All you really need to know about Cafe Hope is that the food is astonishingly excellent, served at prices that seem laughably low. It's right up to the times in style, using interesting recipes and fresh local foodstuffs. What you might want to know is that all of this is cooked by people whose lives recently passed through a tight spot, and who are working to get into the mainstream. The latter perspective is the main purpose of Cafe Hope. But the food stands on its own. It's one of the best lunch places on the West Bank.
The expansive campus and striking Spanish Colonial buildings of Hope Haven has long been a Catholic outreach a wide range of needy people. Cafe Hope is a recent addition to that effort. At-risk young adults learn the skills of the restaurant and hospitality business by operating a serious, open-to-the-public restaurant. Administered by a team of culinary professionals, the students perform all the jobs in the restaurant. Not only are they paid for this, but after they graduate eighty percent of them wind up with long-term careers in local restaurants.
The main dining room is in one of the historic Hope Haven buildings, and like everything else there has the feeling of a retreat house: old, and a little dark. This is brightened by the feelings emanating from the customers, who are delighted to know about this semi-secret place.
Don't come here for a quick lunch. The food deserves more of your attention, and the feeling is leisurely. Cafe Hope also caters on the premises, and sometimes closes down to serve large meetings.
| Attitude | 2 |
|---|---|
| Environment | 1 |
| Hipness | 1 |
| Local Color | 3 |
| Service | 1 |
| Value | 3 |
| Wine | 0 |
