankfully) at 34th Street Cafe, and instead had a wonderful dessert (and service) over at Chez Zee. Thank you to Chee Zee that night to saving our evening from being a complete disaster. But we will not be back to 34th Street Cafe - based on the treatment of management alone. read more

Add me to the people who have had different experiences between lunch and dinner at this restaurant. I prefer it for lunch. There are times when you want a restaurant for lighter lunch fare that's healthy but doesn't taste healthy. And when you're meeting a friend for lunch to catchup, it's good to have a place where you can sit and talk. 34th street meets those needs. For lunch, you go to the counter at the front, look at a menu, order, get a number and they bring the food to the table. The staff during the lunch hour are young and more laid back. The menu is a nice mix of salads, small pizzas, sandwiches and a few entrees. There are cookies and cake for dessert if you want them. The menu features a lot of locally grown items. The food is fresh and has good flavors. It's a small place, so if you go during the week, it's a bit crowded from the businesses in the area (it's next to Seton and Bailey square), so if you want to hang out and talk, it's probably better to go a little early or a little late from the noon peak rush time. I've also eaten here at dinner a couple of times. In the evening, it's a more traditional restaurant with a more formal atmosphere and heavier menu. I thought it was a bit pricey but that's probably because I was used to the lunch menu. Dinner was a bit hit-and-miss. I had some very good dishes and some thing that I didn't care for. This is a small venue- it reminds me of the original Castle Hill in that there's not a lot of tables. We were lucky that it was not crowded the times that we went there for dinner but it was a bit noisier at dinner and I wondered whether there would be issues finding an open table on a weekend. It also closes early, so it would probably be better to go there for an early dinner. There is parking in the front facing 34th street but it's limited and it competes with the baby shop next door. You might want to check for parking in the rear of the restaurant (there's a door in the back) or on the weekends, you can park in the Bailey Square lot. Lunch is casual- come as you are. Dinner is a bit more formal- business casual is fine though. No TVs and it's easy to carry on a conversation, although it is a small space. It's an adult restaurant, so no ill-behaved children. Prices for lunch are good but it's a bit pricier for dinner. read more

My wife and I went there for lunch on a Wednesday. The place wasn't very crowded around noon-ish, but oddly enough, there was only a single parking spot available in the lot. There was, however, FOUR to-go spots that were sitting there empty. I will echo previous comments about limited parking. The interior decor is inviting with cheerful colors and modern tables and chairs. The lunch menu offers a wide variety of options: salads, soups, sandwiches, burgers, pizzas and "blue plate" specials to name a few. Orders are taken at the counter during lunch. Our food was brought to our table fairly promptly and the wait staff was courteous quick quick to refill empty beverages. I had the daily special which consisted of a shrimp stir fry with a sweet chili sauce served on white rice. The shrimp were well cooked and the dish was quite tasty. Wife had a roast beef and gouda sandwich with a side of fries. That was also very good! Portion sizes were reasonable but I thought our lunch was a bit pricey. We had a great lunch experience and will definitely return soon. -1 star for parking issues and price. read more

"Everything about this place screams it should be better than it is." -My fiance, as we were leaving this restaurant. I've lived a few blocks from this restaurant for over a year, but for some reason I never made it over there to try it till today. It's not that I wasn't curious--I love the decor on the outside and it looks like the type of place I'd love. I was still optimistic when I went inside the restaurant for lunch. The decorations are modern, simplistic, and warm, and the greeter was very welcoming and explained the setup of the restaurant (order at the register, sit wherever you want). The veggie sandwich I ordered was OK, but it seemed like the sandwich hadn't been well-thought out--mediocre bread (a Kaiser roll) and a smattering of random vegetables served partially heated. It tasted fine, but the flavor was not very refined--there were simply too many competing flavors in the sandwich (artichoke hearts, eggplant, tomato, raw onion, olive tapenade, guacomole, and more...). I was disappointed that they served it with guacomole when the menu said avocado--the guacamole just added to the confusion in the sandwich. My fiance's spinach goat cheese pizza was fairly tasty, only because enough goat cheese can make anything taste good. The sauce on the pizza was fairly bland, and the crust was terrible (we both agreed we preferred the crust on a Tostino's microwave pizza). The crust was undercooked, flavorless, and formed in a perfectly even round disk which tells me they probably bought it at Costco's. Maybe this place is better for dinner, but I won't be back to try it. read more

