Worth It Café

I will forever miss their veggie chips. The food truck, baguetteaboutit, is opening a restaurant in Worth It Café’s former location.

I dropped by for a late lunch one day (barely made it by two). The café was cute and bright – in a shopping center near RTP that seems to have a lot of similar cafes/​sandwich shops/​lunch places. The staff was really friendly. The menu was really big, and it was almost overwhelming trying to order at the last minute – so many of the sandwiches looked appetizing.
A bit overwhelmed, I ordered a caribbean jerk sandwich with the vegetable chips – the sandwich was the first that caught my eye. The jerk sandwich, a bit to my surprise, came on a baguette. The chicken was really tender, but there was A LOT of sauce on it, which was really heavy. I also ordered cheese but they forgot to put it on (which was fine!).
For my side, I got the root vegetable chips, which were GREAT. They were salty and crispy. I would highly recommend them – in fact, if I’m in the area, I’d go back just for the vegetable chips, although I’d probably order a different sandwich.

This place is amazing! I remember when it first opened and I loved all of the food from here. I have been trying everything on the Menu, from the Veggie Wraps to the Lamb Burger. Everything it delicious.
The specials are also delicious and change every now and then.
To top it all off, the Chips are delicious and the staff is amazingly friendly. Go here for lunch (It’s kinda the only time you can) and enjoy this place for yourself!

Went there for lunch (with the vegan again) and was a little worried when I looked at the menu (just for the vegan — the menu looked amazing for the non-​vegan), after he talked to the lady (believe to be the owner) very relieved at how many different options there were for him.
I was looking at the buffalo chicken sandwich but didn’t want it fried, she immediately offered to grill it and took her up on it… Glad I did, it was amazing…
Also not a big fan of veggie chips, but figured why not… WOW, glad I did…
Overall, will be back…

I think i got the wrong thing, though it came recommended.
I ordered the Steak and Cheese Stuffwhich, which is a roll with the end cut off and then everything stuffed down inside. I asked for no mushrooms, and was served a healthy portion of mushrooms. The design of the Stuffwhich is a bit flawed because all of the great sauce they put on it falls to the bottom due to the law of gravity. Darn you gravity! *shakes fist*. Once i did get to the sauce in my last few bites, and after picking off all the fungus, it was quite tasty.
The sweet potato fries were cold, but i could tell if they were hot they would have been good. I do want to try this place again sometime, but personally will stay away from the stuffwhich’s.

Overall: I tried Worth It on three separate occasions because I liked the menu. Sadly, the food was not good.
Complaints: The first time I went my lunch date’s food had apparently been plated earlier and was microwaved before it was brought to the table. The center of that chicken parm was cold. The last time we went for a lunch for three, all of us had issues with our food. On one of those occasions, the chips were soggy.
Comments: Given all the positive feedback, I wish I had the heart to try the café for a fourth time, but I will not ever eat there again.

Love Worth It. Fresh local ingredients, done right. The sandwiches are all great, I could go on at length, but I’m lazy. Let me cut to the chase. Best burgers in RTP. By far. Big, thick, cooked over lava rocks for that outdoor grill taste. Perfection. How do you improve on perfection? Lamb burger. Let me say that again. Lamb burger. How do you improve on improved upon perfection? Did I mention homemade root veggy chips? Not just potato chips, but other root veggies as well. Salted to perfection.
Look, that’s a lot of perfection in one review.
(Ask about the frequent diners club, racks up 10% off with every purchase, redeem whenever you like.)
(Oh yeah, be careful if you get into a conversation with Chef Chuck… he’s a great guy, but very verbose. Especially if you get on his new television show.)

