Eat Well Cafe & Takeaway

Sigh: This café closed — but I’m going to finish the review I started anyway, crossing my fingers that they’ll open back up at some point.
Yum! I had no idea what to expect but was blown away by the veggie burger. I savored every bite.
The corn/​bean salad that was offered in late summer was unexpectedly light, delicious and flavorful.
My guest and I split a mini cupcake for $ 1, and it was perfect.
Please open back up!

WOW! I wish I would have made it to this place sooner, so I could have gone all the time! Unfortunately, they will be closing Friday to focus on catering.
We stopped in last night for a quick bite and were immediately welcomed. I love places that have a standard menu plus specials on a chalk board.
I went with the Pad Thai and the Drunken Tofu, my friend also got the Tofu as well as the vegan Corn Chowder.
Everything was amazing!
The space is so cute, the staff was amazing. I wish I would have been able to eat more food!

I’m sad to see such harsh reviews for this place, mostly relating to service it seems. While I agree service is important in many respects, I definitely think good food quality trumps mediocre service.
That being said, I did not receive mediocre or bad service. It was friendly, polite and generally decent. I did arrive around lunch time and while the restaurant was less than half full, there was a considerable amount of time required to receive my to go order. This being said, I could tell that the few staff members were working seamlessly together to orchestrate food prep and presentation. They are preparing from scratch some very fresh and well formulated food onto plates and trays with good presentation. I think given the staff level, the small space to work in, and the attention to detail, this is understandable. However, I would be a little concerned about how this would fare during a busy lunch or dinner. My hope is that the staffing would increase and the space would not be too cramped for them to do their jobs.
The food is very fresh, healthy, inventive. I was excited to see this place when driving by and I decided to take a detour to try it out. I really like the fresh, clean, light interior and whimsical/​artsy decorations. They have some fun drink options such as natural sodas and kombucha, though the mark-​up on these prices is a bit steep in some cases. Then again, perhaps these are comparable to other cafes around town selling them. I honestly don’t know.
I ordered the swell veggie sandwich. There are two vegetarian sandwich options with the other being a burger. The veggie sandwich says it comes with marinated tofu, however, while I am not a huge fan of tofu, I’ve eaten in all my life in various manners from all variety of eateries. It’s my opinion that the tofu was not noticeably marinated. It was a thick slab cut which is filling, but certainly bland. The rest of the sandwich was good however including some really excellent focaccia and a surprising beat chutney.
I got the red lentil soup as my side which had a lot of flavor and character. It’s a protein power punch with both chickpeas and lentils. The pita points were a bit on the charred side for taste (the bread itself was not overly charred that I could tell). Some people like smoke and char flavor and some do not. I wasn’t a huge fan of it but ate it anyway with little complaint.
So, it was an $ 11 tofu sandwich and soup, but it was healthy, fresh, new… exactly the kind of vegetarian (and meat) options we desperately need in Cincinnati and like so many cities with exciting food scenes appear able to attract. I don’t think I’ll make a regular trip out for $ 11 lunches unfortunately, but I wouldn’t hesitate to frequent here from time to time and recommend others to check it out.

I visit Eat Well probably twice a month, and after my last experience, I’m going to have to make far less now. Note that during this visit, at 645pm, I was the only person in the restaurant.
I chose the «summer fun» salad for my meal… lots of tasty sounding toppings, and pasta incorporated which I love (and that’s what sold me). The girl making the food raved about it… I even heard her say to the cashier «this is probably the least popular salad but it is definitely the best». Then, after some fumbling around behind the counter, she presented me with the salad, sans pasta. I looked at it and asked where the pasta was, to which she pulled the box away, turned around and walked in the back without saying a word. I stood puzzled, and the cashier was also clueless. The girl returned with a pile of couscous dumped on my salad. I said «the menu says farfale» (bowtie)…and her reply was «oh yeah, we changed it». So, you forget the ingredient in the first place, then change it without letting the customer know? My salad no longer seemed appetizing. Then, when I sat down to eat it (not at the location), the dressing — a creamy yogurt, dill dressing — was SPICY! And an awful ranch flavor. I won’t be surprised if my stomach hurts tomorrow. The salad was horrible — and I never got the pasta I wanted in the first place.
To sell a product, or run a business, you must have consistency. I have been to this place several times where portions are vastly different than my previous experience. The only thing that is consistent is the veggie burger.
Try it out, but it’s risky.

