SAME Café

SAME is a fantastic nonprofit I’ve volunteered with whose mission is its name: So All May Eat. The founders, Libby and Brad, feel that everyone deserves homemade, fresh food with the best ingredients. You pay what you want or what you can for your meal. If you cannot pay, you will be offered the opportunity to help around the restaurant as a form of payment. Dignity is maintained and stomachs are full. They have FUN fundraising events (golf, poker, wine tasting, seasonal meal, etc.) to raise money to supplement the donation box funds to continue to provide fresh, local, homemade meals.
As a lunch restaurant, every day you will have a choice of two soups, two salads, and two kinds of pizza, and the food is always on a par with Mom’s best. If you’re lucky you’ll be walking in just as a tray of cookies is coming out of the oven!
So many people stop in to enjoy the sunny ambiance and friendly staff. You will see volunteers like me, students, moms and babies, business folk, and a few street people grateful for a meal and a smile.
SAME is a gem! I go there so often, I forget sometimes how unique it is.

The 5 stars is really for the concept of this eatery. The experience of just existing in SAME Café gives you warm fuzzies when you’re dining by donation. You can exchange an hour of work for a meal, or a pay-​what-​you-​can system by donation. It draws a diverse crowd of patrons that really gave me a higher opinion of Denver in general.
It’s minimalistic and vegetarian friendly too; I personally enjoyed their veggie soup and couscous from the small menu. A single lunch is all I’ve experienced at SC, and I was mostly there to participate with a group, but I found the atmosphere very pleasing and the concept humbling.
SAME Café is somewhere I would recommend for anyone looking to dine with the community and I will certainly be returning for lunch or for service.

For me the food here are just typical foods that you can eat in other places, not so special and the taste is just enough to have a good meal, however i’m very amazed with its concept of helping others through patronizing this SAME Café products.
This type of non-​profit restaurant must be patronizes by many.

Love this place! People are so nice and helpful. Love the concept and how thy help the homeless.

This café is one of the hidden gems along east colfax. If you like excellent healthy soup, salad, and really good pizza then this is the place for you! The owners are some of the nicest restauranteurs I have ever met. You pay what u can afford for a great lunch! I definetly recommend coming here.

The best, truly love this place, every part about it, great and friendly workers, n good food, soup and pizza for life

Wonderful place. Local food and produce with an amazing staff of friendly and helpful folks. Donation based billing so if you can’t afford to eat, help sweep the floors or wipe down some tables and you still get a meal. We need more restaurants like this.

Wow a wonderful and beautiful concept. This is a restaurant where you can eat– even if you don’t have two pennies to rub together. They are a nonprofit restaurant!!! The only one that I know of anyway. If you don’t have any money and you want to feed your children. You can work for them voluntary to pay for your meal. My friend and I ate there and pooled our money together for a decent contribution. It’s all organic food and very good. Brad and Libby Birky are God sends for the entire Denver area. So All May Eat (SAME) — ya got it!

I’ve been to SAME a few times. Really cute place, fresh organic food, great concept and mission. If I lived closer I’d go a few days a week& volunteer in the kitchen. Really recommend it! Its interesting how many different types of soup, salad, & pizza they can come up with & also always have a vegetarian option. Tip: You can check the website for the daily menu, it changes every day. Pay what you can or what you feel is fair plus a little for being a place in the world that helps the homeless have a nuitritious option.

HOW IT WORKS IF YOU WANT TO DONATE MONEY FOR YOUR MEAL (instead of work time):
— check out the daily choices on the white board (usually one or two soups, salads, and pizza options)
— place your order (one of each — if you want to try both pizzas for example, they ask that you come back up when your finished with your first plate to order more)
— put your cash donation in the little box or process your credit card in the little tablet self-​service station
— take your food plate and soup mug and grab a table inside or out (sit-​alone tables or join the crowd at the big community table)
— pour some water, iced tea, or coffee from the self-​serve drink station
— enjoy!
HOW MUCH TO DONATE
«Pay what you can» is the concept. Here’s my guideline:
— if you had breakfast this morning, donate $ 10 per person
— if this is your third meal in 24 hours, donate $ 20 per person
— every once in awhile up your donation to MUCH, MUCH more. It’s worth it.
I’m surprised that when I mention S.A.M.E Café, a number of folks are hesitant because the don’t understand how it works. So here you are, process laid out. Now get yourself over there, it’s delicious food and you’ll feel good about it.

