Cafe Cito

I’ve been here a few times for lunch. They always have good souls, salads and sandwiches, not to mention their amazing stumptown coffee. I went with a few friends today for lunch. We shared the eggplant dip which was great! I also had the butternut squash soup which was soooo good! It was thick and flavorful and the only cream in it was a small splash at the end for garnish. I also had the warm mushroom salad with goat cheese, while it had good flavor, it felt like it was missing something. The sandwiches and soups are served with amazing bread, that is soft in the inside and crusty on the outside!

I’ll admit that I had sort of low expectations for Café Cito. I guess I assumed it was going to be another Hampden joint whose reputation didn’t actually reflect the quality of the food being served.
Boy was I wrong!
My husband and I have been 3 times now and every time the food has been incredible. Perfectly poached eggs, delightfully innovative flavor combinations, and fabulous coffee means that Café Cito quickly made it onto the shortlist of our favorite breakfast spots.
The only downside is that portions are a little on the small side for the price but given the quality, I think it’s totally reasonable. I always leave full, though without leftovers.
Service is quick and attentive and I’ve never experienced a wait. Go quick before they get so popular that lines snake out the door!

OMG wonderful! Great food, great staff, and clean! Their coffee is on point and I can’t wait to go back!

The food here is outstanding and the prices very reasonable. Only one concern, when the place is full, which it usually is at lunch time, the noise level is deafening. Walls, floor, ceiling and table tops are all hard surfaces and people speak louder in an effort to be heard over the background noise. Owner, please add something to deaden the sound a bit!

Awesome. Four courses, all great. I hear they only do this meal once a month. It’s byob which is interesting. The food and service were great. The walls are bare which reverb sound so it was a touch noisy but not overwhelming. I’d go back given the chance.

Absolute deliciousness! I took my boyfriend here for a birthday lunch and we both loved it. I got the Veggie Bahn Mi and was blown away by the flavors in the sandwich, I means seriously, who get excited about a veggie sandwich. This was a first for me too and since I’ve had Bahn Mi at other places I was really impressed by how much better it was at Café Cito. My boyfriend got the Bahn Mi with Chicken and loved it too. The sandwich was enormous, so be prepared, we could’ve shared. I devoured mine cause it was too good and juicy to take home. I’ll definitely return ASAP, but they usually are a brunch/​lunch place and I miss out. The do have special dinner nights they are open and that would be great to try. Also… FYI, they are byob so if you’d like wine or beer you gotta bring it.

Fresh and flavorful. Go to brunch spot in Hampden.

Great place to get brunch or lunch in Hampden. It is a small restaurant with a short menu but their food is good! The portion is huge and you can tell they use fresh ingredients. Highly recommend it!

What a great spot. Executive chef and owner Dave is a great guy and his food is outstanding. The attention to detail shines through. Try the Cito braised brisket sammy and make sure to get cheese and caramelized onions on top.

Tucked away in a small corner in Hamden is Café Cito. If all you are familiar with is the Avenue in Hamden, chances are you’ve never seen this place. But honestly, it’s not that far away from the Avenue and it’s definitely worth the extra few minutes of walking to find this place.
Café Cito focuses a lot on sandwiches. The ones I’ve had here were all REALLY REALLY good. The Cito Bird (add the avocado) and the Spanish Bird were some of my favorites. The chicken in each sandwich was expertly seasoned and was, for the most part, cooked very well. Some parts were a little overcooked… but it wasn’t rubbery or inedible.
But the BREAD. Oh my goodness. The bread!!! To me, the mark of a good sandwich is it having good bread. This one here is so soft and chewy. It really takes the sandwich to another level. And because it’s not hard, it doesn’t rip up the roof of your mouth. That’s never fun and apparently Café Cito is not about that (thank you).
I’ve also tried the Bahn Mi sandwich here. While it’s not 100% traditional, it is definitely flavorful and a good option to pick up as well.
Service has always been good here. The restaurant is a little on the small side but not uncomfortably so. It’s definitely a little gem in Hamden. Go check it out!

