Before moving to Tampa, I owned and operated a farm-to-table cafe within a local non-profit bookstore, which quickly developed a cult following of local faculty, restaurant owners, students, and general food lovers. This project first bridged my love for service, literature, food, and connecting people with their new favorite thing.
From our website: "We are a two person 'nano-restaurant' in Gainesville, FL. 14 seats. One chef. Best food in town, for the lowest prices. Think recession-era fine dining. Service is a counter-table hybrid (order and pay at the counter, and we'll take care of the rest). Our dinner menu changes weekly, and our produce selections are dictated by what's available at our local farms. Stop by to find the most unique restaurant in town."
- Cafe Colette is small and intimate with a super laid back vibe and awesome service. All the food is made fresh and from scratch ! Fluffy Belgian waffles and a grilled cheese that taste like no other (also made from scratched), served with a tomato fondu and paired perfectly with their half salad and clinatro-garlic creamy dressing. Absolutely delicious ! Found behind Wild Iris Books. Must try ! --Arianna A., 2011
- Amazing restaurant. Everything is fresh and made there. They make sure that you have what you need and that everything is great. Like eating at your parents when you haven't been home for a year and they want you to stick around. The couple that own it are currently the only employees as well, and are two of the nicest people.
- And now updating the second part of my review as a lot as changed since I first reviewed last year, though not the rating! Now Cafe Colette only does dinner, and it is amazing! The menu is small, but changes weekly. They do a few things really well at a bargain rather than try to do everything. Everything I have had has been great. I even try things I've always hated when it is from Colette, and have discovered that I like them when done right. I check out their Facebook page to see their current menu each week. In fact, go take a look there now and see if you can resist that food at those prices. They are still very vegetarian friendly, though now typically have a chicken dish each week as well. Do plan on spending some time there, as all of this care and freshness takes a while. When you order spaghetti and you see them start pressing dough to make the noodles from, you understand why it takes a little while. It is also a great place to hang around, I'm always happy to be there while I wait. There is wi-fi, and it is in Wild Iris Books, so you can always look around the bookstore. -Jon W., 2011 and 2012
- Simply the best. Last night I had the best fresh homemade chicken pasta dish there. It wasn't on the menu but the very talented couple threw it together especially for us. They said it might be on the menu soon. Fingers crossed! Other amazing dishes: veggie sloppy joe, chicken and biscuits, house salad and everything else. If you love food, you will love Cafe Colette! -Emily S., 2011
- I discovered it today and absolutely loved it. The place itself, the food, the menu in general, the attention provided by the servers, the friendliness of the clients. Everything made my time there perfect. -Astrid P., 2012
- I'd read the rave reviews of Café Colette on Yelp here and decided to check it out. The café is located in the rear of Wild Iris Books and the space it's in is small yet ample and a very pleasing atmosphere. I don't know what Wild Iris used this space for prior to the café but it's really ideal for a venture like this. It's not fancy, but perfect in the context of a small bookshop and is a nice alternative to a restaurant with waiter service, longer waiting time for your food, and higher prices--yet an alternative that still provides the highest caliber of food. The prices are fair, in fact, they seem very inexpensive given the quality of food and the staff (whom I think also are the café's owners) are beyond polite--they appear to truly enjoy what they do and take a great deal of pride in the quality of food they produce. They also have on offer beer and wine. Overall, I'm very impressed and would highly recommend Café Colette. -Mike W., 2012.
- As the typical poor college student of Gainesville, I was really surprised to discover how delicious and affordable the food at Cafe Colette is. Over the past few weeks I've eaten here around half a dozen times and have only ever paid from $3 to $8. For the quality of food they serve it honestly seems a little under-priced (and I hope they forever remain this way...). The menu changes on a weekly basis and always has vegetarian or vegan items on it., which is really nice. The best part is that no matter what the menu changes to the dishes are consistently delicious. The food is all freshly made and locally sourced, even the coffee. The cafe itself is located in the back of Wild Iris Books and they share a very relaxed, peaceful atmosphere. The owners from the book store and the owners of the cafe are always around and are really pleasant to talk to. During the day its mostly quiet and is a really good study space (Wild Iris has free wifi). Honestly, its kind of a mystery to me that they are still relatively unheard of in this town. - Ashley F., 2012
- I had the best dinner I have had in a long time. Everything was hand prepared using local ingredients. Super tasty, fresh and affordable is not something that is easy to find in Gainesville. I had three courses and a beer for about $20. They have a beverage cooler decorated by The Church of Holy Colors, so you know they have a warm intimate atmosphere. I will try to get back as much as possible. Favorite Florida nano-restaurant. - Pelicanbone E., 2012
- Great prices, great food and great people what more can you ask for. I am afraid the word is getting out so now the wait times have been extended. -John M., 2012