Baba Olga’s Cafe & Supper Club

I really LIKE the food here. The Chef is AMAZING! Her food is always fresh and I like that she thinks outside of the box. During the Summer the Watermelon Salad w/​feta is to die for. The one guy on the wait staff is a bit gruff, but I guess he gets the job done. The last time we had lunch there my friend and my sister both ordered desserts. They made the comment that the desserts must have been stored in the fridge with something else because it absorbed the flavor (a bit yucky). My biggest regret is that they no longer have a Sunday Brunch Buffet. You could get a little sampling of a lot of what they had to offer. Bring it back PLEASE!

One of my new favorite places for good food and unique atmosphere. Make sure you have the time to enjoy the surroundings. You can definitely sit back and relax here. They do not rush you out the door! I enjoyed the salad with fennel and prosciutto with a lemon vinaigrette. Their specialty seems to be making simple foods feel exotic and more flavorful. You will love feeling like a real woman about town when you take your friends to this exotic, out-​of-​the-​way location!

This is truly an off-​the-​beaten-​path venue, discovered secondary to a business meeting. The space was grand with a fascinating Moroccan and exotic décor. Baba’s also had a large working fireplace that effectively warmed the space.
Our meeting was in time for coffee service but too early for food service. The coffee was outstanding, comparing favorably with any number of Center City coffee houses. We are itching to return for the superlative reservations-​required Sunday brunch, as reported by many Unilocalers

The Baba Olga 2015 Seder was great! Lovely to not have to cook, and come to a unique and exotic venue with delicious food and a wonderfully diverse clientele! The Haggadah was thoughtful, the Rabbi was a good leader, and everyone took part. The menu was intriguing — every dish was at the same time traditional and yet completely innovative. I hope this will become a tradition… I want to do it again next year!

Super lucky to work right next door to a place that is, hands down, slaying the atmosphere game with really cool Mediterranean, North African décor and delicious, authentic, fresh and flavorful fare.
Everything is homemade and prepared to order, courtesy of Ms. Aliza. I’ve tried just about everything – soups, sammiches, salads, the Mezze plate is divine, desserts, homemade teas and sodas – and every single thing has been delicious. I’m still trying to make it to a Sunday brunch, but the lunch menu totally fits the bill. My favorites are the BLT and the turkey sandwich. I usually go for the soup & sandwich combo so I can keep up with the myriad flavors that are always presented. She made a gazpacho last year that I still get a little drooly about.
Sacha (hope I’m spelling that correctly) is usually there as the main server and he works quickly and graciously. It’s almost always busy when I go, and he has a hard job of juggling the phone with call-​in orders, the register and the table service – he can be a bit curt sometimes, but, again, he always delivers and I’m so busy ogling all of the furniture and accessories that I don’t tend to mind any delays anyway!

My dear friend and I went to Baba Olga’s for brunch on Sunday to celebrate her birthday. The food was absolutely delicious. The frittata with spinach and cheddar and the brioche French toast were delectable. The salads were all fresh, colorful and tasty and the delicious apple cranberry cobbler with crème fraîche seemed to have had a similar effect on my friend and me. We both felt transported to someplace else. Perhaps it was the cinnamon and combination of flavors, sweet and tangy. I had the experience that I could be at a country French château in springtime. Literally I felt like I wasn’t in philly for those few moments. We were only sad that there wasn’t more after our shared piece. The coffee was strong and satisfying and the service was great. We will definitely be back. Chef Aliza is a pro and baba Olga’s delivers a fine, scrumptious brunch experience.

Baba Olga’s all you can eat brunch is fantastic. Incredibly fresh ingredients prepared to perfection. I love that they have hibiscus tea, just lovely. I look forward to returning.

A delightful fun place to have Sunday Brunch. Food is all freshly prepared and delicious. Be sure to make reservations ahead of time, or you may not get in.
Great place for a first date, blind date, anniversary, etc.
Dining at Baba Olga’s is an experience. Yes, the food is delicious, but the atmosphere is also interesting and unique. I would say it to be a relaxed adult environment. This is not a place for kids, unless well behaved. If you have loud and/​or unruly children, or you don’t want to keep an eye on them, please do us all a favor and leave them at home or take them to the park where they’d probably rather be.

I came here with co-​workers for a weekday lunch. Although the décor was interesting, and the food was good, the service was bad enough that we will never be back. We ordered two BLTs and two salads. We were not served our food until 50 minutes after we had ordered it. We only had an hour for lunch, so we immediately asked for our check and to-​go boxes, as we did not have time to eat at this point. Fifteen minutes later, we had not received either. We had to go to the counter and threaten to leave without paying in order to get our check. We never did get the to-​go boxes, we left the food on the table.

So delish. Fresh, flavorful, farm to table food served in a friendly, funky environment. The weekday lunch menu overflows with delicious, unusual options. The weekend brunch is fantastic! My only complaint is that the weekend brunch buffet isn’t always as plentiful as it should be. We have come three times now and noticed that later in the day the offerings aren’t replenished, and one ends up wishing they had been seated earlier.

