Cafe 55

Very nice healthy (but pricey) meal selections. Unfortunately, portion size has changed even though the bowls have not. You can feel the difference when you pick up the lunch bowl. No longer a hunger satisfying lunch nor worth the -$ 11 price tag.

I drive past this place on my way to work every day and had no idea it was there until I found it on Skip the Dishes.
Really really clean inside which made me happy, with a nice seating area (got take out though). Employees were really nice. I got a Happy Dragon with Brown Rice w/​o meat. Took a couple of minutes to get my food. Bowl looked tiny for the price ($ 11) but I only finished about ¹⁄₃ of it and I’m full.
I was expecting to basically get a stir fry (Happy Dragon — Broccoli, Snap Pea, Peanuts, Peanut Sauce, Scallions) but it was a raw veg on top of rice. I was really expecting it to be stir fried or steamed at least. But this is healthier I guess. Pretty tasty, I loved the sauce but wish there was more of it!!!
4 out of 5 because of price point. $ 12.65 (got a can of pop as well) plus $ 2 tip is too much for my everyday lunch. I was hoping to find a weekday staple.

I have been looking for quick, inexpensive places to grab lunch near downtown Cleveland. I read about Café 55 in a Cleveland Scene article and knew I needed to check it out.
There is plenty of free parking in the lot outside the building, and the inside of the restaurant is very open and well lit. I stayed and read inside of taking my food back to the office!
There are lots of options, and you can even make your own bowl if one of their pre-​made ones isn’t to your liking. I got the Mexico City bowl, and it was so fresh and enough for two meals. I ate the second half for lunch the next day and it still tasted great.
Looking forward to heading back for lunch another day!

All of the employees are super friendly, and made great recommendations when I couldn’t choose exactly what I wanted.
I’ve been here twice and on both occasions I’ve gotten a brown rice bowl with pulled pork. I’ve had it North Coast and Rise ‘n Shine style. The bacon on the Rise ‘n Shine is to die for! I honestly don’t think you could go wrong with any of the styles. The bowls are a bit pricey, but I think the portion size and quality make it fair.
They also have really great homemade Oreo-​type cookies!
In an odd part of town, but well worth the trip for breakfast or lunch.

I enjoyed my first few visits at Café 55. It’s a part of a larger redevelopment called Hub 55, spearheaded by the St Clair Superior Development Corp. Soon, a brewery will also open next to Café 55. It’s wonderful that places like Hub 55 will bring more attention and investment to the area.
The environment is bright, open, and modern/​industrial with plenty of seating. I came here mostly for lunch, though it meant that I had to take a special trip. Thankfully, my supervisor was down for the visit!
Café 55 serves healthy, local (?) food. I had a «build your own» bowl with the North Coast style. Can’t say no to beets! The marinated tofu went a little strangely with the flavors, so I wouldn’t recommend mixing the two.
The main issue with Café 55 is that the prices are pretty high. Even though you get fresh and healthy food, $ 11 is pretty hefty for a lunch meal. In addition, it’s not very affordable for surrounding residents, some of whom are the poorest in Cleveland.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable atmosphere with great drinks and food. I’ll be sure to come back to support Hub 55 whenever my coworkers and I take a special trip for lunch.

I give 3.5 stars to Café 55.
I wanted to really love it… and I didn’t. :(I was really excited to hear about this place opening on E 55^th. That part of town does not have a lot of fresh, healthy lunch destinations, and it has not seen a lot of new construction investment– so the Hub 55 project that houses Café 55 is really exciting.
The aesthetics are pretty nice– you walk in and it feels bright and open, but with an industrial feel. They have a nice seating area that seems like just the right amount for the crowd they attract (it’s not a ton of seating, but when I was there, at 12:30 on a week day, only 2 groups were dining in). They had cucumber mint water on the counter, which was a nice touch.
The food. I had one of the bowls– mexico city with brown rice. It was $ 11 which seems pretty steep for something that seemed really comparable to a burrito bowl at chipotle that would cost $ 6.50. It was tasty, and definitely seemed fresh. But there was not a ton of meat, the cheese was in weirdly big chunks (instead of being grated or crumbled), and my rice was pretty under-​cooked (some crunchy pieces). And nothing seemed to have all that much seasoning. The cilantro was really the main flavor in the bowl.
Like I said– they’re new, and I’d like to give it another try. But my first visit wasn’t too impressive. The breakfast sounds tasty– maybe that will be my next trip!

What a nice addition to the lunch options in the area. Fresh, healthy, tasty, and reasonably affordable food (sort of) in a really nice open space.
Can’t go into a ton of detail on the food because I’ve only had the one thing yet — but I’ll definitely be back. I got the Happy Dragon bowl with pulled pork and greens — and it’s pretty delicious. Think Asian inspired salad with smoky pork. Yes, please.
Staff was super friendly and easy — just grabbed a bowl to go and it was quick and easy.
I’m looking forward to seeing what they do with the brewery they’re opening next door… And trying a few more of the options.
I say sort of affordable, because I have to say that I think $ 11 for a bowl of greens with a smattering of meat and a few other veggies popped on… probably shouldn’t be $ 11. It was kind of small and not a lot of meat for that price. BUT — it was really tasty, and was enough that I didn’t get hungry until about 4 hours later… So, it’s not too bad of a deal.
So welcome to the neighborhood, we’re glad to have you. :)

Café 55 has been open for about a month. They serve breakfast and lunch on weekdays. It seems that the focus is to serve people working in the area during the day. I wouldn’t call E.55^th and St. Clair a hot spot yet but they are in the process of adding a brewery and market in the same building.
The space is airy and simple. I was entertained people-​watching out the large windows to E.55^th. They serve breakfast and lunch bowls as well as a few options to grab out of a display case.
This was our second visit. We first went a couple days after open and left unimpressed. The food seemed like it lacked sauce and the place seemed understocked. We had to give it another chance and I’m glad we did.
You order up at a counter and they call your name when it’s ready. I had the Rise and Shine bowl. $ 8 was about right. They advertise it as healthy and I’ll admit it tasted clean but the portion size was enough for two meals. I can’t complain. The roasted potatoes and scrambled eggs were fresh and tasty. The bacon, though, seemed more like smoked pork belly chunks– it made the dish. I added hot sauce because it just made sense.
Service was friendly at both visits. We’ll be back for another quick breakfast or lunch.