Date of visit: Mon. 11÷10÷14, around 12:30pm
Love the concept, love the food, and so glad I was able to get out to Denver to support this amazing café. There’s no way I couldn’t give it 5 stars. There was no wait and it was calm and quiet. I had pizza, panzanella, and tomato bisque soup. My husband had the butternut squash soup. Everything was obviously homemade, so fresh and delicious — simple but hardy, just like a good meal should be. I could barely eat all of it, so there was plenty! They also told us to come back for more salad and soup if we wanted, but we were stuffed. The pizza was good, the panzanella was amazing, and the soups were both delicious.
It’s rare that you feel like you’re helping the world and living according to your values just by eating lunch, but here it’s possible and it feels great. Loved this place!!!

The place to go if you are looking for the new fashion in fast-​food — a quaint place with great made-​from-​scratch, organic, menu-​changes-​everyday, in the middle of a neighborhood of mansions, the Denver Zoo, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Mulberries Bakery, Herb & Arts, East Colfax Tattered Cover, and Unique Boutique. Only open for lunch … works for me!

I have walked past the SAME café a multitude of times, coming home and heading out, taking a moment to gaze curiously into the front tinted window. Never being fully satisfied due to that fact that the busy reflection of Colfax blocks my view, also the fact that my schedule never allows me the three-​hour window I would need to dine-​in. This week I decided to make some time, and was rewarded with an incredible experience not just of food and atmosphere, but also being able to witness the beauty of humankind.
I took my first steps into the humble rectangle, which gives a full view of the kitchen and dining patrons, and became fully aware of the warmth in the room. The yellow walls and the friendly, hard at work staff seem to project warmth from their bones, which the air holds tightly. I gaze to the ill-​fated man sitting near the window, enjoying a dark brew from an eclectic mug. I followed the trail of tables to an earthy couple enjoying small pizzas on colorful plates and laughing. The sound of pot clashing brought my attention to an even more diverse staff busily shuffling about.
The women in-​front of me stepped away from a whiteboard containing menu items consisting of two soups, two salads and two pizza choices, without prices. After the women step aside, I was able to ask the server about the cost of my meal, to which he replied «pay what you can.» What? The gentlemen went on to explain that the SAME café is a non-​profit and is dedicated to providing healthy meals to everyone. The food is organic and grown by local farmers or donated by costumers, which is why the menu verses. Just place a donation of what seems right in a brown box or volunteer in the kitchen to pay for the lunch. «So All May Eat!» is the motto of the SAME café.
I placed my order and was served quickly with a smile. I received two mini slices of three cheese pizza, with a side of apple salad humbly gracing my green plate. I was able to sit near the window and enjoy the view with my meal. The salad was crisp, tasty, with juice apples and vibrant green lettuce; The pizza was delicious and warm. Unfortunately, the portion and my hunger did not equate to fullness, and I was tempted to retrieve another plate. If it were not for my guilt of taking more from others, I would have. If I had to put a price tag on my meal, I would not pay more than four dollars, but I donated ten just for the cause.
I am no foodie nor critic, just a person who stumbled upon a great idea. The SAME café provided me with a unique experiences, tasty food and a lovely feeling of humanity. I would recommend this beautiful remodel of a soup kitchen to anyone from the business oriented to the starving artist.

SAME — So All May Eat
You pay what you can pay. If you don’t have money, you can work for an hour and pay off your lunch bill. What a cool place.
The food is very fresh and delicious as well! They change every day to keep things interesting!
The owners are super friendly and you can tell that they care about their customers.

This place rules! Organic delicious food for an inexpensive tag. Does not get much better! You have the choice of a pizza, soup, and salad. Every time I enjoy lunch here, it is always an enjoyable experience. The service is wonderful too! Highly recommend for people on a budget but please do not forget to donate so we can keep this beautiful energy flowing :)

Great place. I ate here once and I work with adults who are homeless. I love the concept of this place and the friendly open environment!

