Nova Mae Cafe

Very nice server, not so good coffee. Cappuccino was reportedly good. Smelled like a ripe trash bin inside, sadly. Cute interior. Sandwich prices were very reasonable ($ 5!).

Whenever I’m in a new town, one of my favorite things to do is find a local independent coffee shop or café and sit back with a coffee and a cookie and take it all in. I was in Bennington for a couple of days visiting friends and stopped here for lunch on my way out of town. I had the green salad (with cranberries, almonds, and balsamic) with a scoop of chicken salad for $ 8. I added a coffee and a tiny cookie. The baked goods in the case looked delicous! I wish I’d had the time and calorie allowance to sample them all. I only had contact with one staff person (it was a very quiet time) but he was very friendly and helpful. He brought my order to me at my table. The décor was nice… they seem to be going for that «everything old is new again» vibe. Lots of antique mirrors on the wall and an antique stove set up as a display piece for the sugars and creams to make the coffee just the way you like it. I would go back again!

Made a mistake going to this place. We were ignored by the lady working for quite a few minutes as she started talking to the lady who was BEHIND us in line and took her coffee order. The customer even suggested she help us first but she continued to ignore us! We ordered two soups and a grilled cheese. This place suggests that the items are homemade but our soups were Pacific’s roasted red pepper and tomato soup poured out of the box and heated in the microwave, I watched the girl heat each bowl and bring them out separately to where we sat. The «grilled cheese» was two pieces of bread with a piece of cheese in the middle pressed on a panini grill. We spent $ 25 on that plus an Honest Tea. Disgraceful. If you are going to pawn off a boxed soup as your own soup at least do something to it to change it a little. Over all didn’t seem very clean either, the tables had crumbs and hair on them and the case of baked goods looked grungy. If you are visiting this town do your homework first, I imagine there are a lot of small town Vermont cafes that don’t treat visitors like they are lesser customers or serve grocery store soup.

WOW, what a coffee/​treat/​lunch/​dinner spot! We go up to Bennington VT every year for a bike race and this place is one highlights of our trip!

The Nova Mae Café is a must visit destination if you are passing through Bennington. Kim, the owner, is the most wonderful person and her sandwich/​panini creations are as heavenly as her delicious baked goods. Stop in for brunch, lunch or even just for a quick dessert.
Try a cupcake– you’ll be glad you did.

My boyfriend and I went here on our first date. This is honestly one of the best cafes I’ve ever been to. It’s really sweet and homey with just a dash of Grandma’s tea set added in. I usually don’t like cute tea shops but this is cute without setting a toe into quaint, precious territory. Influence from the little antique/​gift store that is attached definitely spills over but in a very good way. It’s a nice, quiet, romantic spot with candles on little tables. The food and pastries are fantastic and their selection of loose teas is unbelievable. I think they had about thirty teas to choose from and what’s extra awesome is that the teas are out front so you can smell them all before you try one. The staff were very friendly and didn’t seem to mind one bit when my boyfriend and I were playing a rather rowdy card game at our table. I like the South Street Café too but the Nova Mae is much quieter and off the beaten path. As a Bennington student, it’s nice for a change of pace. Highly highly recommended.

Nova Mae Café is a very classic and cozy café attached to Junque, a nice antique and gift shop next door. They offer sandwiches, paninis, salads, soups, baked goods, iced & hot coffee, tea, and espresso drinks, at very reasonable prices. Some of the ingredients used are organic. They brew Mocha Joe’s Coffee here.
The atmosphere here is very laid back with table seating inside and outside along the sidewalk.
I stopped in here for lunch very recently. I ordered a Turkey Panini, an Iced Coffee, and a big Chocolate Chip Cookie. The total came out to under $ 6 with tax and an online Entertainment coupon (20 percent off). The service was very friendly.
The turkey panini was really good, which was a pressed crispy sandwich with smoked turkey, melted cheese, and a sweet chutney, green apple slices on the side. The big choc chip cookie tasted pretty good, but was falling apart from lack of a dense texture inside. The iced coffee was very refreshing, especially on a hot summer day.