The Cafe: An American Bistro

My girlfriend & I go here quite often. Probably our favorite restaurant in the valley. A little pricey but the food is great. It’s nice and quiet, the food comes out timely, and the staff is so nice. They also have great and creative specials every night.
I’ve tried so many of their dishes but I’d definitely recommend the coconut shrimp risotto. It’s outstanding.

We were at the Café last night.
It has always been a favorite.
Last night something was off.
The service and food were not very good. It took forever to get anything. Dinners were cold. Had to have reheated. Without telling us, they substituted potatoes with string like French fries.
Over all a disappointment.

We went there for lunch. Good prices. Along the of selections could get confusion. I got the BBQ chicken. Was great. Atmosphere is nice with busy lunch hour crawled.
Would go there again. Didn’t try for dinner. Good parking.

Friendly staff, and a very exciting menu for both lunch and dinner. One of the better restaurants in Luzerne county.
Nice selection of take out beer also.

We decided to try the Café (At Pic-​A-​Deli) while visiting. We wanted an easy and quick meal and with a name like the Café we thought that this would be such. Were we wrong? Located in a small strip mall, they have three sections; the restaurant, the deli and a private room. When we walked into the deli (yes, they had a meat case and a chalk board), but also a hostess who asked us if we had reservations. We didn’t and we were seated in the main dining room. From that moment on, we experienced fine dining. The staff was attentive and courteous. The meal itself was top notch (no skimping here). Full enough that we didn’t order dessert and I even had to bring my angel hair pasta home. It cost a little more than we had budgeted, but was worth every penny. Would certainly go back the next time we are in town.

Dropped my daughter at Wilkes University this evening and found this place by chance. The food and the service was superb! Definitely try the house citrus balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The ambience is very nice offering outdoor dining during the nicer weather months. Will definitely return!

I’ve eaten here once for a family party in their banquet room in the back. Food was tasty, dishes out front, although I have not sampled them yet, looked delicious. Stopped in on another occasion and just had a few drinks. The staff was very nice and accommodating, they even put the Hockey game on for me. I also had a unique opportunity to talk to the owner while there, he is very down to earth and super nice. Would love to return and try some of their more specific menu items, definitely a spot to check out when in the Wilkes-​Barre area, a very nice change of pace from the chain restaurants near the mall.

Food was good but the rosemary sprigs coming out of every plate was very odd. The service was terrible. It’s some sort of group operation where you don’t have an assigned waitress. No one had any idea where we were in our dinner. We never were offered specials or asked for drinks. Right into the order. After we waited for a half hour, we finally got bread followed immediately by our appetizer. Talk about feeling invisible. $ = service + good food. Not here.

Great food and lots of options. I love it when my work uses them for catered lunches. Haven’t had anything I didn’t like so far.

We went for lunch– an assortment of soups salads and sandwiches. The servers told me the soups are home made and so are most of the desserts. My chicken soup and apple walnut salad were nice, though the greens were not farm fresh. The others at our table liked their sandwiches but said they were «nothing special». The place has a nice ambiance, more upscale than their lunch menu. Service was slow but friendly. The place was packed. Best food we’ve found so far in our visits to the area.

It was a fairly good experience on a Friday night. My group of 4 walked in and it wasn’t clear whether or not we should seat ourselves and no one noticed us for a few minutes. We finally saw the hostess stand further in past the bar. We were asked if we wanted to eat — we did. The restaurant was pretty empty but it was close to 8 pm. Service was adequate, I’m not sure our waitress ever told us her name so I can’t refer to her but she seemed disinterested at best. Drinks were timely. The bread (which was nice and came with honey butter) came late just before the appetizer. Oh and the app. I wanted lollipop lambchops for the group and asked our server how many came in an order. She said she thought 3. I said I wanted one for everyone so if it was 3 then give us two orders. When our orderS arrived we had two plates of FOUR. Okay. I’m not going to say anything but, really? They were very good as was the roasted red pepper soup and everyone seemed pleased with their salads. The entrees we ordered included a special of fish I have never heard of and still can’t recall (and I would consider myself a decently educated foodie), the stuffed haddock and two champagne risottos. Both fish dishes were well received. The rice itself in the risotto was good but the scallops were not at all seared and very overdone. One friend ordered dessert and he was pretty disappointed with the coconut cake. So it was an up and down night, some hits and some misses. For the area I think this is still a good option but not great.

Got a chef salad. Ordered from here due to the convenience to my office. Salad was $ 9.50.

The food was over priced but average. I was the only person at the bar but constantly had to wait for a drink.

