cheapside cafe

what a fun place! so cute and clean. the menu is limited, but they do an amazing job with what they offer. i ordered the salmon nicoisesaladand actually felt full after finishing the plate (typically salads aren't enough for me).  i tried a bit of my friend's curried chicken salad, and was blown away as well. overall, great place for a light lunch or brunch!

recently we branched out to try cheapside cafe with a coworker and her husband. most of us were newbies so it was fun to see so many menu options in just one visit.   cheapside is downtown and you have to pay attention - it's easy to pass up. the outside looks really cool with a teepee type structure on their patio.  it's a very "earthy" restaurant - it's all white and pretty wood - very granola (haha). it gives you a feeling that you're being healthy! why yes i want ginger soda and chips in brown bag with the ingredients on them! i think this is the grilled chz - spaghetti squash, slow roasted tomato, green chile and cheddar on multi-grain - it wasn't my lunch but it was such a pretty picture i had to give it to you big!  here's a sampling of some of the other dishes - the french toast looked amazing (and was drooled over by everyone), someone got asaladand the curried chickensaladwas a hit.  i tried the hen of the woods salt & vinegar wood chips. they seemed very organic and such

not cheap. don’t be fooled by the name. this is not a cheap place to eat. i had a chickensaladsandwich which cost $9. a pretty good sandwich but just chickensalad– no lettuce or tomato or even any attempt to garnish...served on bare plate with no chips or pickle. my lunch buddy had a $9saladwhich was served on same sized plate – mixed greens, some apple chunks, golden raisins and a few nuts. we both left hungry. cute place but not any ambiance to justify the high prices – you order at the counter and get your own fork and napkin and sit at bare wood tables. we noticed there were 8 employees working in this little breakfast/lunch place which may be the reason they have to charge such high prices. there are probably 20 places within a 2 block radius for a good lunch. this place will need to make some changes if they want to compete.