My wife and family are busy so we eat out often. I find it hard to find healthy, relatively fast meals. I have eaten here a few times and the food is always hipster, healthy, and tasty. Along with those 3 things comes a pretty good price tag that I am willing to pay for good food. Unfortunately on our last visit with my family and a few out of town guests the food was overshadowed by horrible service and a «I’m better than you» hipster attitude. The goatee’d guy at the counter seemed annoyed by our big group and was inpatient as they all looked through the menu. This rubbed me the wrong way being that we were the only people in the whole place. Then they messed up our order and the same guy actually threw his hands up and huffed when I let him know about the mistake. In an era of social media– you would think that a hipster would know every customer can have an impact. If you are looking for similar food I would recommend Kitchen 452 right down the road where the two owners have always been sweet and serve fresh delicious food. I will never eat here again.

I’ve enjoyed many catered meals by Eat Well at work events and parties which I vastly enjoyed so was looking forward to a recent lunch at the Eat Well Café. The interior is clean and minimal. You order at the counter and the food comes to your table. Prices are very high for simple food, but the meal was good overall.
I ordered the «Dr Meat» sandwich with a side of chili sweet potato wedges and a cookie. Along with a bottle of water, the price was $ 18. A little steep, I thought. The sandwich was yummy – tender beef short ribs and a slight tang of horseradish on really good bread from Blue Oven. The sweet potato wedges were disappointing – I’ve made a lot better ones at home. I didn’t really get much of the ancho chili flavor they were seasoned with and the texture was very one-​note. The cookie was excellent, and based on my catered food experiences, would love to try some other desserts.
The bottom line is that I just wouldn’t make this a regular lunch spot based on the prices. I would go back for an occasional meal with girlfriends (don’t think this is my husband’s kind of joint), but am still looking forward to the next time I can get a catered (read: free) meal from this place!

We tried Eat Well Café over the weekend for lunch and overall we were pleased. I had the West salad with chicken. It was a pretty large portion and everything tasted very fresh. My husband had the Dr. Meat sandwich which he liked very much. It wasn’t a huge sandwich but it was filling considering it was filled with rich shortrib meat. He had the sweet potato fries as his side and his only complaint was that though they were flavorful, they tasted like they were made earlier in the day/​the day before and then reheated, so not the freshest. We tried a mini cupcake for dessert that was to die for, seriously. So why only 3 stars? We liked it enough and will definitely go back. The food is definitely tasty but the concept in general is not revolutionary. It’s a decent place to go for a quick lunch.

My husband and I went to get dinner. We were expecting to be able to pick up a «meal» to take home and were surprised to find just sandwiches and salads – typical lunch café food. It looks like they do have a more dinner-​type options at times but were perhaps out by the time we got there near close.
I had the «Mrs. Miller» and my husband had the «Dr. Meat.» Both sandwiches were simple but yummy (especially the bread). I had the beet side salad and my husband the grilled vegetables. Though we didn’t eat in, the interior was nicely decorated.
My biggest complaint – and the issue that will likely keep us from returning – is the exorbitant price. Though I understand fresh ingredients can cost more, $ 13 for a sandwich is way too steep for me. The desserts looked fabulous, but after the amount spent for sandwiches, I wasn’t going to splurge.

Had a really great experience and amazing food! The winter soup and health salad were delicious choices. They are about to change their menu over to spring specials! They gave us a taste of their delicious veggie burger. Can’t wait to come back and try it whole. There bakery is out of this world. I know the BonBonerie is right next door, but its worth to pass up once or twice to taste this gem! The chocolate dipped peacan bar was hands down the best. Though I haven’t tried everything yet. This is a place to check out.

Eat Well Café & Takeaway is a good place to go if you’re looking for something to eat when you’re short on time. It is a bit on the pricey side, considering most of the dishes are pre-​made and cold. My dad picked dinner up from here (he got soup and a salad, I got a salad and pasta, and we split a brownie) and the bill was nearly $ 40. The food was good, but I probably won’t be back unless I’m in need of a quick meal.