We stopped here on a whim. And, it turned out to be a something of a delight.
Foremost, we had a moment of hesitation when we walked through the door. One enters into a «bar-​area,» the dining area is located around the corner. Unfortunately, we were instantly hit with the vision of a man propped-​up against the corner (between the dining area and the bar-​area), speaking loudly to a seated woman (who was eating). The F-​bombs were flying from his mouth and we worried about what we «got ourselves into.» When we rounded the corner, we saw a quiet, lovely dining area. (Well removed from the drunken, swearing man … who we determined might actually be a part of the management or, god-​forbid, the owner). We were seated at table/​booth (one side booth/​the other, chairs). Continuing with the automatic impressions, I saw that the wall on my side was splatter with food particles and my bench had crumbs on it. And, asked my companion if he wanted to vacate (between the drunken, swearing man and this «less than clean» area, that might be enough to justify bolting out the door). Still, we remained.
The server and his busser were incredibly attentive, warm, and, knowledgeable. They frequently (but not «too frequently») checked-​in, were jovial, and even correctly anticipated our every need.
The food was carefully plated and nuanced. Each had an appreciable, well developed flavor-​profile.
The only potential misstep we detected (as far as the fare is concerned) was the butter. (Of all things!) We were not a fan of the tomato/​basil butter. Next time, we will request standard butter (which, we later overheard, was an option).
When we walked past the leaning, swearing man on the way out, we knew that we would return.
I safely can say that with a little more attention to the minutia of the restaurant (and maybe asking that drunk guy to stay home/​leave), this newest version of the The Café could easily be the gem of Wilkes-​Barre/​Plains. The waitstaff cannot possibly be improved upon (they were AMAZING!) and the food was charming. Bravo!

It’s a 10 all the way around! The chicken noodle soup was excellent, the bread was superb, that gnocchi was perfect!

It’s the best that Wilkes Barre has to offer. Up to now, Cooper’s in Pittston has been my favorite, but that is getting old. Told the husband I want to go here for my birthday. You can dress up without feeling out of place, or go in wearing jeans. Wonderful atmosphere, service was fantastic and the food was to die for.
We only went for dinner, but I may try them for lunch after seeing the reviews.

I went here once for dinner and it was OK, but definitely not worth the price. It was a Saturday night and we were the only people there and still the waiter wasn’t really into talking to us. I kind of felt like they were trying to close and go home but it was 7pm. The pepperoni butter was amazing though. I would probably go there again, maybe what I had just wasn’t very good, I’m not sure. It’s not outrageously expensive but I think I’ve had cheaper meals elsewhere that have been much better and more memorable. I cant even really remember what all I had and it wasn’t that long ago and I usually remember a really awesome meal, this one was clearly not anything great.
Edit: I went here a second (and third) time, and wanted to up my original review because the next two times I went were awesome. I recommend the lobster mac and cheese or the swordfish!

Pleasant atmosphere, reasonable prices for tasty food. I was here for lunch and would definitely come for dinner… their menu looks delicious!

The Café was a great spot for dinner. Quiet, great lighting, and the service was friendly. Read the specials they put by the door — those are the same things the waitress will say.
The scallop sandwich appetizer special was $ 10, and tasted very good. You only get 2 though. We ordered a Chicken Sorrentino, and Stuffed Haddock. The chicken was a big piece, and the entrée was very filling!
Place was near empty when we got there around 6PM on a weekday, and then it was getting busier as the night went on. It’s nice that they separate the bar and dine in tables. If I want to eat and get full, I would come here again!

Beware! If you are considering having a private event at this location, be prepared to have a back-​up plan because there is a chance of getting bumped for something bigger and better! (I would give them zero stars if Unilocal would let me!)
My fiancé and I had booked their private room for our 30+ person rehearsal dinner months ago — we put a deposit down, had the menu set and everything. Less then a month before the dinner, I receive a call from Jeff saying that a big reunion was actually booked a year prior, it just somehow got deleted off his calendar and he wants to move us to his good friend’s restaurant, Portofino’s — which, by the way, has been closed down for months and may still be closed by then. He then proceeds to tell me that I shouldn’t be concerned because he’s not concerned and it’s not a problem.
Unfortunately, I was and still am concerned for a number of reasons — not the least bit being how unprofessionally he has handled this situation and the lack of empathy for the clients he is trying to boot out of his restaurant. There was also never an offer to make up for the inconvenience in any way.
With that being said, I believe our business will be better appreciated elsewhere and yours will be too.