Cathedral Cafe

Wanted a nice quiet place for mid– morning coffee break so we picked Cathedral Café instead of Specialty’s Café. We ordered cappuccinos and sat inside next to the windows. It was nice until loud deafening pounding noises started where we couldn’t carry on a conversation. I looked over to see why it was so noisy then asked the staff about it and to please stop as it sounds like construction jack hammering in the small café that has zero acoustical insulation. The waitress looked at me in disdain and yelled, «We have to pound and do that because we need to remove the coffee grains!» I asked them to use a fork. They ignored me and 5 minutes later the loud irritating pounding of the coffee grains holder container was slamming against the metal. Idiotic that they can’t figure out a better way to remove the grains when a customer complains about the deafening noise as it is uncomfortable. Will never go back there!

I went here again because an old friend asked me to meet there for lunch, and I didn’t feel like being difficult.
You know what’s difficult? Paying 10 bucks for a few slices of some old, stagnant chicken-​salad on a bed of about 14 pieces of old arugula. I think there was a red pepper somewhere in there. It tasted like something horrible you want to forget from some awful church picnic (an appropriate comparison, as the café is located in the house of the big Catholic God-​thing).
Low expectations… still disappointed. Maybe disappointed isn’t the word since I had no aspiration for enjoying it. I tried again, though, and am here to confirm my 1-​star review. SO GROSS — eat ANYwhere else in a 500-​foot radius. Even in the unnamed café in the basement of the office building across Grand. Seriously.

I would actually give this place 2.5 stars with so much potential.
Ingredients used are of high quality and their menu options are unique.
The service is friendly.
The food is very good.
Love the décor and outside patio.
Here’s where they could improve:
— prices
— portion size (either lower the prices or increase the portion size)
— menu variety or expansion
— better «extras» ie. drinks, chips, baked goods.
They have a large captive audience coming from the Ordway and Kaiser building and could do a booming regular business if they made these improvements. The owners should check out Uptown Café, Ike’s, or Farley’s (all within walking distance) to see why they have a solid line out the door between 11am-​1pm everyday.

Pretty setting, nice seating outside with view of Lake Merritt. Lots of salads, can combine 3 for $ 4, about as cheap as it gets; quinoa, couscous, tomatoes etc. Special of the day looked pretty good too — $ 8, not bad.

This very small as in tiny «café» is located on Fortress Christ the Light property… just next to the very large communion wafer eating center just across the plaza… so U have to ask yourself the question… would Jesus eat here?
He might have a snack… but I’m sure He wouldn’t want to ruin his appetite for a dinner of God. And remember folks… everything co$ts money at Cathedrallville… EVERYTHING… even the snacks… so bring lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Part of the huge Cathedral of Light megaplex and within walking distance to my office. They have tables outside and it is very clean and airy inside. They have salads, sandwiches, soup and quiche. I tried the black bean soup and it was a bit salty for my taste so I opted for the veggie quiche which is yummy. The service is friendly. They also make espresso drinks. I noted yummy looking cupcakes in their refrigerator (dangerous). Good alternative in uptown.

Small Café located in the plaza of the Cathedral of LIght.
Not a large menu. There is Starbuck’s fair trade coffee and espresso drinks, Semifreddi baked goods, salads, cold sandwiches, pressed sandwiches, a soup of the day and salads.
Order and pickup at the counter. While it is nothing amazing in terms of food, it is a pleasant spot. There are wall to ceiling windows that look out on landscaped plazas. The staff is very nice