Amazing hardly comes close to describing how good this place is.
As a Latin@ born and raised in Miami surrounded by amazing Hispanic food, I’ll admit I sort of rolled my eyes when a friend suggested a ‘Spanish-​inspired’ cuisine place for brunch. Man, I was set in my place real quick!
The breakfast sammy’s are the bomb dot com. I have never had bread so soft and fluffy on the inside but still firm. The sammy’s are simple but so well done — I really like the chorizo, normal egg and cheddar, and the egg and sausage ones. I have taken my parents who cannot say enough about the white bean and chorizo soup. You can really tell they pick out top quality local ingredients. I may not be incentive enough to visit Baltimore too often for them but now that they’ve had this soup, they will be coming back to town ASAP.
The décor is also really charming. The inside doesn’t have a ton of seating for big groups but on a nice day, it’s great to grab a table outside. You can also feel the love the staff have for this place and the food they put out. It feels like a real team effort and labor of love which reflects in the food. So warm, inviting, and comforting. They really nail awesome simple cuisine with a cool, creative, culinary flare in true Hampden style.
Really can’t say enough good things about this place.

Café Cito is super good! Went for a Saturday night (1^st Saturday of the month) 4-​course dinner. Very good spot for a 2-​top or 4-​top table max; intimate setting means small groups are best here. It’s clean and simple inside and at dinner they hide the «café» nature quite well. The fact that it’s BYOB will hide anything else.
The food is honestly amazing. The Tempura shrimp were like candy and the Califlour soup will knock your socks off. And of course the Paella is the main attraction… deceptively small dish but it’s quite filling and anymore would honestly be too much and leave no room for dessert.
There is a corkage fee ($ 5 a glass) and after tip you’ll leave dropping $ 100 or so for 2 people; not cheap but considering how you can run up a tab around the corner at LeGarage or Food Market, it’s a pretty refreshing value. If you like Corner BYOB you’ll like this place; in exchange for the lack of menu choice and lack of dinner times (twice monthly for now) you get a great dining experience that will make you want to come back again for lunch!

I’ve been here several times, and usually order the Spanish bird sandwich. I highly recommend it. It’s a perfect balance of flavors, and the bread is just crusty enough without being too chewy. The only reason I’m giving four stars is because I came here on a Saturday and they were out of a few things. But the server was really helpful with finding us something else. That day I had the eggs with potatoes and duck sausage (very good). My boyfriend got a sandwich with tuna. I can’t remember what it was called, but it was delicious. The Spanish bird is still my favorite though. Yes, it’s slightly pricey, but worth it.
Update: I’m increasing this to 5 stars. I eat here all the time and it’s reliably fantastic food. The servers are always nice. The table in the front is such a quiet, secluded place where you can enjoy your meal and the great view of people who pass by. PERFECT for a daytime date.

If you want some breakfast food in the afternoon or some unique lunch food (Cito Braised Brisket with horseradish and «AWW jus,» anyone? Delight!) – this is the place for you. They call it Spanish-​inspired café cuisine, which is OK by me. I like the food, service and the casual atmosphere.
Today it was the Mushroom, Spinach & Cheddar Scramble – otherwise known as the No. 3. This piping hot sandwich on smooth ciabatta roll is messier than it looks. Which is not a bad thing. You can’t play with your phone or read The New Yorker while eating this one, as the juices just drip down. The egg is folded around the mushrooms and the bread lets you enjoy the taste of the stuff between the slices. I ask for a side of duck sausage, which is one of the delights – it has a smoother taste than pork and more refined than turkey (one issue is that it cools down a little faster than the hot sand). The big mug of Stumptown coffee was OK.
Minor point: The Wi-​Fi was flimsy today, so couldn’t get online, but, what the hell, I had to focus on eating instead.
Tucked away in Hampden, not Baltimore proper, it has one of the nicer bathrooms around – exposed brick wall in comfortable cubby with automatic hand soap dispenser.
Note: They no longer have the little chocolate brownie cardamom rounds (that little bakery bird has flown), but they promised to experiment with a new version just for me!

I ordered the Bahn Mi. It taste good. Only on weekend they provide the Brunch menu. I will visit next time again.

