07/22/07

Affogato Affront

by gbheron

We have always liked Cafe Borrone. But since they have no e-mail address on their website (consider this a demotion in stars, too!) I am posting publicly how disappointed we were with the affogatos last night.

Affogatos should be a fun, festive drink. In the style to which we're accostomed--from It's Italia in Half Moon Bay--this lively dessert dish should be served as follows: big scoop of well-frozen, high-quality vanilla ice cream in a large martini-shaped glass with whipped cream and shaved dark chocolate. A little maple syrup-type pitcher with 3 oz of espresso is served on the side. The guest pours the espresso over the ice cream in several installations and eats w/ a spoon.

The CB version was in a coffee mug with about a milliliter of coffee and no shaved chocolate (despite asking if I could have a chunk of chcoclate to shave w/ their nutmeg grinder--felt like the tuna sandwich scene in Five Easy Pieces). I was horrified to see the counter guy scoop half-melted Dreyer's into my cup when the menu board had promised Haagen Dasz! He said they ran out of HD. Hmmm. Do I believe that? So we had a drab, minimally-coffee'd, mushy, melted mess in a mundane mug.

SO disappointing. Please learn how to make a proper affogato!!

• Pros: good food, good wine, great desserts, outdoor seating, next to book store, easy to park
• Cons: bad affogatos

04/15/07

great coffee and ambiance

by sthor75

Cafe Borrones is a great coffee shop and restaurant. It has a great seating arrangement inside and out. I would highly recommend.

06/21/04

Great spot!

by krafty

This is a great cafe and is located right next to Kepler's--one of the best bookstores in the area. Although very crowded at times, it's a great place to catch up with friends.

• Pros: good food, great location, near great bookstore
• Cons: , hard to get table at

The only coffeehouse in Menlo Park you need to know about.

by Contributor

The Food
The chalkboard menu is hard to read, so go for the fresh muffins, scones, and divine coffee drinks in the morning; at lunch bite into the chicken-salad sandwich, and after dark branch out and try a glass of red wine and a little pate.

The Scene
Cafe Borrone is an institution in Menlo Park. The plaza in between the two spots is dotted with cafe tables overflowing with beautiful people just cracking the spine of a new purchase. Borrone is a casual, order-at-the-counter kind of place that still turns out sophisticated sandwiches, salads, and nibbles.

08/26/02

Great location but overpriced food!

by cwgentry

Great location, great patio, cheerful cashiers and (usually) friendly waitstaff. But that doesn't justify the overpriced food ($6.50 for a green salad? $0.50 to add whipped cream to your drink?). But there isn't a better place in Menlo Park for meeting friends

• Pros: Great patio, Friendly cashiers, Good location
• Cons: Overpriced, OK food, Lack of seating