Do you love fudge? Try 5 Point Cafe
Fudge; so much fudge (Photo: Austin Gunter)
5 Point Cafe opened just before Christmas break, bringing vintage charm and homemade fudge to downtown Cleveland.
The cafe is Rebecca Chastain's second restaurant, after owning and running Rebecca J's Cafe for several years before taking time off for health reasons. After growing up in Cleveland for 19 years, Chastain's travels as an army life led her to Ithaca, New York, where she trained as a professional baker.
It's open 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. every day except Sunday.
The cafe filled the space left behind from Five Point Pharmacy'it's namesake'for decades. The pharmacy was a well-loved spot for Cleveland residents, including Chastain, who remembers sipping soda on bar stools while waiting for relatives to pick up prescriptions.
Now, mint green walls, retro tables, glass coke bottles and historic paintings pay tribute to the history of the space.
'I think I brought back a little memorabilia for a lot of people,' Chastain said. 'A lot of people my age are coming in just out of curiosity.'
Chastain also brought back old cooking methods, like hand-dipped banana splits and half-pound burgers on potato rolls. Everything is homemade, and everything, at least, smells delicious. (They let me taste the chocolate fudge and I cried a little).
I was lucky to stumble in a few weeks ago and try a bowl of chicken rice coconut soup with two cornbread muffins for $5; it did not disappoint.
Many Clevelanders as well as Lee University staff and students have already discovered this gem, as lunch time packs crowds into the fourteen-seat space.
Along with the cafe, the pharmacy building has been converted into studio apartments and a bed and breakfast. For more information on the now leasing apartments, call Tim Arthur at 423-779-8243.