My three-​year-​old daughter has started this thing, if we are going out to eat, we are going someplace new and different. (Folks, I think we may have a future foodie on our hands.) We live very close by and as I’m always looking for good lunch places, decided to give it a try.
First, the atmosphere is great, very casual and comfortable. I love the décor, it feels cozy and warm, like sitting in a good friend’s kitchen, just having a meal. The staff was very friendly and accommodating, also contributing to the laid-​backness (I know, it’s not actually a word) of this place. I can see myself wanting to come and spend hours sitting here, drinking coffee and stealing someone’s wi-​fi connection. If I were to grade this place purely on the overall feel, I’d be torn between a 4 and a 5.
The menu is very unique and varied; there were a lot of things that sounded delicious. As it was Friday during Lent (and having a severe dairy allergy), I was somewhat limited in my choices. I opted for the West salad and added fresh salmon on top. My daughter’s meal was perfect for her: cut-​up fruit and veggies and a large soft pretzel with 2 dips, hummus and a sweeter cream cheese dip. However, I was a little disappointed with my meal choice. The salmon was quite good and the portions very generous, but my salad was kinda lacking. The salad says it has black beans, avocado, jicama, mango and grape tortillas. I found maybe a dozen black beans, 2 pieces of avo and maybe 4 tomatoes in the entire salad. Also, I realize this isn’t exactly Costa Rica, but the mangoes were very very hard. Even the romaine lettuce was disappointing, more yellow than green and quite a bit of the hard rinds. The taste itself was pretty good, just the overall quality was somewhat lacking. I did see someone with a big bowl of their noodles and it looked amazing. In spite of my saddish meal, I have high hopes for this place and will definitely be back to try something else on the menu.

Have been meaning to stop by here for lunch ever since this café opened a few weeks ago. Have been here twice since. Fairly limited menu — they have a few sandwhiches, soups, salads etc. Everything is fresh and very delicious. I have tried a sandwhich and one of their salads both of which were tasty. Overall, good place for lunch/​brunch. A bit on the more expensive side ($ 10 – 13 per item) but if you are looking for fresh local ingredients it’s worth it.

Eat Well café had only been open for business two days when I had a chance to stop by for lunch. I am glad I did! At Eat Well, Renee Schuler is delivering a unique Cincinnati dining experience while staying true to her creative menu options.
This bustling café is a dine in/​take away establishment serving high quality, locally procured, fresh ingredients. I chose a reasonably priced soup and salad, which were more than I could eat and the combination of flavors was delicious. The drink selections were extensive and included three «signature» concoctions displayed in glass dispensers. The pineapple infused green tea was excellent. I was so stuffed I didn’t opt for one of the tempting, beautifully decorated, sweets.
It’s terrific knowing I now have a place to grab a quick, healthy, handmade lunch and a great alternative for picking up dinner. I will return soon and will save room for a red velvet cupcake!

I’ve had Eat Well’s catered food multiple times and loved it, so I was excited to swing by the Takeaway café. I was hoping to make this place a staple to go to after work when I don’t have time to make dinner or want to make dinner.
First impression when you walk in, it’s super cute! A very fresh and modern look. I’ve been too What’s for Dinner and saw what it looked like before and I love the transformation. The menu is printed on paper menus in a basket when you walk in. First thought, woah, the prices are a little steep. Well, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, their portions must be BIG. I ordered the Noodles Bowl with Chicken, the cute girl at the counter said that will be $ 15. What?! Apparently it costs $ 8 extra to add chicken to a noodle bowl that already costs $ 7. I had them take the chicken off. (I can swing by the grocery store and get a whole rotisserie chicken for $ 8.) It didn’t take long for my noodles to be ready and I was out the door. Which was really nice.
When I got home to savor my noodles, I opened the box to see a rather small portion. It looked VERY appealing, but small. Noodles aren’t expensive, so for $ 7 you should get a nice size portion. It was very tasty, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from Renee’s food, but after I finished it, I was still hungry. I don’t eat a lot. Most restaurants give me enough food for 2 meals. Not this meal. It really needed some protein to fill you up. But for a takeaway café, I couldn’t stomach paying $ 15 for a single serving meal. There is a certain Vietnamese restaurant at Findlay where I can get a tasty noodle veggie dish with chicken and it’s enough for 2 meals for me for $ 8.50. Just saying…
Bottom line, the food was delicious, but the prices are rather high for a takeout place. If you are ok with paying $ 15 for a take home meal, then you’ll love it. BTW, to give you an idea of pricing for other items soups were $ 6, Sandwiches were $ 11 to $ 13.
I hope they adjust their prices as they grow. I would love to frequent this place more, but I just can’t afford to. I was hoping I could pop in and get a piece of chicken or fish and a side item or two for $ 10 or less. I would love to have a quick and healthy dinner option for busy nights. Well, here’s to hoping!

Stopped by today planning on eating at What’s For Dinner when to my surprise they were no longer there and Eat Well had just opened (yesterday).
I was very impressed with the food and the establishment. My slow cooked short rib sandwich on focaccia with orzo goat cheese was awesome. The décor was very cool. I highly recommend Eat Well.