We went on a double date for a highly anticipated Valentine's dinner. I've heard great things from my friend who was joining us and even though I was recovering from a cold, I just could not wait... We started off with an amuse bouche Flamed Kissed Gulf Oyster. It was kinda sandy. I then asked the waiter if a glass of wine was included in our meal, he simply said no. I was told when I made the reservation a glass of wine was included and remembered reading it Austin Chronicle yesterday. They waiter said that he had never heard of it being included. We asked him to clarify with the manager. The lobster bisque was delicious and the duck salad was just so-so. The manager came over to let us and said " THAT WAS NOT CORRECT" about the wine being included with the meal. We just went along with dinner despite the fact that the staff was completely rude. I still had a wonderful time throughout the night only due to my company. The lobster risotto had a mealy consistency. The steak was overly salted but cooked properly (med. well). The vegetables that came with the meal was definitely overcooked. We did enjoyed the dessert but how can you go wrong with Amy's ice cream and chocolate. All in all, we felt it was overpriced and we were not treated well for what was supposed to be a special occasion. There should have been some compromise on the wine. I just want to clarify... on page 46 of the Austin Chronicle February 13, 2009 Edition under special Valentine's menu on 34th Street Cafe, it DOES say dinner includes one glass of house wine. Restaurant Inspection Scores: 34th Street Cafe 1005 W 34TH ST AUSTIN 78705 02/24/2010 89 34th Street Cafe 1005 W 34TH ST AUSTIN 78705 01/14/2009 76 34th Street Cafe 1005 W 34TH ST AUSTIN 78705 08/26/2008 73 34th Street Cafe 1005 W 34TH ST AUSTIN 78705 02/29/2008 75 34th Street Cafe 1005 W 34TH ST AUSTIN 78705 08/07/2007 81 read more

We live within decent walking distance of this restaurant, and on a lovely early fall day, it seemed like it was finally time to give it a try. Unfortunately we were dressed for walking a couple of miles and not for finer dining, and we sort of stuck out like hitchhikers' thumbs. The fella was attacked by a bout of vicious allergies right around the time we entered, so I admit that our experience was probably negatively colored by his misery. He ordered a pot of hot tea and valiantly tried to make the best of an unpleasant situation, however, as I downed a Franziskaner and tried to forget about the long walk home we'd be facing shortly. Our waiter was relatively efficient if a little more scatterbrained than one might expect in a place so small on an unbusy night, or maybe we were just foggy-headed ourselves. We liked the general decor, though the neat chandelier was a bit depressing in a Miss Havisham's-dining-room sort of way, if you know what I mean. At least the bartender wasn't dressed in a decaying gown and serving from cobwebbed goblets. My pasta arrabiata was nearly crunchy at first, though it softened a bit as it had a chance to linger in the spicy sauce. It was a good dish, the sort of thing I might make at home. But not the sort of thing that needs to cost more than $10. He had chicken piccata, and while he liked it, he said the sauce was pretty different from what he's accustomed to with that dish. Again, something he makes at home often enough, so he knows more or less what to expect. I might give this place another shot at lunchtime, but for dinner I just didn't feel that the pricing was justified by the ambiance or the menu. read more

Keep in mind that my visit to this establishment was some time ago, on the order of four years but I still remember it. My wife decided to take me out for something a little above par and this sounded like a good place to grab a bite. We walked in and I felt a little under dressed. It was the dinner crowd and I often like high end food but dislike pomp and circumstance. I ordered a grilled pork chop that came on a bed of quinoa and the plate was decorated with a roasted pepper sauce. The food itself was good, my complain was the price (notice a theme with my reviews?) Thing is if I take the time I could make the same thing at home for 1/3 of the cost and serve a famly. The waiter treated me like a plebeian when I told him I just wanted water and didn't want any wine. I'll pay for my meal, I'll tip well just don't treat me like a commoner because I'm not breaking out the big bucks at a cafe. I'd like to try the cafe again and see if possibly it was a fluke but this is it for now. read more

34th Street Cafe is an eatery that is definitely geared toward a casual-fancy dinner. It is somewhat of a cafe, somewhat of an upscale eatery, and somewhat of a "just go and have a drink" joint. I was pretty surprised when I walked in and saw such a clean-cut atmosphere. The food here is on par with La Sombra, the sister restaurant. It is familiar, yet it has just enough spin to make it interesting enough to eat. I came with the intention to go to town on their happy hour deals, and that is exactly what I did. It was also Wine Wednesday, which is a better deal than happy hour! Half price bottles of wine seems to pair well with half priced food for some reason... The $2.50 sweet potato fries were slightly soggy, but very flavorful and thick cut. The red chimmichurri aioli was a rich, zippy accompaniment in which to dip your nice home-style starch. The $6 charcuterie plate was solid. The arrangement of 3 Little Pigs pate, spicy sausage, and prosciutto was a steal. $6 would barely get you a nice slice of pate elsewhere. The $7 cheese plate offered Maytag blue, white cheddar, Texas chevre. Nothing stood out, but with the sesame crackers did the fermented, dried dairy products well. I dislike oysters, but 34th SC's $6 fried gulf oysters were pretty dang solid. They were crisp, juicy on the inside, and served on top of a potato crisp and some aioli. 34th Street Cafe is underrated dining establishment, and I recommend it for any occasion... especially happy hour. I cannot vouch for essentially the entire menu, but the happy hour deal is quick exquisite. read more

