Food Porn: Morning Glory Cafe

• Restaurant Type: Cafe
• Cuisine: Cafe/Coffee House, Breakfast
• Prices: everything under 10$
• Location: West Side

During one of our many trips to the Barkyard (a great Dog Park) last summer, Alli noticed this tiny little cafe on Porter.  Considering Morning Glory has just some lettering on their windows and a very small OPEN sign, I’m not sure how we even noticed that this tiny yellow building was a restaurant.  After driving by a few more times we found out the name and did a google search and came across their menu online.  For such a tiny place they have a pretty large menu; you’ll find breakfast sandwiches (available all day), salads, wraps, sandwiches, panini’s and even Foccacia Pizzas.  Along with having a large diverse menu, their prices are pretty cheap.  Nothing on the menu is more then $10.  It took us almost a year to eventually get around to trying out their food, but here’s how it was…

I had a good feeling about this place from the moment I walked in with my roommate Jay and our friend Danny.  Sure the cafe was basically empty, but as soon as we walked through the doors the woman standing at the register said “Well, don’t you boys look fancy”.  In all fairness, my roommate Jay was looking quite fancy that day.  Both women behind the counter were joking around with us, even though this cafe clearly has a steady flow of regular customers (customers would walk in and be addressed by first names) they made us newcomers feel welcome.

With only 6 tables and quiet music over the speakers, your dining experience can be pretty intimate. We placed our orders at the register, picked a table and waited for our food.  Jay was the only one who ordered breakfast and tried our their Breakfast Sandwich with Steak ($3.50, pictured below), Danny ordered the Florentine Wrap ($6.25, pictured in gallery) and I was in the mood for a Rueben Panini ($7.25).

Grilled Rueben

Danny devoured his entire Florentine Wrap and honestly seemed happy with his meal but what really impressed him was their homemade jalapeno pickles.  I had some with my order and they were pretty damn good.  For only $3.50, Jay’s breakfast bagel was a good deal and filled him up.  I didn’t try either of their orders but they were both very happy with how everything tasted.  Sure they weren’t blown away but they weren’t disappointed either.  My Grilled Rueben Panini was actually quite good; the cheese was melted very well, they had just the right amount of sauerkraut and the corn beef was tasty.  The only thing that I would have changed with the sandwich was the amount of Thousand Island Dressing, this thing was pretty loaded and I probably would have been fine with half of what was put on.

The fact that Morning Glory isn’t well known is probably one of their best features in my opinion.  You can get a quick breakfast or lunch and not have to worry about waiting around.  If you just want to grab a pastry and a cup of coffee this place will fill those needs as well.  Their pastries come from Luigi’s Family Bakery and if I had any room leftover from my lunch I would have definitely bought one of their cookies.  If you live in Allentown, the Elmwood Village or just the West Side in general, I’d suggest trying out Morning Glory if you are looking for a new place to go.  Sure their menu isn’t that different from other local cafe’s but their prices are competitive and both of the cooks were very entertaining and friendly.

Photo Gallery: