A relaxing ambience. A high quality cup of coffee. A delectable pastry. These are just some qualities that an ideal cafe should maintain. South Jersey surely has its fair share of coffee shops and cafes. However, only a few cafes meet all of the standards to take a spot in Eastside’s top five. Based on a consideration of ambience, menu, quality of beverages and quality of food, here are Eastside’s top five local cafes:

1st Place: Sabrina’s Cafe

Located in the heart of the charming town of Collingswood, Sabrina’s Cafe serves specialty breakfast and lunch items. The interior of the restaurant is open and lively. Sunlight filters in through bay windows and food is constantly flowing out of the kitchen.

Sabrina’s has an incredibly large menu with flavors both sweet and savory. Whileit was a difficult choice, I went with their signature stuffed challah French toast as well as an avocado toast to share. I also ordered a vanilla chai latte.

Each entree was cooked to perfection, and the latte was full of flavor and seemingly perfect for an autumn day. There is such a positive ambiance in the restaurant that makes the food all the more enjoyable. After leaving Sabrina’s Cafe, the final verdict was that I would undoubtedly have to come back for more.

Address: 714 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood, NJ 08108

2nd Place: Cafe Lift

Cafe Lift arrived in Haddonfield in 2022 and has seen nothing but success thanks to its charm and selection of goods. The cafe has the feel of a small, trendy restaurant in New York City with an energetic and stylish atmosphere. The front section of the cafe offers bar seating for those just looking to pick up one of their specialty beverages like their strawberry matcha or their lavender London fog.

Yet, the excitement resides in the food. Cafe Lift offers numerous egg dishes, sweet options like French toast, salads and sandwiches.

Following extensive deliberation, I ordered the strawberry matcha, the lemon ricotta pancakes and an avocado toast. As an avid matcha consumer, the strawberry matcha was the best I’ve ever tried, to say the least. While the avocado toast was seemingly average, the pancakes had the perfect consistency and lemon flavor.

Cafe Lift is perfect for a Sunday brunch or just about any time one is looking for a
quality meal.

Address: 144 Kings High- way, East Haddonfield, NJ
08033

3rd Place: Saxbys

Just down the street from Cafe Lift sits Saxbys. Saxbys is the quintessential small-town coffee shop. With regulars coming in and out and friendly staff chatting away, Saxbys is
one of those little shops where one could spend hours socializing or getting work done.

On the menu, there is a selection of baked goods ranging from scones to muffins to cookies. However, they are truly known for their selection of drinks.

Saxbys offers a classic assortment of iced and hot coffees, teas and smoothies. Yet, they also have an entire specialty menu with at least twenty uniquely crafted coffees with varying flavor combinations.

For my order, I got a blueberry scone and a specialty raspberry mocha iced coffee. The scone was full of flavor due to the blueberries baked inside, but the coffee was the shining star of the order. The drink had the perfect ratio of coffee, raspberry and chocolate without being overpowering. If the baked goods menu was slightly expanded, Saxbys would be a near-perfect coffee shop.

Address: 104 Kings Hwy E, Haddonfield, NJ 08033

4th Place: Harvest Coffee Roastery

Tucked away in Voorhees Town Center, Harvest Coffee Roastery is a quiet spot to grab a caffeinated drink or sweet bite to eat. Although the menu is rather small, there is something for everyone. The roastery offers essential breakfast items like various types of toast, egg dishes, smoothies and baked treats. They also carry typical coffee shop beverages like cold brew coffee, lattes and even hot chocolate.

Upon arrival, I ordered a banana peanut butter toast as well as an iced chai tea latte. The toast was delicious, topped with walnuts and honey. However, the latte lacked enough chai flavor, which was a slight disappointment.

All in all, Harvest Coffee Roastery has a very relaxing ambiance and meets all of the typical needs for a solid, successful cafe.

Address: 8109 Town Center Blvd, Voorhees Township, NJ 08043

5th Place: Jersey Java & Tea Co.

When approaching Jersey Java & Tea Co., the initial thing that meets the eye is the aesthetic exterior. Sitting on a corner of Haddon Ave. in Haddonfield, the shop is surrounded by numerous planters filled with colorful flowers. There is also a large allotted space for outdoor seating. The interior of the shop, however, is rather crammed with tables close together and displays with pre-packaged goods and seasonal items for sale.

There is only a small number of freshly baked goods for sale, but the selection of beverages helps make up for this. They offer both classic coffees as well as seasonal specialty drinks.

I purchased a honey latte and a banana nut muffin. While still delicious, the muffin tasted very little like banana. The latte was full of flavor and was not overpowered by the whole milk.

Overall, Jersey Java & Tea Co. offers a pleasant experience for those looking to consume a coffee while enjoying the pleasant outdoors.

Address: 140 N Haddon Ave, Haddonfield, NJ 08033