I was a little deceived upon first walking in to this place, as when I pulled up to Worth it Café, I was thinking a coffee shop with baked goods. Shame on me for not reading the reviews first ;-). This is nothing like that, but nonetheless my dining experience was a very pleasant surprise. They have a great selection of gluten free, vegan and vegetarian options for those on special diets, and everything is very fresh, made with local ingredients.
I ordered the special «Thanksgiving Dinner» sandwich, which was turkey with cranberry sauce and crushed cornbread on sourdough bread. It was probably just as fattening as Thanksgiving dinner itself, but o so tasty! It was HUGE too! I got it with a side of the ranch root chips, which are absolutely delicious as well! So different than anything I have ever had before, they are different kinds of sweet potatoes and beets, fried up like normal house made chips, but without the grease. I highly recommend them with a side of ranch. Mmmmmmmm.
The best part of it all? Worth it Café has the FRIENDLIEST staff I have every met. The chef walked around making sure everyone was enjoying their food, the woman behind the counter was so bubbly and so nice, you could just tell she loved her job and was a genuinely happy person.
I will definitely be back sometime. I really enjoyed the space as well, very bright and comfortable, perfect for lunch, which is good since they are only open until 2pm.

I wish they hadn’t stopped offering the take-​out dinner entrees. I loved those. I used to order 3 to pick up, which would last for DAYS. My kids went nuts for the chicken pot pie. Please, please, please bring that back!
I LOVE that there are awesome vegetarian, vegan, gf choices, and not the typical stuff. Hoppin’ John sandwich??? Who would’ve thunk it? I LOVE that it’s local and fresh and really, really good. I guess it’s not surprising since they do craft services, and fresh, vegan, and gf options are really a must if you want to get a gig ever again.
If I am ever able to order catering for anything, I’m going with these guys.

Visited this location for a lunch meeting one day and I was very impressed. I had the BBQ Pulled Chicken Handwich, and fell in love with it. It was so good. I never heard of hallowing out bread and stuffing it with chicken. It’s a MUST TRY! If you’re ever in the area, please visit this restaurant. Can be busy around lunch time, but that’s typical since it is in the RTP area, but it’s worth it!

I enjoyed the jerk chicken sandwich at lunch time. The
café is reasonably priced and is a nice alternative to the national chains.

«Most of our stuff is pretty … big.»
Indeed.
Still, fatty went in and, determined to try a bit of everything, ordered the following:
– Half sandwich and _​_​_​_​deal ($ 7.99), which half sandwich they let me pair with another half sandwich:
Half 1: a half farmhouse club (on wheat, no mustard or mayo, add cranberry relish), which was a heaping pile of giant Thanksgiving turkey chunks (aided in that holiday-​rific taste by the cranberry, which is why I added it), fresh lettuce and tomato, great bread, ample tasty bacon, a little Swiss. Super filling.
Half 2: portobello and mozzarella (on sourdough, no peppers): quite tasty but not very filling or large, especially in contrast to that heaping pile o’ turkey on Half 1.
– Side of ranch chips ($ 1.99 when added to the ½-​sandwich deal, or comes free as a side with the full sandwich). These are 6 different types of sweet potatoes and beets, fried up like normal housemade chips — but Worth It makes them decidedly not greasy, unlike the standard others — and a light dusting of ranch seasoning. They went especially well with the turkey pile. And a side contains a lot of them — totally shareable.
– Strawberry filo dough bar ($ 2.99): flaky and tasty, as expected, but kinda left me wishing just a wee bit that I had done the caramel apple cookie bar instead, also as expected. But I was showing some rare restraint, so I didn’t get both.
– Almond cookie ($ 1.29): haven’t tried it yet, but looks delish and I have high hopes.
The staff are cheery, talkative, love food, and are fun to be around — always helps me like a place when it’s clear the staff members like it too. The only thing I can do without is the homogenous RTP crowd, which provides zero in the way of people-​watching satisfaction (borr-​ring).

Appropriately named as Worth It Café is definitely ‘worth it.’
I stopped in today with my Dad for lunch and walked away a happy camper (maybe more of a waddle due to fullness). Lunch spots for my parents can be a little tricky because they aren’t really into exotic cuisine, so after checking out the menu online, Worth It looked like a safe choice. A good set of standard sandwiches/​burgers and a nice selection of more creative items. Win, win.
The interior is bright, big, and super duper clean. Modern looking tables, a LCD TV on the wall with the news, and free Wi-​Fi are nice additions. The staff was extremely friendly and were happy to fill us in on menu items and personal favorites.
I went with the house made black bean burger with swiss and bacon (bacon is considered vegetarian right?) along with a side of house root chips. First of all, the BBB is freaking huge. The top half of the bun was ditched after the second bite because I wanted to make sure I was able to finish everything else. The patty tasted amazing and was constructed of a couple types of beans, whole chickpeas, carrot, and probably some other stuff I couldn’t pick out. They slapped on two slices of high-​end swiss and quality bacon. I was in 4 star territory with just the BBB, but the five star mecca was reached with the root chips. These things were silly good. Think Terra Chips but much better. Crispy around the edge, chewy in the center, and covered with some sort of magic ranch dust. Woah! The 5 star rating was cemented when my Dad, who never really gets pumped about food, couldn’t stop talking about how good his BBQ chicken handwich (basically a hollowed out hoagie roll stuffed with meat) was.
I will definitely be making a return trip to Worth It soon to try out some other things on the menu.

