Photography Editor
Location given by its name, Café One Eight sits at 18 W. Orange St. in Lancaster. Very close to Prince Street, it has a vibrant, busy atmosphere which embodies many inherent aspects of an iconic coffee shop. The ambience has a coffee shop hum and a décor that is uniquely Lancaster.
It features a splendid amount of art on the walls from Lancaster galleries and other unconventional pieces. There are 12 tables and a few couches that make it the perfect spot for grabbing coffee, lunch, a snack with a friend, or a prime location for studying on a cold weekend morning or dark weekday afternoon.
Admittedly, I have been here twice before writing this review and since the first visit have dined on the same baked comestible, this being a chocolate banana muffin, one of a variety of muffins they offer in addition to wraps, sandwiches and other brunch fare. As a connoisseur of coffee shop nosh, this ranks highly in my preferences. The muffin is the perfect mix of banana and chocolate, with an abundant sprinkling of mini chocolate chips on top as well as a generous intermingling at the base.
Café One Eight also offers an assortment of soups, espresso drinks, and teas. My personal favorite is the flavored coffee, which is espresso blended with ice, milk, dark or white chocolate, and/or caramel — not something you encounter in your everyday coffee shop.
To expand on the offerings of Café One Eight, they offer pastries, breakfast burritos, sandwiches, salads, soups, and wraps. They are definitely more than a breakfast and lunch place. They are open Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m..
The staff is very friendly and innovative. Café One Eight is one of the few places where you can pay with Square Wallet, which is an app one can get for free on his or her smartphone and use to pay at participating businesses. The app is linked to a credit card so all a customer has to do when he or she pays is give the name associated with the account. No need to pull out cash or a credit card; it is seamless and incredibly easy. Café One Eight also offers rewards through Square Wallet for a certain number of purchases.
The café is approximately 1.2 miles away from campus, not even a block from Prince Street in downtown Lancaster. The walk is easy and well worth it, even in the cold winter months. If one is not up to walking, Lancaster’s largest parking garage is directly across the street, making parking constantly available.
As far as pricing goes, it is incredibly reasonable for the food and services the café offers. It sports a bottomless cup of coffee for $1.75, egg sandwiches for $4.00, and lunch sandwiches for $7.00. They are well worth the trip off campus and the expenditure.
Overall, this is one of my favorite spots in the Lancaster area. It offers a great escape from campus when you need to flee from the chaos and provides a delicious break from the campus food offerings. I would not hesitate to recommend it to a visitor or a longtime resident of our bustling metropolis.
Questions? Email Scott at sonigman@fandm.edu.