Seward Co-op Creamery Cafe

This was a great place to grab a quick lunch. The vibe is great — very open and clean. I had a caesar salad and added fried chicken — the food was awesome and service was friendly and quick.

I’m not sure I’ve figured out exactly what they are trying to do at the creamery but I like it. I just learned they let the chef go and reducing hours to breakfast so I think they are also still trying to figure it out.
The food is beautifully presented and focuses on complex preparations that combine local/​seasonal Ingredients. It’s definitely a step up from birchwood in terms of food design but I think it’s tough to go higher end than birchwood in a café setting.
I think it’s worth coming up with a new identity for the creamery. The space is beautiful the service is great and the fair wage no tip model is something that we all need to adopt. Ask anybody in the industry about the pay dynamics between he kitchen and servers.
It would be cool to see a café that tried to bring modern spins on some of the international cuisine that is well represented in Seward (East African for example).

Delicious. I hope more food places take up this philosophy around fair wages, and no tipping. Otherwise, this place won’t make it.

I always drive by this place and in my mind I was thought it was a creamery factory. Instead it is a café. I am glad I made a stop here. They serve organic meal. Someone told me they have a big kitchen where they prepared all meal upstairs. The portions are a little small but pricey but everything is organic and you do not tip the server. Yep, do not forget.
I arrived on time for a group dinner. We got seated at the biggest table. The place is spacious inside with lots of sunlight which I love. Our severe was ok, he was nice. I looked at the menu and noticed there were not much options for dinner. They were mostly vegetarian dishes and some meat portions. I was told they changed their menu seasonally.
I had Bucatini with homemade pasta, cured duck, tomato, chili and parmesan but I asked for no parmesan. My dish was ok but my friends ordered Wild Rice Congee with braised squash, candied kum kuats (not sure what that is), Thai basil and coconut that looked delicious. She said it was very good. I might have to come back and get that.
Yes, I will definitely come back if I feel lazy to cook. I almost forgot if you are a co-​op member you get discount.
(Private parking on the side.)

I went here for breakfast on Friday with a friend and her child. The space is gorgeous and I was optimistic. The visit quickly went downhill.
For breakfast, you order at the counter. There was an employee standing at the register when I walked up. She was working on something else but didn’t make eye contact, greet me, or say «I’ll be right with you». I felt extremely awkward. I stood there for maybe 3 minutes (an eternity when waiting for someone to acknowledge your presence) before she finishes calculating receipts and says «good morning» like I just got there. She didn’t ask what she could get me or how I was. So I just started ordering, again, very awkwardly.
Fast forward to our food arriving. I had the omelette which comes with toast and I also ordered a side of hashbrowns. Nothing to drink. My total had been $ 19 so I figured the meal would be huge. Not true at all. 1 piece of toast and a 2 egg omelet with a tiny portion of hashbrowns. For $ 19. The omelet was supposed to contain seasonal ingredients which I didn’t ask about before ordering. Turned out it was a broccoli purée… pretty weird and gross. No butter or jelly came with the toast. No ketchup with the hashbrowns. My friend ordered the 2 egg breakfast and it was also tiny.
I did request some ketchup. I sat for 20 minutes with an empty water before I just filled it myself from the server station.
Never again. For $ 19, I could do so much better.

This place looks really nice. The settings of the table and the view on the street is cool. Servers do a great job taking care of you as well. Nonetheless, to me, the food wasn’t as good as the place looked. Still, I would recommend it for brunch.

We came after 3 pm but before 5pm and got the new «day menu». Very limited options.
Pretty weak service too seemed like they just didn’t care and weren’t organized. Maybe it’s a new place??? Hopefully they up their game or just close after lunch /​between dinner because I had heard good things from a friend about lunch.

This space is beautiful, with huge windows that let in lots of natural light. Great service.
The brunch menu is full of somewhat contrived takes on comfort foods like banana biscuits and gravy and a misleading definition of «seasonal» ingredients in an omelet. Asparagus is not seasonal in midwinter. The omelet was good but the biscuits and gravy left something to be desired.
We had an amazing Winter Mimosa with cava, cranberry, clove, and earl grey tea.
I’m excited to come back to try dinner here.

