olexa's cafe, cakes, & catering

lovely place. just ate here today right before 4. they close at 4 and werekindenough to let us in last minute. the atmosphere here is fantastic, clean, colorful, earthy, hip. even the bathrooms are spotless, with brass sinks, real hot water and lavender soap.

and the food is just fantastic. i split my club with a roast beef and cheddar. sandwiches come with a side salad and for a dollar more you can upgrade it to a caesar with real parmesan. tried some of the tomato soup which was heavenly. we were all geared up for some dessert but were too full. our server was very friendly, actually everyone there was. i was a bit uncomfortable being the last customer in there for the day but they assured us all was okay and so we relaxed and enjoyed a really good meal. i had forgotten that i had dined here before. some 15 years ago a colleague would always take me here for lunch. when i walked in today i totally remembered--i used to love their black and blue salad. anyway, feels like i found a treasure today, very happy to rediscover your place. one of your sandwiches with the side salad for $8.95 is fair. will be back very soon.

totally awesome!!. their food is very good and the freshest i've had in a long time. absolutely delicious. the service was great. i had the vanilla cake. it's served warm and literally melts in your mouth. seriously you have to try their cake, hold it in your mouth without chewing and it just melts. it's amazing. by far the best cake i've ever had. even trumps pastry art in homewood!

the atmosphere is cute. made to look like your sitting on the street somewhere. defiantely a lot of girls/women in there. didn't really notice any men besides the guy who seated us. haha but either way delicious food and amazing desserts! oh and they have good prices. salads and paninis range from about 8.99 to 11.95, they have a quiche of the day if you're into thatkindof thing.kindof like a panera bread but way way better! their menu is posted on their website too with prices so you can check it out before you go. pictures of the inside are also on there. :)

great food, and one of the weirdest places i've ever been.. went to olexa's today for the first time. wow! (?) where to start?

food: great. i had an awesome croissant filled with seafood salad (shrimp + crab + lobster) + side salad with the house vinaigrette. very fresh, and at around $10, a pretty good deal considering the generous amount of lobster in it. my girlfriend's strawberry mandarin salad with grilled chicken was a very well executed variation on something like the baby blue salad at homewood gourmet, but had a little something extra--a spice or something--that balanced out the sweet flavors better with a bit of something bold. very good.

the atmosphere: gets a little weirder here. set up to look like an outdoor dining scene on a parisian street surrounded by cafes, it'skindof kitschy andkindof cool. a little too bright in my opinion, making it lean more towards kitschy. the crowd--almost entirely consisting of soccer moms and sorority girls--was pretty odd. i've felt more at home in hong kong and haiti as a caucasian than i did in olexa's as a male. i honestly felt like i was walking onto the set of the stepford wives. even my girlfriend was a little creeped out.

that said, the service was very nice and prompt. i'll definitely come back, put preferably at a time when it is much less crowded or i can get a seat outdoors.