Village Square Café

I came here for breakfast one weekend while visiting a friend. The atmosphere of the restaurant was nice, the location was very aesthetically pleasing, and the service was pretty good. I ordered pancakes, bacon and orange juice. The bacon was delicious, but the pancakes didn’t taste that special, and neither did their choice of syrup. They were both kind of bland, but I ate them anyway because pancakes are my favorite food. I also wasn’t that fond of the brand of orange juice that they carried. I’d probably come here again, but I wouldn’t order the pancakes, I’ve had better.

NICE Great little brunch spot tucked away in Northwest Baltimore great food with, Country Club type atmosphere.

Came here for brunch after the dentist’s and was pleasantly surprised. I had been here a long time ago when this place was a fledging coffee shop… now it’s a bonfide brunch place with ample selections. counter service was very friendly and helpful. Coffees very good. I never really liked cross keys but will be back to come here again.

#HiddenGem!!!
#SimpleAwesomeBreakfast!
#FastOrder, ShortWaitForFood
#MissShirley’sAlternative@ABetter$
Let me start out by saying I love reasonably priced, good, simple food, that doesn’t require and hour to wait for (…Miss Shirley’s). That being said (no shame here), there are some days when I wake up I want to be able to go get great food without having to change out of my sweatpants.
Village Square Café is a place that offers all of that and more! Right when you walk in you get a real sense of comfort as you instantly get hit with the delicious smells of home cooked food and the relaxing sound of low chatter from the families and other patrons who are also enjoying the relaxing environment.
I ordered the early bird special with two PERFECTLY cooked poached eggs, two rustic pieces of multigrain toast, hash browns (which are more like small little slow cooked potato balls of goodness), and two sausage links that were amazing.
If you are in the mood for just a real good, down to earth, affordable, simple meal, then go check out Village Square Café because you will not be disappointed.

Great food, great service and prices. This is a fun place to go to with friends – a friendly local hangout, tucked away in the Cross Keys village – very casual and yet much better than a typical sandwich/​bagel shop!

Friendly staff, HUGE portions.
Great regular coffee in big mugs with free refills (Zekes).
They also have a full bar if you want a mimosa or bloody Mary with brunch.
Usually crowded on weekends but never had too long of a wait for a table.
I forgot the best part of this place NICE DOGS allowed outside on the patio, amazing in good weather.

Best oatmeal! After I found it! It’s tucked away inside the center of the Village at Cross Keys. Worth the exploration.
Friendly service and clean bathrooms. The sandwich menu looked creative and I’ll definitely be back for lunch!

Just what I wanted — quiet, late weekday breakfast (breakfast served all day). Super hard to find. Go to the right when you enter Cross Keys, pass Donna’s, and park as far down as you can — you’ll see a sign for offices. Walk down the outside stairs and VSC is to the right. You cannot see it from the street and I didn’t see any signs until I got down to the courtyard level.
Order at the counter and sit with your number. We shared a greek omelette with home fries (declined the toast) and buttermilk pancakes. The omelette was huge — typical diner fare. Home fries were good. I liked the pancakes; my gf thought they had an aftertaste. I think it was maybe waffle batter, which was fine with me. I just didn’t want them to taste like griddle meat, and they didn’t. They are thin pancakes so I was glad I ordered them plain.
Gf said coffee was very good — strong, not too strong. Tea served in enormous mug.
We got there around 11 a.m. on a Thursday — a few folks sitting outside and a few inside. Not too busy or crowded, which is what I was looking for. Definitely elderly clientele. Cute courtyard.

We had breakfast here and it was awesome. I had the Big Breakfast with pancakes, eggs, home fries and bacon. Everything was perfect.

Excellent place for breakfast. The eggs were good, as were the pancakes and oatmeal. The kids like the food too, though it can get crowded. Outside patio area and indoor dining as well.

Village square café was just ok in my book. I wasn’t blown away by anything.
The coffee was great, the food was ok… my friend got a breakfast quesadilla, which I had a little of and I stuck with my typical iced coffee.
The clientele at Village Square was elderly on a Saturday… which is a bit telling… it does have the feel of a place I would take my grandparents, a comfortable place to get good that sortof reminds me of somewhere I once attended a wake.
If you’re looking for a place to get away and hide from the rest of Baltimore City, this has the perfect vibe. You really do feel like you’re on an isolated Island when you walk into the courtyard area to get to this place.
Don’t take my 3 stars as the gold standard… I personally didn’t like it that much, but I feel like a lot of people would find this place to be a bit better once they tried it.

I love this place it’s a hidden gem. You definitely have to know it’s there to find it. I’ve been twice. Once for lunch and once for breakfast. For lunch I got a burger but that was a while ago so I can’t really comment on it. Today I tried breakfast for the first time and it was really good. You go to the counter and when you order you get a number and they bring out your food. I got the early bird breakfast with turkey sausage and homefries. Everything tasted great and was very filing. The only negative would be I asked for whole wheat toast and ended up with rye which I hate. Only thing missing was a mimosa. Besides that’s loved it and will definitely be back! Oh and they have a nice outdoor seating area!

One day I might get something other than the Black Bean Burgers. Its just they are sooo delicious. Nice owners and staff and don’t miss out on all the live music.