I really like the S.A.M.E. = So All May Eat concept. People with or without much money have access to food with no financial barriers.
Every time I have been in to eat I have been greeted with a smile and good customer service. The food is tasty and the menu nutritionally well balanced.
If you choose to help out as a volunteer you can do so as a way of paying for your meal as well.
When I have come in there has never been a time that they did not hit the ball out of the park, great job SAME!

5 stars for a big heart, a heart which once was home to a big big dream; but now that dream has come true and become reality. The story of this place, this safe haven is unique, the challenges were formidable, as this is the first of it’s kind in an urban setting.
Food here was probably 3.5−4 stars for taste, but I could really sense the freshness. I come here for the atmosphere =D

Apparently, I just like to be told how much. The food was quite good, though your basically eating whatever they’re serving that day. It was a comfortable atmosphere and nice service. But I spent way more than I probably should have trying to pay for my desire for a better world. And unfortunately, this just left me not wanting to go back because I can’t afford it. I know I could just go back and pay less, but then I’m cheap and don’t want to help others. Just tell me how much covers your cost and a little more to fix the world.
Oh, and I’m apparently complex :)

Great concept and we had a yummy meal here today.
We were on our way to the convention center and were looking for somewhere to grab a quick lunch. The girl at the counter explained everything, which of course is a really great idea — it’s non-​profit, you donate what you can and the menu changes everyday depending on what’s available locally.
We had slices of really yummy apple, pear and gorgonzola pizza, as well as tortilla soup. It happened to be someone’s birthday, so they were giving out slices of cake.
It only took a minute before we were sitting down eating, which was so great because we had limited time today.

I cannot give a full review at this time, as I did not have a real meal here. The food that I saw them preparing and that I saw a couple people eating looked really good. I popped in here in the morning looking for a cup of coffee on a stretch of Colfax decided lacking in caffeinated options. They gladly sold me a to-​go cup of coffee (with sweetener and ½ and ½). I tucked $ 2 in the «pay what you want» slot and was out the door.
For those not familiar, the business model here mirrors that of Café 180. I really appreciate the concept and would go out of my way to come here again in the future.

I absolutely love this concept — true community at its best. I would love to volunteer here but at the moment have only dined. There are usually two pizzas, two soups and two salads available and our party of four tried some of all the offerings. The soup was a hearty vegetable offering and was tasty and obviously nutritious. The pizzas were also very filling — one was a four cheese and the other was mushroom.
We donated accordingly at the end and as I said earlier, I can’t wait to volunteer here soon!

Same Café has been included in my massive bookmark list for quite some time. Cheryl L and I popped in for a quick lunch prior to our Magic Mike movie plans.
The menu is limited at Same Café, so if you’re picky or not sure you’ll like the menu I highly recommend reviewing the website prior to going, it looks like they update their website daily with their offerings. They typically offer two soups, a pizza option, and a couple other items.
The idea behind Same Café is with the base of volunteer work, and paying what you can and what you feel your meal was worth, if you don’t have the funds you can do an hour of work in the kitchen, busing tables, or cleaning and the like.
Cheryl and I enjoyed a chef pizza that had broccoli, olives, and other mixed veggies, tortilla soup, cauliflower curry soup, carrot and apple salad, and a pesto couscous salad drizzled with balsamic. I want to remind everyone that we are not talking gourmet food here, so don’t expect homemade pizza crust or 5 star items. This is healthy and good food that is prepared mostly by donations. The food was good, not outrageously so but totally worth a visit to support a local lunch spot trying to «pay it forward».
Fellow Unilocalers should come on by and pay it forward as well by supporting this great business by either volunteering some time or venturing in for lunch one day.

What a wonderful place. I spend all of my spare time at the metaphysical store within the same block but had yet to be introduced to this place until an acquaintance asked me to meet her there. There I was exposed to the concept of SAME Café and fell in love.
They have a daily menu of balanced and filling meals and it is all volunteer run. The food isn’t free but it is donation-​based and, if you do not have the funds, you can volunteer an hour of your time to make up for the cost.
The food is exceptional. It’s not chow line slop by any means. All entrees are made with organic, quality components.
I have tried to get on as a regular volunteer here but even their volunteer list has wait list.
I know they now do volunteering in two shifts– am and pm. If you are a customer, the hour shifts are available to you.