Co-​op Creamery’s spiel about tipping claims that they pay «living» wages to their employees. Maybe so, maybe not. If the wages are commensurate with that of the Seward Co-​op grocery store, then the salaried upper management are making the big bucks while even the most experienced employees at the lower end are lucky to make $ 12/​hour.
The breakfast here is commendable only for its well-​sourced ingredients. I truly appreciate a place that doesn’t have eggs solely from battery hens. While the veggie sausage was palatable and the coffee was good, the hashbrowns were somehow both burnt and mushy.
The space here is clean and spacious, but the echo factor makes it a little loud when the tables fill up.
I love co-​ops and really wanted to like this place, but the overall experience of dining here is bland and unremarkable. The prices are also far too high for what you get — I could have a better breakfast for half the price at a nearby worker co-​op like the Seward Café or Hard Times with plenty of money left over to tip. Unless the bourgeois denizens of Seward rally around this place, I expect the Co-​op Creamery to go belly up within the year.

Like the concept and the layout of the place. It has a very bright, industrial vibe that is sure to make your morning feel sunny. And the counter order with no tip is appreciated (I hate tipping — it makes prices obscure and it makes everyone feel guilty).
The food on the other hand is ok, but not exciting. I tried their spin of the chicken and waffle and there was nothing really standing out. It was good enough, but I can barely remember it. There are plenty of places were you can find a similar menu and similar quality.
So solid place to come for a brunch or lunch, but not the place to go for a special meal.

I am a long member of the coop, so I was positively biased about the creamy before trying their food tonight.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with their food. They are all made with high quality, fresh and organic ingredients. All very delicious.
The restaurant business, however, is beyond menu items. Some play the pace card, so they serve extremely fast, others original food, and atmosphere. Unfortunately the creamery offers none of these.
First off, the service is unreasonably slow. I cloud have tolerated it, if I was served unusual molecular or once in-​a-​life-​time dishes. Nope, just salad, Brussels sprouts, and andouille sausage…
Second, if the ingredients were not from the 2 block away coop, and were served in an unprecedented fashion in a spaceship like atmosphere, I could have understood the logic of this gastronomic venture. But it’s a just another sleek looking, renovated building with super blunt decoration.
Let’s be realistic: high quality organic food is served extremely fast all around the world at many cafes and restaurants by fairly paid staff. Obviously we have lacked these simple necessities of life for a long time in the Midwest, so we get into a celebratory mode when we find one of these features in a restaurant. We should not.
On the positive side, contra to the general view, the prices are not very high, especially if you have a 50% coupon that the coop has generously delivered to its members.
Over all, either take a date to the creamery because the serving of each dish takes couple light years, or simply shop at the coop and cook at home.

The reviews from my fellow Unilocalers made me just a tad leery of dining here. I’m not into high prices or fru-​fru, as another review stated, establishments. My girlfriend had a 50% off the entire meal coupon though. I’m fake rich, so hell yeah I was in, and I was pleasantly surprised.
There’s a private parking lot, that’s a bonus as the area can get busy. Walking in you can see it’s a very large open, clean, and modern space. Hipster for sure.
There’s a sign that says see host for seating. That was weird, it’s hard to tell who the «host» was. I walked up to a counter/​register area where 4 employees were and the first person that saw me seated me. It feels sorta like a wanna be fancy restaurant, but it’s like a Panera bread too.
As I waited for my girlfriend I looked over the menu. They set it facing down where it clearly says «No Tipping,» the girl that seated me also explained it. Tips go to SEED, go there and read about it.
I flipped it over to a pretty small menu. This concerned me, but when I see too many options that stresses me out too. It’s my CC syndrome kicking in. Aka, Chronic Complainer.
My girlfriend arrives and we order the crêpe made with wild rice flour, brussel sprouts, andouille sausage, and pork dish with masa gnocchi.
I have to mention here our server was AWESOME. She explained every dish, made recommendations when asked, kept waters filled, and was super friendly. Thank goodness cause I was worried with the no tipping thing.
Brussel sprouts were the star of the meal. Charred with a fermented chili and peanut sauce. God damn that ish was good. Crêpe was odd. It tasted like I was eating grass. The little crunchy wild rice on top kinda helped, but it also looked like little maggots. This is what I would imagine cows eat. No thank you.
Our server recommended the andouille sausage sandwich and said it had a kick. That chubby piece of meat was spicy as heow, and I loved it. It had a slaw on top to cool you down and it came on a Texas toast like hot dog bun. Probably my favorite andouille sausage sandwich EVER! It came with a side of dressed greens.
My girlfriend said her pork was good. I tried a masa gnocchi, the texture was interesting. Not something I’d order. The portion was really small for the price too. I’m not into giant platters but $ 24 for that plate was high.
Overall, it was a good experience. They had some really great dishes, a couple things so-​so. I think the prices are still steep. I get that they pay their servers a fair wage so the food is going to be pricer, but it could come down a bit for what is offered.
Great space, friendly service. I’d try it again if someone gave me another coupon.

