Cravings Cafe (North Wales, PA)

Satisfied Hankering

When we were looking for a relaxed, local restaurant that could easily accommodate our family dinner party of 6, we selected Cravings Café in North Wales. Located in a generic looking strip mall, Cravings Café is a neighborhood restaurant that we dine in a few times per year. Having never posted a review, I felt that one was in order.

On this particular evening, the restaurant was surprisingly empty when we arrived. We normally never have trouble getting reservations but I was still surprised to see the restaurant so empty. Over the course of our meal, the dining room filled up but never to more than half of its capacity.

Cravings Café has a surprisingly large and varied menu. In addition, there are always a few, more creative specials and a large selection of beverages including excellent flavored, iced teas.

On this evening I decided to start with two specials, the cashew encrusted New Zealand lamb chops with minted raspberry and ancho chili glaze and the avocado, artichoke, goat cheese and crab salad. I loved the four meaty lamb chops, which were flavorful and well cooked. At $10, this was an excellent value. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with the salad despite the freshness of its ingredients. On paper, this is the type of salad that I typically love. The presentation of the salad was excellent and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the goat cheese, avocado, and crab meat had been formed into an appealing looking cake. However, this presentation simply did not work. Each bite of the goat cheese, avocado, and crab cake was dry and glob like. A more straight forward presentation of the ingredients would have made for a much better salad.

I enjoyed my striped bass with grilled prawns over julienne vegetables and chive risotto. The generous portion of strip bass and prawns was fresh and well cooked. The chive risotto had an excellent flavor but was a trifle over creamy.

Overall, I recommend Cravings Cafe. The décor is minimalist and the service is unpolished but attentive. However, this is a neighborhood restaurant with above average food and culinary creativity. A smile always comes over my face when I walk in and see the newest specials. If you are looking for a very good, casual meal in North Wales, look no further.

The Facts
Name: Cravings Cafe
Address:
Bell Run Plaza
1222 Welsh Road
North Wales, PA 19454
Phone: (215) 855-4500
Price: Appetizers $6-$13, Entrees $14-$27
Cuisine: New American
Website: http://www.cravingscafe.com/