Winona Lake’s Light Rail Cafe and Roaster

My review on the Light Rail Cafe and Roaster, located in the Village at Winona in Winona Lake, Indiana, first appeared in my Bites and Tidbits column for Ink Free News in May, 2015. I’m not sure why we hadn’t eaten there before but as the article explains, for the same price of some fast food joints, the quality of the food you were ingesting was multiple times better.

Looking for a quick bite to eat and want to try something a little different from you ordinary eatery of choice? If so, the Light Rail Café and Roaster, located at 1000 Park Avenue in the Village at Winona in Winona Lake might just be the restorative agent your digestive tract is crying out for.

Baked goods display tempting you with a bunch of yumminess.

Offering a full menu of food options from their $3 house made soup and $4 side salad starters to gourmet pizza and sandwich offerings in the $8 to $11 range, the Light Rail Café’s menu choices tantalizing escape from your typical food fare. Also included among their menu offerings is a glass display case full of baked giddiness sure to tempt even the most faithful dieters, including fresh baked cookies, donuts and the customer favorite, the Bagel Bomb.

Have a hankering for a cup o’ joe? The Café also serves coffee using beans purchased directly from the farmers that grew them that are then micro-roasted by the Light Rail’s own roasting company (the “Roaster” part in the Café’s name) in Winona Lake. They’re proud of their coffee and they’ll be the first ones to tell you it’s the best coffee you’ll taste anywhere.

My choice for lunch – the Smoked Gunthorp Turkey Sandwich

Offering both indoor and outdoor (covered porch and exposed deck) seating, we chose to eat on the covered porch. Service was quick with our food being delivered to us less than 10 minutes after placing the order. I chose to go with the Smoked Gunthrop Turkey sandwich, consisting of generous helpings of the house bacon, gouda, avocado spread, garlic aioli and lettuce on a fresh baguette with a side of kettle chips. While the sandwich was enjoyable, the café’s real standout performer was its bread offerings. Separating itself from the rest of the ingredients and barging its way into our consciousness with aplomb, the bread made it first lasting impression with the garlic bread. Served on a flat bread with garlic butter and fresh basil (we added fresh mozzarella for $1), it was evidence that we had chosen wisely by filling our order with dough. Following closely was one of the best stuffed cheesy bread plates I’ve tasted. The house pizza crust utilized in the donut-shaped presentation would have been devoured on its own. Throw in some fresh mozzarella, garlic butter and parmesan and a few minutes later, the bread was a distant memory, albeit a tasty one. The margherita pizza, utilizing the same crust as the cheesy bread, rounded out the lunch. Topped with tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil and evoo, it’s sure to be a favorite of pizza aficionados.

Stuffed Cheesy Bread, I could have eaten seven of these.

The Light Rail Café is open Monday through Saturday, serving breakfast from 7-11 and lunch from 11-4. For those of you who prefer your food to go, a carry out option is available, which you can take advantage of by calling 574-269-1000. Also available is a $10 Saturday brunch special, announced each week on their Facebook page.