Proves the old real estate adage - location location location. Seems it allows this place to overcome poor service, poor atitude, and hit and miss quality for overpriced semi munchables. If you happen to catch it right, food and service and attitude remind you of Austin at it best. Walk in on the wrong day, it's like kiss my grits, and leave a tip. Sorry guys, I'll be happy pay up for good food and service, but not the sometimes on sometimes off I found here. read more

Where shall we go for dinner? Before the pandemic, that was such a fun thought! Sigh. And if it was after a long day of work, the answer was often 34th Street Cafe. :-) And it still is. Eddie Bernal and his team are still making the comfort food that just makes the day end perfectly. We have been picking it up curbside, and it is still as delicious as ever. Our favorite is the Chicken Piccata ... and because we love it so much, we rarely branch out. But when we do, we are never disappointed. And maybe more important than the many delicious meals we have enjoyed over the years, would be the many times that we have celebrated life in this inviting neighborhood dining room. We have celebrated weddings, showers, babies, promotions, graduations and just simple great days ... and even some crummy days, too. We feel so lucky that 34th Street Cafe and Eddie Bernal have been a part of our lives. read more

The "Lump Crabmeat Croquettes" were wonderful, crunchy, not greasy, and the avocado fraiche was a perfect compliment! I let the waitress suggest my main entree, and she chose the "Panko Crusted Chicken Picatta" for me; the capers were a nice touch to add some zing to creamy sauce that was served with it. On my plate = sweet, tangy, crunchy, smooth, colorful all in one dish = get in ma belly! There were many interesting dishes on the menu. I will definitely go back to try more, especially since they serve all my favorite desserts and I was just too full to try them. I believe they have a new manager now; so if you had issues before, I suggest giving them another try. read more

Yay for nice people and good customer service! I've been meaning to write this review for about 6 months and I'm finally getting around to it... I was trying to kill 30 minutes and I was starving, so I decided to pop into 34th Street Cafe since I drive by all the time and it looked cute. Well, I didn't realized that they close after lunch and reopen for happy hour and dinner in the evening, so although the doors were open, they were clearly closed. The manager, or who I though was the manager, was having his lunch at a table nearby and asked if he could help me. I said I was just looking for a late lunch, maybe soup and salad. He said that they were closed, but still sat me down and had the kitchen whip up a delicious tomato basil soup and a lovely salad. It sounds very boring and simple, but both were very flavorful and exactly what I was looking for. He could have easily turned me away and scooted me out the door, but instead he was accommodating and genuinely nice. Thank you for the great lunch and great service! It's the little things in life like this that make my day. read more

Stopped by today to give this place a chance. The lunch special was very good, and the ladies behind the counter were really nice to customers. Such a change from a few years ago, when customer service was so rude when I was there. read more

I guess you call this cuisine "modern American"... "semi French?" Whatever it is, its pretty darn good. The menu doesn't have a huge variety but everything I've tried is delicious. My favorites so far: for appetizer the drunken citrus mussels (drooling as I type), entree the panko crusted chicken picatta (more drool), and a side of grilled asparagus yum. Good wine and cocktail options too. Atmosphere is clean, modern, and semi cozy. Staff are efficient and knowledgable enough. Lighting could be considered romantic... A bit on the pricey side, but probably worth it right? Bottom-Line: good place to take a date read more

