International Cafe is a quaint little downtown restaurant. Recently relocated from it's original location on Hitt street, the café has found a new home on Ninth street, right next to Lakota coffee company. Loyal followers will be comforted by the mural of the former Hitt street shop on the wall of the outdoor seating area out front.
Inside, we found a bustling lunchtime crowd and a comfortable dining atmosphere. Menus are posted casually on the wall and an international news show plays on the big screen TV. Patrons order at the counter, then take a number to their table and food is delivered. Display cases show off appetizers and dessert treats. While the restaurant was clearly hopping, we did not have to wait long at all to give our order and our food arrived incredibly fast.
Two MMDG staffers sampled the wares at International Café. Here are their experiences, in their own words:
Moussaka half-order and Baklava
I'm not usually too adventurous, but the Moussaka description on the menu ("An ever popular casserole of ground beef, eggplant and creamy cheese sauce) sounded pretty good. I appreciated that the young man behind the counter was kind about my flub up - I confused falafel with baklava! The Moussaka half–order was more than enough food for my lunch time appetite. The beef and eggplant was pretty good, but the topping had a soggy texture that just didn't agree with me. I did like the rice pilaf. Next time I would try the Greek salad… I enjoyed the sweet and flaky baklava; the nuttiness of the walnuts almost had a chocolate quality and the size was plenty big of the rich dessert. Three out of five forks.
Tyropita (Cheese Pie) & Gyro minus tomatoes with Tzanziki sauce
Once we finally found International Café (their sign out front is covered by a tree,) I was very excited to have lunch there. The place was packed, so it must be awesome, right? Well...I wouldn’t say “awesome” necessarily, but I have a picky palette too. Everything was fresh, the gyro meat was tender, the tzanziki sauce was nicely chilled, but the tyropita was a little bland for my taste buds. I found myself wanting some sort of dipping sauce for it, but I can’t say what kind I would even want. If you like/love Greek food, I’m sure you’ll enjoy International Café. Three out of five forks.
