For freshly made food and a cool vibe, try Steven’s Cafe

Feb. 11, 2023

By Clare Malfetti
Staff Writer

Located at 106 Park Ave. in Rutherford, Steven’s Cafe offers a wide selection of breakfast meals, fresh juices, pastries, sandwiches, smoothies and more. After hearing so much about this local cafe, which opened its doors in December 2021, I wanted to try it out, and I’m glad I did.

The first thing I noticed about Steven’s Cafe is its comfortable and modern atmosphere. A lot of people go there to do work and study, and I can see why, as its calm environment and jazzy music played at a low volume is great for focusing.

I ended up ordering the Classic Acai Bowl ($9.95), and I loved it. It is one of the cafe’s most popular menu items, and I can see why. It includes almond milk, chia seeds, coconut flakes, homemade granola and seasonal fruit. The fruit tasted flavorful and fresh, and the big chunks of granola were great too. 

Although I really liked the Classic Acai Bowl, I wish I would have been able to order a breakfast item, which is only served from 6 a.m.-4 p.m.

For a drink, I ordered the 16-ounce iced matcha latte ($5.75). I have ordered this item at many cafes and thought this one was good but unmemorable.

My mom ended up ordering the New Yorker ($14.95), which includes Nova Scotia salmon, capers, cream cheese, fresh dill, red onion and tomato. Customers can choose what kind of bagel they want, and my mom selected a sesame seed bagel. I do not like salmon, so I did not try this item because I knew I wouldn’t have enjoyed it. However, my mom said it was very good. 

I ended up ordering the Classic Acai Bowl ($9.95), and I loved it. It is one of the cafe’s most popular menu items, and I can see why.

She said the employees forgot to add tomato and wished there had been more capers and cream cheese on this item, but she liked it enough to say she would order it again. 

For a drink, my mom ordered the 16-ounce chai latte ($5.50), which I tried and liked more than my matcha latte. It had a good amount of spice to it, and it was obvious that it was made from actual chai tea rather than syrup flavoring.

My mom and I were pretty stuffed after our entrees but also wanted to try out their pastries, so we decided to get some macaroons ($2.50 each). We got honey lavender, matcha, raspberry and rose lychee. Out of the four flavors we got, the rose lychee was definitely my favorite. The raspberry was also very good, but it didn’t have a strong raspberry taste. The honey lavender macaroon, in contrast, had a strong and distinct taste that I really liked. 

However, I disliked the matcha macaroon so much that I couldn’t even eat it. It was not sweet at all and had a weird, strong matcha taste that kind of tasted like grass. I have had unsweetened matcha in other products and never had a problem with it, but the matcha macaroon tasted really strange. 

While we didn’t love everything we tried, my mom and I enjoyed our meal at Steven’s Cafe and plan to return soon to try one of their breakfast options and some other pastries, as their display looked really delicious. It is nice to have such a laid-back cafe nearby with fresh and delicious products, so Steven’s Cafe was a definite win in our book.

PHOTOS BY CLARE MALFETTI