I feel like I’m being a little generous here on the four stars, but I liked the place and think it will continue to get better. As others have noted, it’s a great space with lots of windows and a clean, simple, aesthetically-​pleasing design. I was a little apprehensive about the tips being built into the price, since I adhere to a pay-​for-​performance credo, but the service was excellent (as it should be if you are taking away the optionality of a tip). So long as the service warrants a nice tip, I’m completely at ease with that model.
So why do I feel like it’s an iffy four stars? Well, of all places, I thought a restaurant connected to a health foods co-​op would have greater representation of vegetarian and vegan options on the menu. The snacks and starters make a strong showing (including the beet salad, which was one of the best things I’ve eaten in a while), but between the sandwiches and mains there was only one vegetarian option. And I have to say I didn’t really like it. It was some cauliflower and tofu with a sauce that didn’t really work for me. Despite the small portion, I couldn’t finish it. It just didn’t sit right with me.
But, there is a bright side (other than that delicious salad!). I left a comment card with my concerns about the lack of veggie entrée options and received a nice note agreeing with my observation and explaining their plan to add vegetarian specials to the evening menu in the near future. Hopefully those specials will be posted on the website or social media so I can decide if it’s worth driving across town to eat there. I’ll be checking back on that and hope to be a whole-​hearted four stars or perhaps five!

Met some friends here for brunch this morning. I loved the feel of the space as soon as I walked in. The huge windows let in tons of light!
I appreciated that the gentleman who rang up my order was friendly and helpful.
The masa waffle I got was OK, but nothing to write home about. There were just two sad little pieces of fruit on top of it. It wasn’t worth $ 12, sadly. For the same price, I wish I’d gotten the «2 Eggs Your Way.» Three of the gals in our party got that and loved it.
The vanilla latte I got, however, was heavenly! I’d go back just for that.

Imagine that the hippies of the 60’s sold out in the 80s and regretted selling out but didn’t regret having money. The Seward Creamery Co-​op is a high-​end restaurant with high-​end prices… but no tipping and reminders of how they’re helping the neighborhood. The building is very nice, a bit farther down Franklin Ave. than the funkier Seward Co-​op.
I went for dinner. The service was friendly and tried to be professional but kept missing on things like providing a spoon for the soup. I had the parsnip soup and salmon with apples (see photo). Both were quite good, but small and expensive.
So a recommendation with a caveat: The Creamery Café is closer to Fika (at the Swedish Institute) than the Seward Co-​op or student places nearby.

Simply put: Fru-​Fru alert.
We stopped in for dinner not really knowing what to expect: I had read about the restaurant and knew they had a real chef on-​board, so I expected high quality, but what the total package would look like was unknown. So my curiosity got the best of me. In some ways I regret that.
The place itself is very nice. It’s perfectly clean, aesthetic, and well laid-​out. Service was pretty good for us – a good balance of attentiveness but not overbearing. Here’s what occurred:
The menu is small, but the there were enough choices for me so that didn’t matter. The ingredients did strike me as unnecessarily offbeat in some cases, but ok…
We ordered two things to share:
— the prawns in Phở with peaches, corn, mint and cilantro
— the crêpe with leeks in a creamy «stuffing» (I don’t remember the other ingredients)
— (drinks were cider, and sparkling water)
So… The prawns… Why on earth would anyone want the prawns staring back at them as a presentation? (The heads were left on, as well as the tails.) That’s what you get in France, I know, but here it just seemed so pretentious and definitely impractical — beheading and de-​tailing the little guys with phở-​juice now covering them, getting on your hands, risking ruining your clothes with splashes… not enhancing my wife’s experience, that’s for sure. Hey, this is Minnesota, not France. I don’t need to check the eyeballs to see if the prawns are fresh; we trust you that it is fresh.
The taste was good, but not, «Oh, wow!» But what really bothered me was the texture — the prawns seemed a bit raw. And when I looked, they appeared to be cooked on the outside but not on the inside. So I asked the waitress if the prawns were supposed to be uncooked inside. She replied that they could cook them longer for us. But that’s not what I asked… so she went and asked the chef, and he said that they were poached, and, yes, they were intended to be raw on the inside. Great. Why didn’t it say that on the menu??? Wouldn’t the customer want to know that? I don’t care that they were sushi-​grade (they were), I don’t like raw seafood.
The crêpe was pretty good, missing the «wow» factor again, but it was tasty enough. Points off: It looked like the crêpe was whole wheat or something (it was not light-​colored), and I don’t recall that the menu stated that. I would have enjoyed it more with a normal crêpe.
As an afterthought we ordered a Mexican hot chocolate — however it turned out to actually be ice cream! Maybe that was our fault when reading the white board behind the counter, but it was a bit unclear. Who expects ice cream to be labeled «hot» anything?! Lol. It turned out to be very good.
So overall, $ 45 gone and no «wow» factor for me. If you dig crazy «Iron Chef» ingredient combinations for their own sake, then this restaurant may be for you. Although I do hope they succeed, this dinner didn’t make me want to come back. Maybe for the ice cream. :-)

