In the Limelight: Market City CafeWhere it’s at: 502 Cherry Street (on the corner of Third)
What to do: Eat, look at art, and be happy
Before I begin, I must confess something: I have only eaten at Market City Cafe once. However, I feel confident enough endorsing the place for two reasons: a. When I was there it was full, and 2. everyone looked pretty happy, so I believe it is safe to assume they were enjoying the experience. A restaurant full of happy (and sober) people says more than some chick who’s not even a food expert.
Now, on to my evaluation. The atmosphere is bright and open with a high ceiling and lots of windows. It’s not too noisy, but there’s enough noise that if you laugh loudly, you don’t get a lot of dirty looks that make you feel like you just ruined everyone’s quiet, laughter-free day. (That is something I always have to consider when I’m going somewhere.) There are lots of plants and paintings on the walls that make it colorful and cheery. Outdoor seating is also available on the sidewalk if you’re feeling adventurous.
The food choices are typical for a cafe- mainly sandwiches, soups and salads. They do have a burger, though, for all you men out there who require “manly” food. They also serve lasagna and chicken parmesan, or you can build your own pizza.
I had a market garden salad and a chicken salad sandwich on a toasted croissant. The salad was fresh and crisp and didn’t have any of those weird chunks of lettuce that nobody wants. The chicken salad was mayonnaise-based and had enough little pieces of onion, celery and nuts to give it a very good flavor. The croissant was super fluffy and flaky and soft and everything a croissant is supposed to be. They also have home-made (cafe-made?) potato chips, and they are good.
Market City does not have a website so here are the hours:
Monday-Thursday: 7 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m.- 9 p.m.
Saturday: Breakfast served from 7 a.m.- 1 p.m., open for dinner until 9 p.m.
Closed Sunday
So eat at Market City Cafe, check out the art on the walls, and, like the message says above the door as you’re headed out, “Help keep Macon beautiful. Wipe your feet before you leave.” No, I don’t really get it, but it’s still kind of funny.
[Funny story: the server came to our table to take our order, and I wasn’t quite ready. So Keith said, “She’s going to need a little longer. She’s not very good at reading.” Do you see what I have to work with, people? :-)]
