Cafe West 46 is located on Seminary Avenue, in the hub of the downtown living scene, snuggled between rows of student housing. It’s that blurred storefront property you may have stumbled by in the midst of partying, hoping, wondering “What is this Cafe doing in the middle of our neighborhood?” Turns out this Cafe is right where it belongs, and it is here to stay. Cafe West 46 opened its doors to the Binghamton community in 2011 and has no plans of closing them anytime soon.
It is not a bad idea to check the place out during restaurant week because the menu is limitless. You will be offered a choice between soup, salad or mac and cheese for your starting course. As a main dish, all the usual sandwich and salad options will be offered and, if that’s not enough, daily specials are also available, presented on a handwritten chalkboard menu. For dessert, homemade cookies and bars are wrapped and waiting on the front counter.
Cafe West 46 has an assortment of high quality choices prepared in-house and made from real, whole ingredients. Soups are prepared from scratch, and the tortilla chips are cut, fried and dusted with special spices. The roasted turkey breast for the sandwich is brined and carved on location, wedged between carefully selected bread from the highest quality distributors.
There is something for every palate. We tried the Garden of Vegan wrap stuffed with flavorful eggplant hummus, roasted red peppers, spinach and slices of fried zucchini that added great crunch and flavor. The grilled 3 cheese sandwich was oozing with a mouthwatering amount of melted provolone, cheddar, and fresh mozzarella cheese, the bread toasted to crunchy perfection. For starters, the tomato soup was far more flavorful then anything I could ever find in a can of Campbell’s.
Although the service was not fast, the Cafe provides a pleasant ambiance to wait and relax. A captivating mural of a cityscape is painted on the wall and tables are spaced far enough apart to allow for private conversations.
This is not the place to go if you’re trying to “splurge” this restaurant week. You’re only spending $10 for a 3 course meal – that’s almost unheard of – so take advantage of it. For $10, you can treat yourself to mac and cheese, a shaved creole steak sandwich with arugula, fried onions, and blue cheese mayo, a side of chips and a homemade dessert. It will be a treat you can indulge in without breaking the bank. These fresh cafe lunches are just a few blocks away from many off campus students, so be careful if you’re one of them, you might get hooked.
Address: 46 Seminary Ave, Binghamton, NY 13905
Hours of Operation: Mon-Thurs 11 am – 6 pm; Fri 11 am – 3:30 pm
A special thanks to Cafe West 46 for providing us with a Restaurant Week tasting for this review