Sabrina’s Cafe turns 25 in April, celebrating by featuring four throwback menu items, starting on April 27, from when they opened in 2001, following a similar celebration from their 20th anniversary by returning six original menu items and donating the profits from those dishes. The charity they chose is the Philadelphia-based organization Broad Street Love, which will be receiving 25 percent of the proceeds to provide stabilizing services for homeless people and underprivileged members of the community. This organization focuses on supporting the nearby community by fighting food insecurity, aligning with Sabrina’s Cafe’s values. The menu items that will be starred are a stuffed French toast loaded with banana cream cheese filling, caramelized banana custard, and warm vanilla bean syrup.
In 2001, Robert and Raquel DeAbreu opened the first of six Sabrina’s Cafes in Southern Philadelphia. They named the cafe after their newborn daughter, Sabrina DeAbreau, who is an East alum and former Eastside art director. Three locations are in Philadelphia at the Art Museum, University City, and South Street. The other three are located in Wynnewood, Pa., Collingswood, N.J., and at the Philadelphia airport.
Their original menu consists of standard brunch items such as pancakes, French toast, and different styles of eggs. Sabrina’s Cafe takes it a step further by including a space on their menu for recommendations, for example, the Chicken and Waffles, Breakfast Tacos, and Avocado Toast. The menu also presented general menu staples such as salads and bowls, along with vegan and vegetarian options.
To keep the menu enticing, Sabrina’s Cafe updates its menu quarterly with specials depending on popular trends. Recently, the restaurant launched a specialty menu influenced by the trending romance TV show, “Heated Rivalry”. The project manager, Sabrina DeAbreu, was captivated by the show and chose to make the specials menu inspired by it. Featured dishes include, I’m Coming to the Cottage Shrimp Spring Bowl, “All the Things She Said” Breakfast Wrap, and Shane Hollander’s Jambalaya Benedict. Amongst their regular menu, S. DeAbreu recommended their Stuffed French Toast, Mel’s Chicken Cutlet, and Chicken Waffles.
This location of Sabrina’s Cafe is bigger than it appears. From the outside, it looks like a small store on the side of the street. It blends in with the rest of the street with a small Sabrina’s Cafe sign hanging from the top. Inside, there is the main eating area that can be seen through the window from the sidewalk, but there is also an additional dining area at the end of the main hallway, separated from the visible area by the kitchen. The interior dining areas had a variety of seating with tables, booths, and high chairs. The two dining spaces were separated by a kitchen in between. The main space had large windows decorated with colorful flowers, while the inside had vast chalkboards hanging from the ceilings with fun food drawings. The second indoor space was smaller but had a similar bright interior.
In addition, there was a connected outdoor seating area on the back patio of the restaurant. The patio was much quieter than inside, mainly due to its small size. Despite a busy Saturday morning, the service was still attentive, and the staff was very kind.
One customer, Sam Kaufman, mentioned that “It gets a little noisy with the tin plates [on the ceiling], but that’s [just part] of the vibe.”
“I grew up in Cherry Hill [and] I’m visiting my dad and [who] lives in Collingswood, and it’s the best brunch spot in town,” said Kaufman.
Another customer thought her experience was a “10 out of 10. I think we had our expectations and [Sabrina’s Cafe] exceeded all of [them].
Sabrina’s Cafe is located on 714 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood, NJ.
