Essential Cafe & Bistro

Food great but not open all the time. Owner trying something different with a soup kitchen during afternoon. Took a client for lunch last week or so and limited lunch offered but all great and I had food for two days. Call ahed as what you see on site is not current. Figure on a lunch for now, she may have a selected dinner time in future.

Sign on door today says «Closed for Business.» Like for good. Mentioned catering option & phone. Too bad, we were excited to try it.

This is the only place I want to eat in Elkhorn. If you’re looking for healthy their salads will blow your mind.

After looking at the reviews I had to try this place. Unilocal said they opened at 8:30. We arrived at 9:30 to find out they were closed with no his posted on the door. We waited outside a bit a came across a mailman as asked him if he knew why they were closed. He said that they seem to open when ever they feel like it! We walked back to the car and called them and they answered the phone and told us they were opening at 11:30 today. Ok then.
While standing outside, I noticed that the front window were dirty, which is a big negative for me.
We had no choice but to regroup and eat elsewhere. Very disappointed.

I drive from Illinois whenever I can just to eat here. It is that good! it has been mentioned before, but the food here is fesh, organic – whenever possible, and in a word – superb. I am seemingly just adding to what the other reviewers have said, but there is a VERY good reason why this place is the highest rated restaurant around.
Just walking in, Joanne and her son Nathan do a wonderful job making you feel welcome. They seemingly always have daily specials that are off-​menu, depending on what is fresh. You can bet that it will be a unique, creative dish.
My menu favorites: the spicey ham (off the bone) on sourdough with roasted red peppers and without a doubt… the made-​from-​scratch-​ultra-​decadent-​just-​pulled-​out-​of the-​oven bread pudding! If you haven’t tried it, then you really are missing out. It is the best! (You could almost make a meal out of it all by itself). So if you haven’t tried this place, then you really don’t know what you are missing.

I loved this place. I met my husband here for lunch, and we stayed for quite a while. The food was amazing and the was soup incredible. We just sat and chatted while enjoying the relaxing atmosphere. While hanging out I decided to order a chai tea latte… this seriously hit the spot. To top it off, the service was great… the woman who served us was so sweet. While me and my husband were sitting at the counter, the woman pulled out a fresh baked turkey out of the oven right in front of us. I asked what it was for, and she replied, «the turkey sandwiches.»
I will be returning here when I am in town from now on.

My first experience here was great! Everything fresh! Friendly Service! Food was fulfilling! I’m now a fan.

Best food experience I had in a while… Great mom and son duo that create an great lunch must check out and give them a try for yourself. Promise you won’t regret it.

We started with a light, flavorful chicken polenta soup. I had the sockeye salmon, and it may have been the best I have ever tasted. The salmon was moist and the skin was deliciously charred. Served on brown rice cakes with a delightful lemon-​dill sauce. Service is very attentive. The drive from Racine to Elkhorn was worth it.

Just stopped for the second visit. Great before, great again. Special was a pork loin and ham sandwich on grilled sourdough. No processed meat. Only the real deal. Super nice folks with a nice atmosphere.

My friend and I needed a place to meet in the middle for lunch, and this place popped up when I searched for restaurants in Elkhorn (on Unilocal). I saw all of the great reviews and that it was an organic/mom’s kitchen/​fresh food type of place, which immediately peaked my interest.
I chose the chicken waldorf salad croissant (highly recommend), orangey slaw, the absolutely delicious vege soup that was on the stove cooking when we walked in (and filled the place with amazing home cooking smells), and some tea. The seating is awesome-​front, bar that overlooks the kitchen, back, or patio. The staff is the friendliest you’ll ever get. Clean, fresh, quality ingredients, great staff, cute place, and worth the 40 minute drive. 100% recommended… and then some! :)

An absolute diamond in the rough! Joanne and Nate are wonderful hosts, and the food is incredible. What’s almost more wonderful is knowing that the food is REAL… no GMOs or pesticide-​ridden bites here. All organic, naturual, gluten free options, and vegan options too! So rare around these parts! I highly recommend dinner — RSVP ahead of time, and check their facebook page for their menu… totally worth it. The spinach quinoa soup we had was fantastic, and the tiramisu was to die for. All in all, this is a place we will return to week after week.

This place is a gem! I found Essential Café Bistro while staying in the area over the weekend. I’m from Chicago and am used to top notch restaurants and this is right up there, in fact, it is better than many of the restaurants in Chicago! I had the mahi mahi in lemon caper sauce. It was delicious! I love when fish is prepared in a way to be flavorful but without overpowering the fish. The three bean soup was so tasty. The bread was super wholesome and just delicious. Everything is made on-​site here from wholesome ingredients. The owner Joann and server Dale make you feel very welcomed. The outdoor patio is super cute. Oh, I tried the blueberry iced coffee which was a surprise and really outstanding! And I should mentions portions are abundant and pricing really good considering the quantity and quality of food. Don’t miss this!

My wife and I stopped here for breakfast Monday morning. We couldn’t have been happier with our visit. The food was flavorful, and made in front of our eyes from fresh, local ingredients as we sat on comfortable chairs at the counter and visited with one of the owners. The furnishings are comfortable and inviting. This café is well worth a drive from anywhere in the Lake Geneva area. We’re already looking forward to our next visit, perhaps for lunch, or a Friday or Saturday dinner.

We had a wonderful ‘organic bistro’ breakfast here. We met the lovely co-​owner, JoAnn, who explained their philosophy of quality, organic, sustainable, and local ingredients served in a spirit of attention to each patron. We enjoyed the excellent egg dish made with organic/​local/​free– range everything, plus the home made bread. It was extraordinary! For those who share JoAnn’s commitment to quality, and a concern for quality ingredients and a concern for the planet, you have to try Essential Café!

Nice place, nice atmosphere and great tea

This place serves organic, homemade panini, soups, and sandwhiches. The chicken waldorf is outstanding. A lot of family run coffee shops are sub-​par, tacky, and/​or dingy. This place is as clean as chain outfits like Panera and Starbucks except it has genuine charm. Finally we can get good coffee and healthy food from a LOCAL outfit without having to compromise.
There is seating for half dozen outside, another half dozen at the bar, and another dozen at the tables. I friended the place on facebook to get notified of the daily specials. Their menu is posted online. The prices are about average.