City Lights Cafe

This was the happiest find of a recent trip my family took to Cherokee. We were on our way home and the breakfast spot we originally planned to go to was closed, so we did some research and drove a little out of the way to try City Lights Cafe. First of all, the downtown area was adorable. Lots of shops and nice people.

Walking into City Lights Cafe we already loved it. Really cool, laid back atmosphere. The menu is expansive and offered great options for our entire family (including my own gluten intolerance and my picky children).

I am a coffee lover. I often go to try to coffee shops and see who has the best ones. While at City Lights I ordered a latte and it was delicious. I spoke with the staff while it was being made and had a very pleasant conversation.

I ordered a gluten free crepe and it was incredible! My daughter also had a crepe, my son had a grilled cheese, and my husband tried the breakfast burrito. We were all going on and on about how good the food was.

While putting up our plates I noticed the “take a note, leave a note” basket and absolutely love this concept. We also enjoyed checking out the local art and goods around the restaurant. The next time we drive anywhere in that direction, we will absolutely be back!

I got a gift card to this place and I have passed it every time I’ve come to the bookstore, so I was pretty excited to try the food. I took my boyfriend out to brunch and we got some drinks and some crepes. He got the limeade with raspberry syrup, and it was pretty sour and unsweet, but he liked it a lot. I got the sweet tea, which came in a cup that I could refill. He got the chicken crepedilla and I got the banana nutella crepe. We shared half of the crepes with each other. The chicken crepedilla was really tasty, came with guacamole and salsa, and was very savory. The banana nutella crepe was sweet and somewhat light, and the whipped cream was a nice touch. We waited about 40 minutes for our food, which we were made aware that the food may be a long wait. But I think the business practices of this location are ones that I agree with, and I appreciate every person who works here because it gets pretty busy with a small staff to handle it all. All in all, I’d like to come back. It’s a little expensive, but the employees make a decent wage from what I can tell, and the quality of the food is very high.

They had plenty of coffee flavors to choose from we had a Hot Caramel Latte, White chocolate Marshmello coffee, and I had a to-go lavender honey coffee. All are really good. We had a late brunch here on our way home from Gatlinburg. My husband had a build your own breakfast with chicken, bacon, and Swiss cheese an a very yummy biscuit. I had the chicken crepadilla that had chicken, spinach,and cheese on a thin delicious crepe. This is a must try location. We loved the staff and atmosphere. Our very nice cashier was very helpful when making food and drink selections aswell!

I’ve loved this place since college, came back 6 years later and still the same cozy mountain side cafe vibe I was craving. The staff are always nice and the food always fresh. I haven’t tried their coffee but their hummus wrap, salsa, bisque, and black bean burrito are all stellar.

Great little cafe with indoor and outdoor seating. The staff are great and the food was amazing! That dark chocolate peanut butter crepe - Oh. My. Word. Yummy.

Generally love city lights but very disappointed with the specials today- chili appears to be burnt and the panini is more of a toasted white bread experience. I usually have much better quality than this when I come so I’m hopeful this is helpful feedback. Eating it all because I only stopped in for lunch and don’t have time to go and order elsewhere.

Food was very flavorful. Something for everyone. Very fresh vegetables in the salad and on the sandwich.

My absolute favorite coffee shop I’ve been to (and I’ve been to a lot)! It is a combination of friendly staff, support of local art, prioritizing sustainable choices, and inviting atmosphere that makes this place so wonderful! Their menu includes breakfast and lunch, along with baked goods and coffee- you really can’t go wrong with any of their food options.

My breakfast was delicious. I had strawberries and cream cheese crepes. And mocha latte coffee. I would have liked to have my breakfast hotter.

I thought this was a full service breakfast restaurant, turned out their menu is basically limited to sandwiches and crepe. I ordered scramble eggs, didn't want bread so they put the eggs is a cup. The eggs were like rubber, I spit them back into the bowl. I'd never go there again