Worth it Café has a new menu line up and services… definitely deserving of a check in if you have not been by lately. Check out their evening meals-​to-​go with ordering right on their website — nice.
Worth it Café is another little strip-​mall lunch joint tucked in with several others on South Miami Blvd in RTP. Not different than many others in the area inside — you order and pickup at the counter with self serve drinks. But the food is yummy.
My favorite menu item is the Fried Green Tomato BLT with house breaded and lightly fried green tomatos, lettuce, applewood smoked bacon, goat cheese and pepper relish — delicious! They also make some potato chips that are seasoned and fried to crispy perfection. The chef Chuck’s Cuban & the balsamic chicken and artichoke sandwiches are normal second choices that are very good.
I would be remise in not mentioning the desserts. The last one I tried was a cocoa-​crispy-​rice-​crispy treat made with a ridiculous amount of butter. I should have just got 2 of those and called it a day. Worth it Café is worth a visit.

I came in around 11:35, right before the lunch rush descended on the place. Had a nice conversation with the counter gal — gave some recommendations and explained their committment to buying as much NC-​grown & raised food and making almost everything in house (they even roast the turkey breast in house). I decided on the Farmhouse club on sourdough with the sweet potato fries and took a seat.
About 7 or 8 minutes later, there was a line of about 15 folks waiting to order, while my sandwich was brought out by the counter gal. It was pretty good… the turkey was nicely roasted with good flavor, but it comes out in slabs of turkey, which leaves your mouth a little dry (even the best roasted turkey, in my opinion, is better thinly sliced). The sweet potato fries were awesome while they were hot, but they get a wee bit soggy as they cool (though I think all sweet potato fries do that). I have half a sandwich & ¾ of my fries left, so we’ll see how they crisp up when I warm them up for a late afternoon snack.
They have a very nice, inventive menu plus a revolving list of specials — I’ll definitely be back! Maybe I’ll even do a dinner pickup for a night when I can’t drag my rear out to dinner before heading back to the hotel. The dinner selections sound delicious!
~$ 9 for a sandwich, fries & fountain soda. They even have Cheerwine!

I tried the Worth It Café because I heard about when a Women’s Power Networking event took place there a few months ago. I wanted to meet my friends at a place that we had not tried before. I am so glad we gave it a try. It is a hidden gem. Don’t let the strip mall that it is located in fool you. You walk through the doors, and it is crisp and clean. It looks like it should be located in a much more upscale location (it has a brand new feeling — which is nice).
We arrived at 11:45 on a Tuesday. It was not super busy which was nice. (But I do have to say that while we were there eating it did get busy. However not busy enough for the staff to fall behind). The staff was very friendly.
I was able to find something on the menu quickly and it sounded delicious. I was pleasantly surprised by the price of my lunch. Sometimes, these newer, privately owned establishments overcharge you but not this place. I felt that it was a very fair price. I had a fantastic flavorful chicken wrap and sweet potato fries (delicious, by the way) for around $ 8. I felt that was very fair.
I highly recommend this place. It is definitely WORTH IT!