Went inside I was like whoa
Saw the menu and tasted the food whoa
But the prices are also whoa for breakfast foods

This was a surprise — while I new that anything created by the Seward Co-​op would be good, I was not ready for the excellent choices, the uncrowded table arrangements, the bright and cheery design, and the welcoming, helpful staff. Our party of four tried the Pear and Brie sandwich on wild rice bread (both of us who ordered this found it outstanding), an omelette of the day, and a chicken kimchi bowl, which were rated very good. Other good options on the menu for future visits. Lots of good choices for beverages, ranging from espresso beverages, tea, bottled soft drinks (excellent ginger beer from an outfit in Wisconsin), with beer and wine also available. Lunch for four with non-​alcoholic beverages came to about $ 50, which is very reasonable.
This is a semi-​casual operation, with orders placed at a counter (with a very helpful staff person) and food and drink brought to your table (very efficiently, and they are very nice to clear the table for you).
The name «The Creamery» is meant to honor the one-​time use of the building as a dairy co-​op. This is meaningful, but the name is going to throw many people off, who will assume that the focus will be on ice cream. But, let’s hope that word of mouth (and social media!) will help people understand that this is a very nice restaurant and coffee shop.

While visiting during the day time, it’s order-​at-​the-​counter service, and then take a number and place it at your choice of tables. This Saturday morning, there were plenty of open tables.
Breakfast selections are modest and varied. I chose their Chilaquiles and fresh-​squeezed juice (I asked for half orange, half grapefruit), and my companion ordered their eggs, hash browns, bacon and toast, along with a cold press coffee.
We sat at a table and someone came by to fill up our glasses with water. A short time later, our food and beverages were delivered. I found my entrée beautiful and flavorful. Two eggs sunny side up on top of a base of black beans, with a large dollop of crema, and a jumble of spicy, green tomatillo sauce with some broken tortilla chips. I loved everything on my plate. Next time I order it, I think I’ll ask for some additional tortilla chips to go along with my food (because I love tortilla chips, and because they would have been great to scoop up the beans, eggs and crema together). My fresh-​squeezed juice was delicious — it reminded me of drinking it while in Mexico.
My companion thought the hash browns on his plate were some of the best he’s ever had — he thought it seemed that the potatoes had been baked first and then shredded on a large grater before being fried. I had a bite and thought them delicious!
Their other breakfast offerings sounded wonderful and I look forward to returning soon. Our service was pleasant.
On many of the tables, and on their counters as well, are glazed pottery vases with fresh flowers in them. I was pleased to learn that my hunch was correct: they got their vases at the Northern Clay Center, just down the street. Keeping it local — hooray!

The place has a wonderful feel from the moment you walk in. The open space, high ceilings and utilitarian design touches makes one want to linger over coffee. They even have attractive flatware.
For breakfast I had wild rice pancakes that were topped with a cranberry compare and puffed wild rice. Attractively served and a good portion. Good coffee too which is a must.
I found the staff to be friendly and attentive. As mentioned below no tipping policy which felt funny at first until I realized it meant they work to pay their staff a living wage.
I am look forward to returning with friends to try dinner.
(A previous reviewer mentioned diversity. There was diversity in the staff working on my visit. I think once word gets out about how good this place is many people from the diverse neighborhood will be eating here .)