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Serves meat, vegan options available. Cafe Otis is a modern and eclectic all-day neighborhood cafe centered around community, local farms and innovation. Offers breakfast, lunch and dinner in addition to a full bar and local artisan market. Ask server to specify vegan options. Confirmed closed, Mar 2020.
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80 Broadway, Norwich, Connecticut, USA, 06360
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Last update on 17 Mar 2020 by CafeOtis
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Added by adube on 11 Apr 2019
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8 Reviews
First Review by VeganGuy81
ThePintSizedVegan
Points +831
Great place for brunch! - Edit
I am currently visiting a friend that lives in Connecticut with another friend of ours, and there’s a cafe by his place that he never got to check out, so we checked it out together!
Read moreIt is an all-day cafe that even has a brunch menu for weekends. They have a great variety of non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks for this time and a few different vegan options. I checked the dinner menu online, and the options there look just as good as the brunch menu! Definitely check it out when you can 😊
I got their tofu scramble 🍳, which comes with roasted cauliflower, homefries 🥔, and a side salad 🥗 I liked that the tofu scramble came plain so I can really taste the flavor. It’s exactly how I like tofu scramble: egg texture with a bit of saltiness and flavors from seasonings. The homefries were also well seasoned and the cauliflower was also really nice as I love cauliflower and very picky with how it is cooked. The side salad also balances everything out. I literally cleaned my plate 😃 They also have vegan cupcakes 🧁 in nice flavors. The service was also great and my drink was a chai latte ☕️ with oat milk (they use Califia).
When I visit my CT friend again, we are for sure coming back here for dinner! 👍🏼
Pros: Very spacious, Great variety of vegan options, Friendly and knowledgeable staff
Guest
wokeveganqueen
Points +418
Good vegan options, nice owner - Edit
I went to Cafe Otis for the first time for Sunday brunch. It was very busy during this time so I recommend making a reservation! There was a good spread of vegan choices-- the entree options were oatmeal, a parfait, a tofu scramble or a beet hummus sandwich. The vegan sides were a falafel patty and toast. The menu was clearly labeled with vegan symbols next to the options (including mixed drinks which is unusual and very helpful). I had the tofu scramble and my mom had the humdinger (beet hummus) sandwich. My mom loved hers but mine came out pretty cold. However, when the owner came around to check on us I told her my food arrived cold and she took 10% off the total bill. Overall I would definitely give this place another chance because the owner was very kind and accommodating, there was a variety of options, and the interior of the restaurant is really cool.
Read morePros: Vegan options, Good service, Clear labeling on menu
Cons: Food was cold, Long wait for brunch, Reservation necessary
Guest
mark m braunstein
Points +508
this café puts sleepy Norwich back on the Happy Cow map - Edit
Read moreAt long last, nine years after all-vegetarian Kong Foo closed in 2011, Norwich has a café that puts the sleepy city back on the Happy Cow map.
Upon the closure of all remnants of its shipbuilding and industrial heritage, Norwich has been suspended in a forgotten time. All the stately mansions and majestic churches that line Broadway and Washington St attest to its past glory, as does the palatial building that now houses Café Otis. A former public library when libraries were solemn temples of learning, its spacious interior heightened with gold leaf and Greek Revival ornamentation is alone worth your visit. Even the varnish-encrusted gloomy old portrait paintings contrasted with colorful Pop art prints are worth viewing.
As we value café’s more for the eating than just the sightseeing, it’s the food that will keep you coming back for more. The five meal menus are in constant flux, so will probably have changed by the time you read this. Of the five menus, Lunch offers vegans the most variety, and without having to endure the smell of all the meats served for Dinner when the knives come out, literally, because the plastic cutlery for Breakfast and Lunch are replaced by heavy silverware needed to slice up meat.
Lunch is served cafeteria-style, for which the server speaks fluent vegan with assurances that butter does not taint the vegetables. All but one or two of the Sides is vegan, all delicately flavored and though pan-fried not too greasy. Best of all are the Brussels sprouts. If you’ve been to all-vegan 21 Oak, you know Brussels sprouts as its signature veggie, but Otis’ are even better! Given the choice of two vegan Proteins for the Hot Bowl, because I shun deep-fried foods I passed on the falafel, and settled for the oversized cubes of tasteless tofu. Blah! Otis really needs to dump from its menu that unadorned tofu. For a nutritional boost, skip the Hot Bowl that comes with only 3 Sides. Instead go for the Salad that comes with 6. Choose the salad greens other than kale. It is not baby kale, not massaged, and not marinated. Both the Salad and the Hot Bowl lunch options are underpriced.
A note about handicap accessibility: The side entrance near its private parking lot has a metal stairway that is more akin to a fire escape. Use the street-level front entrance. The incline on the sidewalks alongside it is very steep, so best to park across the street, on either side of gorgeous City Hall.
Pros: the delicately flavored veggies of the Hot Sides, the palatial interior
Cons: the oversized cubes of blah tofu, the raw course kale as a salad green
Guest
GirlByTheSea
Points +106
Vegan Menu Options - Edit
I had the tasty Vegan Kofta Skewers. I ate at the bar and the bartender was very friendly and accommodating and also made the best martini with fresh squeezed lime juice.
Read morePros: Friendly, accommodating staff, Cool atmosphere
Cons: Don’t use GPS, entrance is on corner of streets.
Guest
adube
Points +48
I eat here at least once a week. Lots of vegan options, even cupcakes! - Edit
So many vegan options here all day from breakfast to lunch to happy hour and then dinner. The salads are worth every penny! Love the vegan chickpea salad. If it’s your first time let them know and they can show you your options.
Read morePros: Lots of Vegan options breakfast, lunch and dinner, Happy hour, Quality ingredients
Guest
knewsome
Points +32
Entrances are dark and dreary, internal atmosphere is open, bright and clean. - Edit
Food was good. A bit pricey, but has a lot of potential! More vegan options please!!
Read morePros: Different choices, Some Vegan option
Cons: Expensive, Juice was expired
Guest
KittyC
Points +28
Was excited to try it but didnt live up to the hype - Edit
Was excited to try this place as there are limited options for vegans in this area. They didn't have as many vegan dishes as I hoped and the prices were high for small portions. Quality was good but the atmosphere there was loud and unpleasant. Not a cozy cafe, more like a cafeteria.
Read moreGuest
VeganGuy81
Points +86
Reasonably-priced vegan options - Edit
Pleasantly surprised by this place. The food was delicious and priced well.
Read morePros: Vegan Options, Friendly staff, Nice setting in former Norwich library
Guest
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