I rolled in two minutes till two and was like «Am I too late??» The chef (who was behind the counter), gal at the register and fella in a «Worth It Café» shirt sitting at one of the tables responded in a chorus of «Come on in!!» Funny that while I was waiting for my order to come up, this was repeated with another late luncher who arrived about ten minutes after.
Similar to my experience at Meridian Café, the folks who keep this place running are really passionate about food, their customers and their business. I was excited to learn that they’ve just begun dinner hours last week — featuring an ever-​changing menu that’s crafted out of what’s locally available. They rattled off some items, including fish with a cherry (handpicked in VA) salsa that sounded particularly good. Apparently it’s designed to cater to curbside patrons — brilliant, considering all the after-​work RTP folk who could use a healthy local option for a take-​home dinner. They also break the portions down by couple or family (of 4). Living near Southpoint — land of chains — I’m personally really looking forward to checking that out.
As I waited for my order, I took in the space. Citrus-​colored walls and lots of seating, plus a low-​volume flat screen make it a great option for lunching. They had lots of fans, and they were all whirring away, but it was still a little steamy in there. Hopefully they can get some air circulating a little better before August hits!
I ordered the chicken and artichoke sandwich (their most popular item) on sunflower bread. They were out of the homemade chips (that’s what I get for arriving after closing time!). But the sweet potato fries were still pretty good. Loved the flavor of the sandwich, but I have to say the chicken was dry and tough. Still, the menu had a lot of innovative options for a sandwich joint. And I absolutely applaud them for creativity, their local effort and their service. I look forward to being a regular customer and watching them evolve!

For starters I have to say I’m somewhat excited about the place but I’m not gushing about it just yet. Being a newbie to it though, I felt kind of rushed to make a decision at the cash register about what I wanted to order. I’d never seen the menu before and I was trying to peruse through it to get an idea of what they had.
I was, however, greeted by a very friendly person at the register who suggested the «Cuban» sandwich. This ended up being a good choice for me. That was when the questions started — what do I want with it. I had no idea because I didn’t understand, just yet, what came with the sandwich. I was trying to find the small print that explained all of that and I finally just settled on taking a salad that cost me an extra $ 1.50. I tucked the take out menu away to bring with me.
About 5 minutes went by and my sandwich came up. In the meantime, I’m guessing it was one of the owners who came out to make some conversation with me. He explained that he did his best to get all of his produce locally at the farmers market in order to support local growers. I thought that was really cool! He was a very personable guy and as I was leaving he made sure to say goodbye.
Now the sandwich was okay, could have gone a little lighter on the dijonaise but it was still tasty. Being that I’m a big guy (around) with a big appetite, it just wasn’t filling (specifically just for me). Maybe next time I’ll see if I can order double meat. I’ve also never had cuban flat bread so i wasn’t sure what to expect.
The place was clean — very clean. It was bright inside, partly due to lighting, partly due to the paint on the walls.
I’m going to spend a little time with the menu before I go back. Be assured, though, I will be back. A Solid 3.5, and hopefully the next visit will be easier for me and I’ll feel more comfortable raising the rating. My expectations may have been too high on the front end based on a number of the initial reviews, but then again, there’s nothing wrong with setting the bar at a high level. See y’all soon, I’m looking forward to it.

I just stopped by to pick up a sandwich to go based on previous Unilocal reviews. The place is brand spanking new, and very clean. the service is fantastic and the woman behind the counter was friendly and jovial. it was definitely a very nice atmosphere for a quick lunch! Just note that this really is a business lunch place suitable for the RTP folks who work out here. It’s definitely a welcome addition to the fast food nirvana that exists out here and adds a bit more variety for all of us busy bee workers. Unfortunately, I had an okay experience with the food. Let me explain…
The menu looks impressive and based on the previous reviews, that holiday turkey sandwich looks appetizing if you’re a carnivore. Today, I decided to gravitate towards the vegetarian friendly part of the menu. Kudos to WIC for having 3 items on their menu that are meat-​free. I ordered the hot Marinated Portabella and Mozzarella in a sandwich form. You actually can order this in 3 styles — a sandwich, wrap or panini. Based off of previous reviews, I think I may have made a mistake in ordering our sandwich, tho. I should have requested the panini-​style instead, b/​c the wheat bread I requested was just meh — definitely commercial along the lines of Jimmy John’s, but less dense. I love dense bread, so this was a negative for me. Another puzzling thing was that the menu description for my sandwich read «…paired with Ooey Gooey Mozzarella cheese…» which I felt was neither «ooey» nor «gooey»…did they not put cheese in? I really think there was no cheese what so ever in my sandwich. As for tastes, the marinated portabella mushrooms with the roasted red peppers was fine — although I think I could have done a better job on my own. It was slightly more acidic than i would have liked (the balsamic vinegar part), but you could taste the rosemary spices they used. The highlight IMHO was the sweet potato fries… even tho they didn’t travel well in the car and container (they were soggy by the time I ate them), they were very tasty… and that’s the one redeeming quality of the meal!
As for desserts, they didn’t have any meyer lemon bars… but they offered a homemade pound cake, some brownie squares and some assorted cookies. I chose the brownie and the caramel apple cookie. I was severely disappointed with the brownie — my wife said that it tasted like a Betty Crocker mix and refused to eat it! She didn’t like the cookie either, but I thought that part was alright just a bit overdone on the bottom and edges.
Overall I think this is a solid 3 — 3.5 stars, food-​wise. The service is definitely 4 — 5 stars. I would definitely come back, but with some differences in my ordering technique. I’m not craving anything from this deli… but I could see it being a nice alternative for the Subways, JJ’s and other assorted mass-​produced sandwiches out there. It has a cute dining area and there is some limited outdoor seating. Another plus is you also get free wifi, although i didn’t try this out while there.
My only serious complaint is that they package all of their orders in a #6 polystyrene container — to go and dine in — but I’m not basing my review on that.

