Buttery Shelf Eatery

Great food at excellent prices! One of our party wasn’t hungry enough for the full lunch and only ordered a soup. When our meals came out, she was brought a plate with fruit and a quick bread to keep us company– really thoughtful! Will return when next in Lafayette.

The Buttery Shelf is fantastic. This was my first visit, but I will absolutely be back. The business hours are limited, but it’s a great place to grab lunch on a Friday or Saturday.
The food is great, and the portions are very generous. I had the lunch sampler, which includes a salad, a bowl of soup, and and a large sandwich. All three were delicious, but the corn chowder soup was definitely the star.
If you haven’t tried the Buttery Shelf yet, you’re missing out!

This is, hands down, the BEST restaurant in the whole of Lafayette/​West Lafayette. We’ve been there on many occasions one of which was with a very large group that included children too.
Remember that proceeds from this restaurant go to run the charity organization run by the owner. And all staff there are volunteers who’ve benefited from the charity at a certain point in their lives. So, they’ll only be open for limited business hours.
The very fist thing I noticed was the ambiance. It is has an exceptionally charming country feel to it. If charm and character in a place are your type of thing, then go there!
On the rare occasions when I ordered something which they ran out off (it happens in a small not-​for-​profit business like theirs) they’d always get a replacement which was just as fresh and delicious. Sometimes, they’d give over compensate and I’d get a huge box with food to go that I couldn’t finish. It comes in handy when you don’t wanna cook.
The manager, Anna, custom made the entire menu for our party. They’ll even make a separate menu for children if you request it.
They’re very vegan and vegetarian friendly. So, if you have a group with dietary restrictions they’ll always come up with a creative menu that works well for all.
I highly recommend their three course afternoon tea. Their portions are generous. I wouldn’t recommend eating lunch before tea.
And there’s a chic little boutique upstairs too. So for anyone who likes to shop, check that out. It’s worth it.

We’ve tried to go to this restaurant, but the hours are pretty tough (only open for lunch).
Additionally, once we went on a Saturday when they claimed to be open, and no dice! Bummer, the menu online looks good, and I love the concept

This place is awesome. The décor is colonial American (pretty cloaks, dried flowers, woven baskets everywhere) and has a comforting home-​cooked vibe. The servings are enormous– seriously, split an entrée. My favorite is actually the spinach salad, they have this onion dressing that I love. I heard a server say that the spinach salad is what they’re known for, and I’m not surprised. They always have different soups available and offer sweetened and unsweetened tea. The hours are a little bit weird, they’re not open too often– usually I go Saturday for lunch. I’m not exactly sure how the charity affiliation works, but I know that a lot of the proceeds and I think all of the tips go to programs for feeding the hungry– they must be subsidized somehow and there’s a short explanation in the entry if you’re curious. It’s cheap and delicious, I 100% recommend it on the food alone.