The Charles River Coffee House is a cozy cafe with great breakfast baked goods and sandwiches. It is located on Eliot Street in South Natick, across the street from Bacon Free Library and the South Natick Dam Park. On the menu you will find bagels, muffins, scones and danishes for breakfast and sandwiches, salads, soups, and stew for lunch. Beverages include hot and iced coffee and espresso drinks, teas, smoothies, and fresh squeezed lemonade. With your coffee you could have a macaroon, a brownie or cookie, a biscotti or even a cupcakes, because why not!
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When Sheldon Strasnick, the owner of Muffin House Cafe in Medway and Mendon, announced on Facebook that he was opening a third location, fans from all over the state hoped the popular cafe will come to their town. "Come to Franklin!', "Please be Ashland!", "Come to Norton!" read some of the over 80 comments. Well, we are quite pleased that Sheldon chose Natick. The Muffin House Cafe is a family-owned business, known for their breakfast foods, sandwiches, good coffee, and custom-made cakes. The Natick location is somewhat different, in that it only serves bakery items and coffee. It is small and cozy, and while it is able to sit a few people, it is an "on-the-go" kind of a place. The menu features an assortment of bagels, an endless list of muffins, cookies and pastries, cakes, cake pops, challah bread, hot and iced coffee and, delightfully, a full espresso bar. Their coffee is roasted locally and includes over 30 flavors (no syrups added). My daughter and I paid a visit on a weekend when Muffin House Cafe first opened. Bright and early, the place already had a line of customers. I enjoyed a freshly-baked blueberry scone and a lovely latte. My 3 year old enjoyed a gingerbread Winnie-the-Poo, naturally. The Muffin House Cafe in Natick is located at 325 North Main Street and is open daily from 6 to 2. Come check it out! Let me know in the comments which muffin is your favorite.
Eli's is a beloved breakfast spot in Natick center. Since its opening in 2017, Eli's has consistently received rave reviews from the locals. If you want to see for yourself just how popular they are, show up there at 7 am on a Saturday and you will see the place already busy with customers. I've been to Eli's with my family a handful of times and the food has always been great. Chocolate chip pancakes ($8.99), Truffle Shuffle omelet (roasted mushrooms and red peppers, $10.99), and eggs Benedict ($9.99) are our go-to comfort foods. My daughter also really enjoyed their strawberry milk ($2.75). Here are some photos from my most recent visit to Eli's. This time I asked the staff to recommend their most popular breakfast, which turned out to be the Island Breakfast (over-easy eggs and avocado on Portuguese sweet muffin, served with Siracha, $8.99). We also ordered Chrissa Belle (smoked salmon, cream cheese, everything bagel, $10.99), and cinnamon swirl French toast ($8.99). Everything was delicious. I have not yet been to Eli's for lunch, but have heard that the following are big hits: Patty melt (grilled cheese with caramelized onions; $9.99), crispy roasted Brussels sprouts ($5.99), loaded tots (Pico de Gallo, bacon, siracha mayo, $7.99), Miss Piggy burger (BBQ pulled pork, $11.99), Ma’s tuna melt ($8.99), and truffle fries ($5.99). Sweet potato fries that come with the burgers are also a must.
Have you eaten at Eli's? Tell me what you thought! My daughter and I now have a favorite place to go after her swimming class: The Dapper Doughnut in Natick Mall is awesome on so many levels. First of all, mommy can get her coffee. Second, the “cake style” doughnuts are small enough to enjoy guilt-free (they are also a perfect size for a toddler). Third, the doughnuts you get are hot and fresh, because they are made right in front of you. Finally, the whole experience is fun, as you get to design your own doughnut from 24 flavorful toppings. We went to their grand opening party and got spoiled with free doughnuts. Here are some pictures of these beauties. Scroll down for the menu with prices, if that's your thing. Enjoy! Cai (Cayden) Zhang is the general manager at Dapper Doughnut Natick. In addition to launching a doughnut franchise, he is also about to become a dad! Way to keep yourself busy, man! Cai will soon need that coffee I mentioned. With 24 toppings, combinations are nearly endless, people. The Dapper Doughnut gets their green coffee beans from Africa, Central and South America, and Indonesia and roasts them in Las Vegas. According to them, because the beans are roasted in small batches, their coffee is not acidic or bitter and does not have a charred flavor often found in mass produced coffee. Again, the size of these doughnuts is waistline-friendly. Here's how it works and how much it will cost you. The Dapper Doughnut is located in the food court of the mall (1245 Worcester Street Natick, MA 01760). They are open Monday - Saturday 10 am to 9 pm and Sundays 11 to 6. Went there? Let us know if you liked it.
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