i’m on a sugar high. WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
i’ve been craving lemon bars for a week — to the point that i was going to make my own last weekend but ended up camping.
i’m somewhat of a food snob so i’m not keen on resorting to store bought highly processed desserts.
i also am a lover of supporting small businesses.
I went around the whole strip asking each lunch deli if they had lemon bars, and just as i was going to give up. i saw worthit and DAYM IT WAS WORTH IT.
They had what i was looking for. Home-​made meyer lemon bars. meyer lemons are known for their intense fresh tartness, and these lemon bars were tartlicious!
They really hit the spot! I bought two and devoured two.
The girl there said next week, she’ll be making blood orange bars. i LOVE a local business who is not afraid to be creative.
All of their foods are home-​made and junk-​free. I am definitely going to go back for their fried green tomato BLT. tomorrow. yes. tomorrow.
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I promised yall I’d go back for their BLT. & I did.
I was so close to not going today because I was going to have dinner with the bubs but something came up and he had to rain check for tomorrow. BLESSING IN DISGUISE! (sry bubs ;])
I’m full. I mean, really really full. That rarely happens in my TWO insane sized stomachs (one for sweets, one for salts).
The breading for the green tomatoes were very well seasoned and light, I believe it had oregano in there. The bacon was crispy and not over-​fried. The sauces were a sauce like thousand island and another white thicker addition to it. I’m gonna say it tasted like something between feta cheese and greek yogurt. The creaminess really balanced out the whole sandwich. THE SANDWICH WAS HUGE TOO. It wasn’t your average wonderbread BLT. It was a awesome concoction of wonderfully seasoned fried tomatos, salty crispy bacon, fresh lettuce, creamy condiment on fresh sunflower seed bread.
Every sandwich/​salad/​wrap comes with either root chips/​sweet potato fries/​pasta salad. I asked for both homemade chips & fries because I wanted to taste both.
Root chips: It’s not just potato. There were beets too. It wasn’t overly salted or fried. It was delicious as an occasional snack. I don’t recommend eating it everyday though. Just because it aint just potatoes, don’t mean its good for your gut.
Fries: You can’t go wrong with sweet potato fries and I enjoyed them. Were them outstandingly special? nah. However, I do have one advice. If you are going to call ahead for your order, don’t order the fries. They put their fries in these little paper bags for you with your sammy and the hot fries will create steam in these baggies. The steam will then proceed to make your fries into a sog fest. Don’t order the fries if you know they are going to be the baggy sauna for more than 2 minutes. e
I also had their heath bar cookie. If you like toffee, and the salt/​sweet blend in your desserts. GEE, IT WAS AWESOME. I finished it while driving back to work after picking my sandwich up. Yeah, it was that good.
[GENERAL BLT RULE: If you don’t like sauce. DON’T order the BLT. Without the creamy sauce (traditionally mayo), the BLT will just be a bland dry piece of garbage. GET THE CONDIMENT]
THE BLT IS THEIR WEEKLY SPECIAL. IF YOU WANT IT. BETTER GET IT BEFORE FRIDAY.