Just ok for a quick cheap bite to eat. Service was quick, food came out in about 10 minutes. The Roland park omelette had loads of crispy bacon and spinach in it. Not really a fan of Zekes coffee, I really don’t see what all the fuss is about. This place can be tricky to find too. When u turn into the village off of Falls road go to the right towards the offices and park. Then walk down the stairs and the café is on the right. No signage to steer you in the right direction.

I love the little courtyard in which is nestled– on a nice day there are plenty of seats outside. The Café is a bit hidden within the shops of Cross Keys, but it is worth seeking out. I’ve been here twice now and the food is great, people are nice, and the pace is just right for a nice breakfast/​brunch. Inside are plenty of tables and a sofa/​lounge area– perfect for reading or lingering on a rainy/​cold day.
The first time we went we had the Roland Park omelet– hickory smoked bacon, cheddar & spinach. The omelet was huge and the eggs were so incredibly fluffy. I chose the potatoes and onions as a side and the sourdough toast. The potatoes are mini potatoes chunked and not over cooked or mashed up (def not diner style). Very very good.
Hubby had the Kale Breakfast Sandwich– scrambled eggs with garlicky kale, cheddar & basil-​pinenut pesto on your choice of toast (we did the multigrain). The sandwich was wonderful as well– we could not finish our brunch, it was very filling (and at least seemed healthy). He paired it with the cheddar grits– which were a bit runny and nothing to write home about.
The classic breakfast sandwich is good too (I’m a sucker for breakfast sandwiches) and their mini éclairs are to die for as well.
This is one of our new favorite, quiet spots for outdoor breakfast. Lovely.
And as a side note– The Village of Cross Keys, based in Roland Park, has a wonderful, storied history which includes development by Rouse Co and Oprah Winfrey Lived in Cross Keys from 1978 to 1983 while working for WJZ-​TV.

The Village Square Café is terrific! I can’t say enough about the staff, the atmosphere, or the food. The staff is friendly and patient, the atmosphere is lively but not crazy, and the food is delicious!

Today I ordered the specialty fish sandwich and iced tea. I like the atmosphere and decoration here. The Village Square is a quiet neighbor, without Unilocal I would never know the Village Square Café.

I’m at the counter right now, admiring the dance of the staff. They’re weaving around, flexibly doing everything to keep the flow moving on a busy brunch.
At other times, I’ve sat outside or in the dining area, but this is the best seat in the house. It feels less noisy, other then the clatter of empty plates going into the bus bins. When the tables are full, consider the bar. :)
The food is great, consistent and plentiful. I usually get them to make me a 2-​egg, rather than the normal 3-​egg omelette, because the servings are generous.
Also, as mentioned throughout the reviews, the muffins are great, especially the blueberry ones. They’re usually gone by 10:30AM on the weekend. I get them to go when I order my meal in order to have dinner after my post-​prandial nap.
Don’t judge me.

First of all, when you drive into the parking lot, don’t confuse it with Donna’s café, which is much bigger. The village square has entrance from inside courtyard.
It’s a cute looking breakfast place with a good variety, very prompt service, excellent crowd and a book store kind of atmosphere.
Portion size was fine. I have had better pancakes but veggie omelette was good. They were out of blue berry muffins by 10:30 AM.
The reason that I will come back here is because of the location (village square), good omelette and the nice fresh feel of the café.

A bit more costly than I expected but bagel was pretty good. Not the best I have had but otherwise decent. The café was kind of hard to find if your not familiar with the area… and I’m not. I would have liked a sign to follow to the lower level.

Sigh. I was really excited by the reviews that compared this place to Miss Shirley’s. I gave it a try for Mother’s Day, and I was a bit disappointed.
Here is my #1 problem: the yolks in the poached eggs were fully cooked. Poached eggs were a main ingredient in several of our dishes, including my mom’s. Isn’t being able to poach an egg properly supposed to be the mark of a good cook? I have had this issue at a number of restaurants, and as someone who both hates cooked egg yolk and who expects their meal to be correctly prepared, I am seriously annoyed. I might have sent the dishes back, but ²⁄₃ of our table’s meals would have had to go back, they were crowded, and it was difficult to get the attention of an employee without standing in the huge line.
The rest of my meal was good. I had the big easy, and the eggs florentine and breakfast burrito were among our other choices. The main thing of note was the cheese grits– those were great. So were the mimosas. I didn’t find anything special about the rest of the meal. They were also out of muffins, which are supposed to be amazing– would like to try those.
I understand that this was an unusually busy day, and this may be an anomaly (although one would think Mother’s Day is when you should bring your a-​game). For that reason, I would give Village Square Café another try.

I am currently working in the area and thought I’d stop in. I was pleased to find a wide array of various food options. The person working the counter was very friendly and accommodating. The handwritten chalkboard menu was very easy to read. While I waited for my food, I was surprised to find 2 leather couches by some bookcases. My first thought was I will definitely have to come back and actually hang out here. The reading area just looked so cozy and welcoming. Very tempting! In addition to the reading/​lounge area, there is a dining area set up that I thought was fairly large for a café. There is plenty of seating. I also noticed a sign for live music on certain nights which intrigued me further. I will definitely have to come back!
I ordered the Mixed Greens salad with chicken to go. My food came out very quickly and it was delicious. The salads are largely portioned. The leafy greens and vegs were fresh and the grilled chicken was warm. My only issue was the chicken was a little dry, but it was still overall a very well made salad. I’m glad to have a place like that this only a few steps away from the office.