Visited here for the first time on a Tuesday night for dinner with my wife. Had read about the great price fixe dinner ($24 includes 3 courses and a glass of house wine). I made a reservation for 6:30, but my wife didn't get done work until that time, so I called and they quickly changed to 7. No problems at all! Parking: Parking lot was full when we got there, so we had to park in a lot that was marked for some baby-store, but the store was closed, so that was ok. They share the parking lot with 2 or 3 other businesses. There's really not any on-street parking next to the place-- have to go a block or two away. there was a parking garage behind the restaurant, but we didn't need it, so I don't know if it's public or private garage. Decor: alright. There was some giant chandelier that looked like it was covered in cobwebs, which was the main light source for the area we were in (by the front door), and was kind of off-putting, but not too bad. Most tables are two-seaters, but they did have a few four-tops. There was a large group in the back corner when we arrived, but I didn't see if they had tables pushed together or were all sitting at tables close together. Staff: Very friendly and attentive wait staff, and the owners/managers greeted us as we entered and when we left. Very smiley and asking us how our day was, etc. small talk you don't usually get at a lot of places. Water glasses were constantly filled. one staff person stopped by 3 times asking if we would like some complimentary wheat or garlic bread. The food: We both had a slice of the wheat bread. Dense, but very flavorful and not overly filling. Served with olive oil and spices for dipping. I had the hanger steak price fixe dinner. Started with a "skewer" of shrimp. Absolutely delicious! Shrimp cooked perfectly, and great seasoning! The "smears" on the plate really enhanced the flavor, but were totally unneeded! The glass of house Merlot was pretty good. I'm not a big red-wine fan, but this stuff was tasty! Wife ordered a bowl of the lobster bisque, and I decided to add one as well. Delicious! Creamy, without being overly thick. Just a hint of heat at the bottom of the bowl. Caesar Salad--- I was most disappointed in this, but mostly because wife makes a kick a$$ caesar dressing. The lettuce was a little wilted, and there was too much anchovy, IMO. Very salty. Main course: I had hanger steak, as stated previously. A little too medium for my taste (had ordered medium rare), but still very juicy with a touch of pink in the center. Again, a bit too salty, but incredibly flavorful. The pomme frites were excellent-- I like 'em crunchy, and they were! I'm not a big fan of ketchup, but tried the home-made ketchup they provided and wanted to spit it out instantly. I was almost like a tomato gelato-- very sugary. Of course, the fries were wonderful on their own and didn't need the ketchup. They were stacked on a smear of some type of smokey bbq type sauce, which was much better than the ketchup. My wife had the Kobe Beef Burger. She said it was the most delicious burger she had ever had. Topped with home-made pickles, and blue cheese crumbles (usually comes with Swiss cheese, but wife hates Swiss-- they kindly made the substitution). For dessert they were out of the chocolate cake, so we had the white cake. OMG! AMAZING. In all we spent about $80 for dinner, including a glass of white wine my wife had and dessert (plus the extra bisque I ordered). Spent about an hour and a half, and had a wonderful time! PS-- Price Fixe dinners are only on Monday and Tuesdays from 6-9:30. A lot of older people were in the restaurant. I don't know if this is typical or if it was because of the dinner special. I will definitely visit again! read more

Kind of hard to get at right now because of construction on 34th, so be sure you come around the street behind in order to park. The lot was crowded, but we had no problems finding a spot. Service was surprisingly fast, considering it was prime lunch time and I was in a group of 8. We shared a couple of pizzas around the table to start (Chicken Adobo & Italian); the Italian was the tastier of the two. The crust was not that great; I don't think I would have been happy if I'd ordered the pizza as my entree, but as an appetizer I liked it well enough. I had a Greek salad with chicken... it was so huge! The chicken was the tiniest bit dry for me, though. Friend had the salad special, which was a tuna salad (a tuna steak on a salad, not canned tuna), and also found that the tuna was slightly more cooked than ideal. I tried a bit and agreed, though it was still pretty good. Also tried a couple of french fries. They were so good it made me wish I'd ordered a sandwich; seasoned just the right amount. We shared a massive slice of chocolate cake for dessert. I don't normally like cake, but it was delicious. I'm not one for icing, so the layer on the top/side was WAY too thick and sweet for me, but the mousse-y stuff between the layers was nice. My major gripe (which is my normal gripe) was the noise level. For such a small place, the noise bounces and amplifies at annoying levels. I really hate having to project my voice just to talk to someone 2 seats down from me. That kind of environment really kills my enjoyment of a restaurant. The other thing that really stops this place from getting a higher rating for me is that the food just didn't "wow" me overall. It was all ok/good, and it's not that I majorly disliked anything, but like an English teacher grading a poorly-argued essay, I'm left saying, "so, what?" Maybe that's my fault for ordering something so ordinary. I'd give it another try. read more

Always a great meal! We love the oysters when they have them. Half price in bottle of wine sale periodically. Recommend the Chicken Picatta and stand back when the Coconut cake arrives at the table! read more

I wish I could write separate reviews and give separate scores for lunch and dinner, but the difference isn't too huge. This place definitely fits Cafe vibe well, and it's one of my favorite spots for a casual but semi-upscale lunch. There's almost always at least one lunch special item that I enjoy but they have a have a fairly varied standard menu as well. If you're lucky enough to come on a day where they're serving the chilled avocado soup, GET IT. It can be a little crowded at lunch time but waits are reasonable. Dinner time they dim the lights and it becomes more of a formal atmosphere with host seating and what-not. The menu changes as well, but I don't find it quite as interesting and I've had mixed experiences. It takes itself a little too seriously and in turn loses most of its charm. An under-appreciated establishment for sure, do yourself a favor and come for lunch, especially if you've only tried it for dinner. read more