Differently delicious. Fresh. Tasty. Good choices for the simple eater. Fabulous choices for the not-​so-​simple eater. Had the Café Mezze Plate: spicy hummus, ayvar (Balkan eggplant-​pepper relish), Moroccan carrots, marinated olives, Bulgarian feta, grilled multigrain pita (a vegetarian dish but who would notice) with Chai Latte Frappé: honey-​sweetened ginger-​cardamom spiced tea blended with milk and ice. Can’t beat the setting.
Wish I had room for dessert.
You’ll love it. You’ll come back. And you’ll bring a friend. And your friend will love it, too.

Update: The brunch is just as good if not better if that is at all possible… I absolutely love this café! Go to Material Cultures website add your email address and you will be sent the menu for the brunch that weekend with a link to make reservations.

My husband and I were LUCKY enough to have Chef Aliza of Baba Olga’s cater our wedding at Material Culture. We could not have possibly asked for better food and service. She worked with us to build an incredible menu — she has the BEST ideas, presentations and is a wealth of knowledge regarding all things food. We both had high expectations for the food at our wedding as the husband is a cook — and who doesn’t want good food to go with good memories. Everything was prepared with thought and seasoned properly. There were dates stuffed with almonds and curry paste, a knock out Fattoush Salad, Baharat-​Seasoned Grilled High View Farm Leg of Lamb with yogurt-​mint dipping sauce was INSANE — there is so much more and it was all mouthwatering. For such a small kitchen the staff carried over a hundred guests through a very happy meal. We wish we could eat the entire meal again. THANK YOU THANK YOU hope to eat with you soon!

Baba Olga’s is a phenomenal little café we tried for the first time today. They do a buffet brunch on Weekends. $ 22/​person sounded high, but when you consider the locally sourced ingredients, variety, expert preparation and professional service, it is a bargain. It is owned by renowned cooking author Eliza Green who stops by each table and chats about food etc. Obviously she is passionate. I am not
the kind of guy who gets excited over green beans. Her Roma green beans in tomato, fennel & oregano sauce were exciting. As a carnivore, the short rib sliders with REAL artisinal Cheddar and sour pickle on brioche buns were satisfying, as were the crab and scallion fritters made with local white corn. Homemade strawberry lemonade and Hibiscus blossom iced tea paired with the meal, and iced Turkish coffee accompanied the to-​die-​for light-​as-​a-​feather local blueberry cheesecake. I didn’t touch on ¹⁄₈^th of the brunch menu (OK, there was also caramelized brioche French toast and crisp local bacon). and lots of other yummy stuff. You’ll have to go there and try it. www​.aliza​green​.com/

Wow! What a fabulous place for an event. The food was AMAZING! Chef Aliza Green worked with us to create an interesting menu for our guests. She used all fresh, organic ingredients and prepared the food to perfection. Our 250+ guests all raved about the food. And then with all the unique and beautiful items in Material Culture as a back drop for our event, there was a dramatic and beautiful mood. I highly recommend this venue for a variety of events. The staff is lovely and easy to work with and they have a parking lot!
Also interesting lunch menu, once again excellent food!

We (Painted Bride Art Center) recently hosted a party at Material Center and 5 stars just isn’t enough to illustrate the responsiveness of the Material Culture staff, their willingness to work with us to create a once-​in-​a lifetime event and the food was incredible. It’s simply one of the best venues in the region. I would definitely recommend this space for your special event.

What a find! This is a beautiful but out out of the way spot that gives you the impression you are dining in an International Museum. It is located in the industrial part of lower East Falls and Germantown area.
I went here for lunch with a friend, & I have been to material culture many times, But but not since they added the Café.
Baba Olga’s has a beautiful, Cozy, dining room with artifacts for sale right you dine.
The menu is on a big board when you enter the café. You then place your order at the cashiers spot and have a seat and they deliver your food. The cuisine is a mixture of Mediterranean, African, European and American foods. Most of the food is eco friendly and very healthy. They proudly serve green friendly coffees and teas and the coffee is excellent.
I had a beef short rib sandwich on a brioche bun with some sharp provolone cheese, a cup of African yam and peanut soup, and theyy rounded out my lunch with a delicious fruit salad, potato chips and pickles. My guess have a multigrain pita sandwich with hummus, roasted red peppers, roasted eggplant, and other vegetables. Everything we had was excellent.
Before leaving I met Alicia the chef. SHe was very warm and receptive and I enjoyed our conversation. It’s the kind of place that you want to bring your friends to experience. I can’t wait until I return.

I had the turkey avocado sandwich on a pretzel croissant and it was wonderful. My only complaint lie with a pickle that wad far, far more cucumber than pickle. Their corn chowder was spectacular and their brownie was to die for. The weakest point over all, asde from the pickle, was the flavored sodas. I found them to be far too perfume-​y for my liking.
Overall a great lunch, and I will dine and shop again.

for disclosure Aliza is a good friend :) too.
This menu and the food really reflect who she is and how she likes to cook and eat. REALLY good ingredients and as local as possible. And small details that mean a lot… like real cups for coffee. Salad combinations are inventive and delicious. I took my daughter and we shared and there wasn’t one crumb left.

Fresh homemade EVERYTHING! Chef Aliza Green has taken lunch to the next level. Great combo options: soup & salad or soup & sandwich all at the right price.
Pretty excited to have dessert too!
I had the homemade chicken and farro soup with the mushroom and goat cheese sandwich. WOW great portion size plus you get chips, fruit salad and a pickle! super yummy and totally a great value!
Until next time… Yum