Visited Café Cito for the first time, flying solo for breakfast-​brunch. I was pleasantly surprised that it was so uncrowded, given some of the reviews I’ve read. I was likewise surprised that they offer table service, as it just looked like the sort of place that would be counter service. My waitress was friendly and efficient, offering the proper level of attention. The menu was relatively small and a bit limited, which fit the nature of the café.
My breakfast choice was the duck sausage, egg and cheese on ciabatta. It’s interesting to read the various opinions on the size of the sammy, and I’m in the middle of the road by feeling it’s kinda mediumish. Quantity-​wise, I found it to be about the size of an English muffin sandwich. I thought the sammich was pretty good overall, and appreciate that the egg is prepared so that the diner can pop the yolk and enjoy its cholesteroly goodness… oh, and the latest and greatest «scientific» opinions that cholesterol isn’t so bad after all! Huzzah!!! The coffee I had was just okay, and not good enough for me to want more than one mug of it. I got the veggie banh mi sandwich on whole grain to go for my chickadee, and we both really enjoyed it.
Good experience, to the extent that I’m sure to be back in the future!

ZOMG.
We went for a Valentine’s Dinner menu, so our experience may be different from the regular experience, but I doubt it. I think this place really knows what they are doing.
Prix Fixe on Valenties was $ 45pp for SIX courses + BYOB made it an incredible night at a great price. Hubby said it was our fanciest meal ever, quite a surprise in a little sidewalk café in Hampden. My favorite was the pan de sus manos because it reminded me of how we ate pan con tomate with every meal when I lived in Spain.
The food was impeccable (no photos because it was a special occasion) and service was friendly and knowledgeable without being pretentious (a risk when you’re serving a «palate awakener» first course). The mood music was perfect. We enjoyed it but it wasn’t too loud.
We will be back for breakfast, lunch, dinner, you name it.

We have been waiting for a while to try this little café. We live a couple blocks away. We have been hoping to have breakfast but the place doesn’t open till 9? You really should open (at least on weekends earlier for breakfast guys!) Ok. So on to the review. We ordered the charcuterie sammy. (cantimpalo chorizo, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, spinach, fresh basil, on pan con tomate 11 $) and the white bean and chorizo soup. We shared the food. The sandwich was very good. Fresh ingredients and perfect. The soup although tasting awesome… The beans were slightly undercooked. But we devoured it none the less. Overall I give them 5 stars. Very cute café. Very good service (the place was packed) we will be back.

I am a fan of breakfast and places that serve it well after 1pm. These guys do not have a liquor license, but are BYOB. I am not sure what that means for mimosas. Hmm, note to self… They do serve Portland’s Sumpton Coffee — several different beans — Indonesia, Rwande Huye Mountain and their own house blend. We had a super sweet and attentive server named Aurora — I couldn’t have asked for a better Sunday afternoon experience. My favorite is that we have a chance to be a little retro and use a chemex. My coffee was super smooth and mild — needing very little milk or sugar, plus I was able to drink it sitting in the sunshine on a beautiful sunshiny day.
I actually ordered the first thing I saw on the menu, a hand crafted egg sammy on ciabatta. A fried egg with smoked duck sausage — a perfect combination of savory with just a little sweet. Duck Sausage and Egg Breakfast Sammy My egg was a stellar over medium; the yolk flowed adding great taste and smooth texture to the sandwich. They have a multigrain, but I wanted to spluge on this gorgeous crusty, yet soft ciabatta roll. It was buttered just a little. I loved it. It is a ginormous sammy on a super tiny small plate.
My mom went with the summer frittata after asking for some help from Aurora. A great sized portion of egg mixed with roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, baby spinach, basil, and goat cheese, served along a large baby greens salad.
As if that wasn’t enough food, I couldn’t resist the organic vanilla yogurt with house made fruit and granola. I think this pick says it all.

Went for lunch today with 3 colleagues, and we really liked this place! The décor is really cute. I love the hanging lights and the wallpaper behind the counter. A nice change from the Roland Park Bakery that was there!
I got the Spanish Bird sandwich, which is chicken, roasted red peppers, arugula and a lemon aioli. The sandwich was huge and excellent: white meat, tender chicken, bright, lemony aioli, and chewy Tuscan bread. I also asked for avocado on it, because they had it on a similar sandwich and they gave it to me without charging me extra. Loved it.
My only reason for not giving a full 5 stars is because there were 2 thyme twigs in my sandwich that I had to spit out and because it was a little on the salty side. With a smidge less salt, that sandwich would be absolutely perfect. (I also heard two ladies at a nearby table complaining about the food being salty as well). I also got a butterscotch and pecan scone for dessert. I got it to go, but it was so good that I housed it before we even finished paying the bill. I am looking forward to going back and trying something else.