17. PIKA'S CAFE

PHONE: 671.647.PIKA & 671.488.6069

HOURS: Breakfast 7:30am-10:30am, Lunch 10:30am-3pm,  M-Sat; Closed Sun

LOCATION: Marine Corps Drive, Star Building, Across St. John's

ONLINE: facebook.com/pikascafe

Pika’s Café has been all the buzz lately as one of the island’s newest and tastiest eateries, so we had to veer away from our regular dinner plan to catch them during the lunch rush. They had a good-sized crowd and for good reason. The food doesn’t disappoint. I ordered the Chicken Provolone Sandwich, which included a generous helping of roasted chicken, provolone cheese, basil pesto, balsamic vinegar, romaine and tomatoes on toasted sourdough wheat. I’m a pesto fan and you don’t tend to find many pesto dishes on island, so my pick was easy. It was just the right amount of pesto, just the way I like it. Price was good at $9.50, but I was surprised the sandwich wasn’t complemented with a small side. Nonetheless, it was enough to bring some home for later. The atmosphere was good, but a little tight…and I’m sure they’d prefer to have the problem of trying to figure out how to fit more guests rather than how to get more guests. Would I come back? Yup, especially when it’s owned by locals that support our local farmers. I give Pika’s Café an “A” rating.  ~ La-Di Da-Di

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KOREAN BBQ SANDWICH

FOOD: It was recommended that I try the Korean BBQ Sandwich and that is exactly what I ordered. The recommendation was like the sandwich...very good. The sandwich consisted of toasted ciabatta bread, bulgogi beef, chili aoli, kim chee slaw, and dinanche relish. The spice was very light. It was like Korean food meets American deli, which I enjoyed.

PRICE: The sandwich was $10.00. There were many choices on the menu ranging from sandwiches, rice bowls, vegetarian dishes and their award-winning burger. All the items sounded appetizing and I’ll definitely go back to try more.

PLACE: The service was great, but the place itself was very loud and when I walked out the food smell stuck to my hair and clothes. Other than that, the restaurant is highly recommended, although it’s too bad they’re only open for lunch.

My overall personal rating: *A-*     ~ CAPEESH