Phoenix Cafe

24 W Main Street, Somerville NJ

Old fashioned American food for breakfast and lunch (and now offering a burger menu from 5pm – 10pm!); our latest outing took us to the Phoenix Café.

Through the large glass windows, passersby can peek into what looks like a typical diner-esque eatery. Bar seating, booths, and tables offer ample seating space for any size group (okay, maybe not for your family reunion). There’s an old-school vibe in the air that felt like we were taking a trip back to the 90s. I don’t think the building had air conditioning, though there were fans circulating overhead, and I didn’t see any outlets. Outdoor seating was also an option, and the restaurant is easily accessible by car (street parking) or train (NJ Transit). The Somerville Station (Raritan Valley Line) is perhaps a five-minute walk from the café.

The menu variety is decent, though it certainly caters to breakfast and lunch options. Pancakes, waffles, crepes, egg dishes, and sandwiches comprise the majority of their offerings (with coffee, tea, and juice available as well, of course). There are also choices that speak to the heritage and namesake of the café, like huevos rancheros over a tortilla shell, gallo pinto, and a breakfast quesadilla, among others. As you may have guessed, Kiersten and I both chose pancakes. While she opted for the chocolate chip variety, I ordered mine with fresh strawberries and bananas. While the fruit was fresh, the pancakes might have been a bit lighter and fluffier.

While we ate and shared our writing critiques, we never felt rushed. Wait staff came by consistently to offer coffee refills and to ask if we needed anything else, but they never made it feel as though they wanted us to leave. The ambience was relaxed and quiet, with only a handful of other patrons dining along with us.

Phoenix Café earns a 3/5 from NJ Writer’s Café. If you want to visit, you’ll have to come before 3pm (unless you want to enjoy a burger while you tackle some evening revisions). The food was palatable, the servers friendly, and the seating comfortable. All in all, not a bad place to talk about your writing with friends or draft your next story.

As always, keep reading, eating, writing, and dreaming! Till next time...

AJ