Paradise Cafe

These previous reviewers make me sad. When I worked on Alakea this was my lunch spot of choice! The sandwiches were so delicious and fresh made, the soup selection was great. it was worth the walk. The staff was always friendly and ready to accommodate any tweak in orders.

I walked about ¾ mile from my office to grab lunch from Paradise Café. I probably won’t be going through that trouble again.
My sandwich, a chicken salad w/​walnut on wheat, was, to borrow from Zach E., «uninspired.» My bread didn’t even taste good: It was everything you dread about whole wheat when you’re a Wonderbread-​loving kid. The chicken salad was tasteless, not enough salt or mayo. And they committed the crime of all crimes with the lettuce, giving me lots of something other than the leafy stuff. I could make a much better lunch for myself at home. The best thing about the sandwich was the little chocolate chip oatmeal cookie bit that came bundled with it.
Now, seeing as how the cookie bit (I forget what they call it at Paradise Café — something like bits) was pretty good, I was expecting a lot from the actual full-​sized cookies I’d bought to sample. They seemed to be out of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies at the counter, so I asked for regular chocolate chip, as well as oatmeal raisin. The chocolate chip was nothing special — I’d even prefer Cookie Corner — and the oatmeal raisin was just weird. Normally, I love soft-​baked cookies, but this one was a bit TOO chewy, and it didn’t taste great, either.
For better sandwiches and cookies, try Great Harvest Bread Company on the next block, or Mix Café up on Beretania.

My lunch here, a turkey reuben, was uninspired. The bread tasted good, the meat and cheese didn’t taste at all. And I was surprised they gave me a choice of breads; by definition Reuben is on rye bread.
The restaurant was drab, the toilets kinda of sketchy (not that that’s a bad thing). The staff was nice enough though.