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Cafe Stella
Norfolk's beloved coffee house where community meets exceptional roasts and cozy vibes.
3.4(5 reviews)
$$
cafe
cafe
coffee-and-tea
Handcrafted espresso beverages, pour-overs, and traditional brews using our house-roasted beans.
Daily selection of sweet and savory pastries, including popular items like cardamom cake.
Hearty sandwiches, burgers, and breakfast plates like the Polish breakfast, made with quality ingredients.
In-house roasting on-site, offering fresh, aromatic beans for purchase to enjoy at home.
Regular evening events featuring local musicians in a relaxed, conversational setting.
Shareable pots of herbal tea with multiple tea bags, perfect for groups or extended stays.
Norfolk's beloved coffee house where community meets exceptional roasts and cozy vibes.
No photos available
Cafe Stella is a cherished local coffee shop and roastery in Norfolk, offering expertly crafted coffee drinks, fresh pastries, and hearty breakfast and lunch options. With a warm, inviting atmosphere perfect for studying, working, or relaxing, we pride ourselves on being a community hub where great coffee and good company come together. Our in-house roasted beans ensure a rich, flavorful experience in every cup.
Great traditional coffee house. Lots of seating but it gets crowded with students and others because it is a popular place. Sunday afternoon can be difficult to find a seat. Great coffee drinks and many others, ABC license. Regular Americano is outstanding and the pots of herbal tea are great for sharing, 3 tea bags per pot. For a sweet snack, the cardamon cake is amazing. Live background music every other Friday night 7:30-9:30 you can still converse while playing. Awesome aroma when he is roasting the coffee beans on Friday nights.
Well, after 7 years living here, and 5 visits to Stella, I decided 1 more chance... I haven't been in over a year, and here's why: Customer service has been hit or miss, food is mediocre at best, Cobwebs on every fixture (including over the uncovered water in dingy pitchers). Obviously, the owner doesn't care; it has been this way since my first visit 7 yrs ago. That being said, I've never had a coffee drink until tonight. Usually I would get a Golden Latte, which is oook. The Mocha was actually good, but it's not enough for me to return with the grimy and filthy environment!
Sunday morning was my second time at Stella’s, and it’s easy to see why it’s a favorite spot. The staff is always polite and helpful (underrated quality in a coffee shop), the coffee is delicious, the selection of pastries is great, and the hot food offered has been good. I’ve only tried 2 items, but both were very good. The atmosphere is fine, I only gave it four stars because it could be cleaner. The decor Is covered in dust, and coming from a medical background It is hard to ignore how unsanitary it is to have a huge glass bottle with a thick layer of dust directly under an air vent. If they paid for a monthly deep cleaning it would be well worth it. No other complaints, absolutely love the place otherwise.
Decided to give this place another try and unfortunately, I was let down again. I enjoy the atmosphere of the cafe a lot, but the food has been lack luster each time I’ve gone. Ordered their burger and chips (0/10), not much flavor to the burger at all and pretty dry; definitely had to add sauce to it. As you can see in my photo, barely given any chips on the side. Also tried an iced latte (5/10) it was decent. The food here has been disappointing each time. Don’t really see myself returning at this point. My overall rate of experience : 2/10
I was excited to try out Cafe Stella after seeing how popular they get and their great ratings but I have to be honest I’m a little disappointed. I ordered the Granby sandwich and it was tasty but it was my mistake that I thought it came with some kind of meat on it. I also ordered a plain iced latte so I could taste the quality of their espresso and I honestly couldn’t taste anything other than milk. I’ve never been so underwhelmed by a coffee drink. My husband enjoyed his Polish breakfast and said it was a lot of food for only $10. He also liked his black coffee but I found it too bitter. Overall aesthetic was very cute and I could see many people working or doing homework here but certainly the coffee isn’t enough to make me want to come back. Would consider coming back to try more food options.
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