Restaurant review: Humongous menu has fun, innovative, unexpected breakfast & lunch dishes

Lucie Regensdorf
·3 min read

How would I describe Berry Fresh Café? An upscale diner with a scratch kitchen and a full bar. What?

That’s right. If you want a Kitchen Sink Burrito with a margarita, you can get it there. Or maybe the Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Belgian Waffle and a mimosa is more your style. I can’t imagine anyone who would not want the Fat Elvis Biscuit French Toast, which is a jumbo biscuit dipped in French toast batter, griddled, then topped with peanut butter, cheesecake, bananas, bacon and chocolate chips sprinkled with powdered sugar, Chantilly cream and chocolate sauce.

But, I have to ask you connoisseurs: Does that go best with a red or white wine?

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How would I describe Berry Fresh Café in St. Lucie West? An upscale diner with a scratch kitchen and a full bar.
How would I describe Berry Fresh Café in St. Lucie West? An upscale diner with a scratch kitchen and a full bar.

Here, one can get pancakes the size of Manhattan; waffles; hashes, such as O.M.G. Homemade Corned Beef Hash; smash burgers; sandwiches and salads. Brunch items include Jalapeno Red Pepper Jelly Chicken n’ Waffles, Shrimp & Crabcake Goat Cheese Omelet and the Ultimate Barbacoa Grilled Cheese. Stroll down memory lane and order Captain Crunch French Toast or a Hippie Picnic Sandwich.

The menu is humongous and each and every item is fun, innovative and unexpected.

At Berry Fresh Café, you can dine in or outdoors. Inside are tables and a large purple leather banquette. Scattered along the walls are framed watercolors interspersed with inspirational signs. Metal pendant lights spread a golden glow. A stern-looking chicken dressed like a chef stands guard near the entrance.

The place was hopping, and the staff is well-trained and efficient. The only problem we identified was picking out what we wanted for lunch. That was challenging. But, as I gazed at the sign across from my table, which proclaimed, “Let’s eat,” I obediently complied.

At Berry Fresh Cafe, the Open-Faced Green Goddess Turkey Avocado Toast Sandwich was a hearty slice of wheat berry toast, topped with a fresh avocado mash, lettuce, slices of freshly roasted turkey, fire-roasted tomatoes, artichokes, then brimming with watercress and edible flowers, and drizzled with a tangy Green Goddess dressing.
At Berry Fresh Cafe, the Open-Faced Green Goddess Turkey Avocado Toast Sandwich was a hearty slice of wheat berry toast, topped with a fresh avocado mash, lettuce, slices of freshly roasted turkey, fire-roasted tomatoes, artichokes, then brimming with watercress and edible flowers, and drizzled with a tangy Green Goddess dressing.

My lunch date ordered the Open-Faced Green Goddess Turkey Avocado Toast Sandwich ($12.99), the name of which almost used up my word allowance for this review. A hearty slice of wheat berry toast was topped with a fresh avocado mash, lettuce, slices of freshly roasted turkey, fire-roasted tomatoes and artichokes. It was brimming with watercress and edible flowers and drizzled with a tangy Green Goddess dressing. A colorful bowl of fresh-cut fruit accompanied the sandwich.

It was a beauty to behold. The creaminess of the avocado against the tartness of the artichoke and the sweetness of the fire-roasted tomatoes melded with the deliciously moist turkey and the piquant dressing.

I settled on the Monday through Friday offering of two choices from Columns A, B or C. I chose the half-birria beef sammie and a cup of tomato basil soup ($8.99). The beef was marinated in adobo overnight, then braised and shredded. It was ambrosial. The beef was topped with salty curds of cotija cheese, a mass of chopped onions and fresh cilantro. It was served on a sturdy toasted Italian roll.

They thought of everything by providing a small dipping bowl filled with a savory hearty beef broth. The substantial cup of tomato soup was thick, creamy and gratifying. It was a perfect lunch.

Berry Fresh Café displays a sign advising that an 18% service charge is included on the bill, which reflects a commission for the servers. 100% of that service charge — and any additional amount you choose — goes directly to the server.

As we left the restaurant, a woman walked up explaining that she was driving from somewhere to somewhere else and was hungry. She asked if there was anything good to eat at Berry Fresh Café, to which we answered with a resounding “absolutely” and summarized the menu. After we suggested the Fat Elvis Biscuit in particular, she disappeared through the door.

Berry Fresh Café

  • Cuisine: Breakfast and lunch

  • Address: 1718 S.W. St. Lucie Blvd., St. Lucie West and 1429 S.E. Federal Highway, Stuart. There are also Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens locations

  • Hours: 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday

  • Alcohol: Full bar

  • Online: BerryFreshCafe.com

Lucie Regensdorf dines anonymously at the expense of TCPalm for #WhatToDoIn772. Contact her at Lucie@theloveofcooking.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Restaurant review: Berry Fresh Café in Stuart an Port St. Lucie