Restaurant Review–Life’s a Beach: Savor it at The Waterfront Café!
The month of August brings a rare opportunity annually—water temperatures are high, Lake Michigan sparkles blue. The sunsets are pink and orange, just in time for dinner on the lake. What’s better than taking in the evening sunset over the Lake while dining at an outdoor table nearby?
One such restaurant is The Waterfront Café, open seasonally and housed in a landmark coach house and attached to an historic mansion in the center of Edgewater’s lush Berger Park. The dining and performance venue is open to all, as the restaurant goes to great pains to explain that they serve “all ages, sizes, colors, genders, beliefs, religions, orientations and cultures.”
Start your meal with a shareable like Pesto Hummus, served with your choice of naan flatbread or tortilla chips, or Shrimp Ceviche, cured in citrus and served with tortilla chips. Move on to a delicious summer salad, served chilled with arugula, lemon vinaigrette, and your choice of naan flatbread or tortilla chips.
Try a Roasted Sweet Corn Salad, with roasted sweet corn, orzo pasta, and diced vegetables, or for the vegetarian in you, a Sweet & Spicy Tofu Salad, with non-GMO soybean tofu, sriracha, sweet chili, garlic, ginger, and gluten-free soy sauce. Another favorite is the Tropical Tuna Salad, with albacore tuna, pineapple, cranberry, macadamia nuts & avocado aioli.
Their Waterfront Rolls are served with small batched kettle chips. Gluten-free bread substitution is an additional $2. Try their Beef, Bacon & Bourbon Sandwich with sliced beef, bacon, cheddar cheese, and bourbon bbq sauce on a brioche bun. Or, a Blackened Cajun Shrimp Roll, which pairs chilled grilled shrimp with avocado aioli on a New England grilled buttered bun. Brown Butter Crab Roll has chilled crab meat with lemon caper aioli on a New England grilled buttered bun.
‘Whippersnappers’ get their choice of a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich or a non-Chicago style Bagel Dog, with ketchup and mustard. Both are served with potato chips.
One five-star Google reviewer wrote, “Awesome place to grab a bite! The food was good but the seating and environment were unreal. The restaurant has done a fabulous job of integrating into the park in a way that makes it feel like it has always belong there and doesn’t disrupt local access. The entire café is on the water, close enough hear the waves but far enough to avoid any sand. The seating is casual and comfortable. The food is overall good. We got two salads and a shrimp roll in all. The tuna salad was great and comes with either chips or naan (was very filling), and the corn salad was similarly tasty and filling. All in all, great place. I will be back!”
The Waterfront Café is located at 6219 N. Sheridan Road. Their hours are Mondays, 5pm-9pm (closed for lunch) and Tuesdays- Sundays, noon to 9pm. Reservations are not accepted at any time. For more information, click here.
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago
