Even if you live in the Fairfield area, it is unlikely that you have heard of Valley Cafe. It is a hidden gem that is a total “locals” place for breakfast and lunch. (They close after lunch) It also caters to cyclists who ride along the beautiful roads around Green Valley.

The place is always busy, especially on the weekends and lunch times. It is gorgeous to sit outside when the weather is nice and gaze across the fields to farmland.

The Valley Cafe itself reflects it’s owner Monica. It’s decor is quirky, eclectic, and charming in its wacky way. It displays her brightly colored artwork, and her whimsical nature. Her husband Schuen is usually there too working quietly behind the counter. It even has her art on the ceiling!

The portions of the food are huge and the fruit salad is always really fresh. They source their fruit right from the local farms when they can, so often you get strawberries and other fruits that have just been picked that morning.

My mother loves this place for its amazing pumpkin waffles that they serve for a limited time in the fall/winter. They are so good she looks forward to her visits just so she can eat her favorite waffles. The pancakes too are plate size wheels of goodness and just one is enough to feed a few people. I really love their oatmeal which has just the right texture and consistency. Sometimes you just want something warming and hearty for breakfast. That’s what you get at Valley Cafe.

On this particular day, we were dining with our niece at what I would call brunch time. We walked into a full restaurant but managed to be seated quickly. Note: This place doesn’t take reservations and is usually filled with people so either get their early or expect a small wait.  The good thing is that the tables turn over quickly because the staff is so efficient.

Our niece ordered her regular turkey and cheese omelette. I think she orders that every single time we visit. I can see why as it is stuffed so full with both turkey and cheese! It is huge. The country potatoes and toast make this meal very filling and absolutely sharable.

The Brit ordered the “Diana” sandwich. It is a chicken bacon sandwich with avocado, served on raisin bread. It is one of his favorite things to eat there. The chicken is moist and the bacon is very thick cut and crisp. The sandwich has that salty/savory/sweet/creamy combination going for it with lots of different textures which makes it a great choice.

My order was the Grilled Turkey with green chilies and jack cheese on a french roll. I loved the slight spicy flavor of the green chilies with the piles of turkey and wonderful jack cheese. I would highly recommend it.  The fruit cup I got with it had persimmons, green apple, pineapple and grapes. They were all fresh and perfectly ripe. It was an interesting and yummy combination.

The Valley Cafe isn’t fancy, it doesn’t pretend to be. It is good honest food, made by good honest people.

 

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