City Lights Cafe

Other than poor service and not getting my meal, it was wonderful… Not!
Got an apology but zero compensation. Would it have killed them to give me a dessert or gift card??

Cara, Cody, and Sydney are phenomenal! They managed to provide prompt and courteous service despite having a never ending line out the door! Aside from the perfect latte, the warm atmosphere, and delicious food, it's employees like them that keep me coming back! Thanks so much for a great experience!

The people there are super, duper nice. I love the food, the service, and the nice, peacful atmosphere. It's a great place! Plus the books upstairs are always so interesting to look at. I recently bought "The Princess Bride" which is one of my favorite books. The only thing i have trouble with is burning my tongue by sipping my hot cocoa while it's still hot cuz the smell is too good to resist.

On Monday, my family stopped here on our way home from a short vacation in Andrews, NC. We are a pro-mask family. All 6 of us have masks and take them with us when we go anywhere.

Upon entering the restaurant, we seated ourselves as instructed by the sign at the door. We worked our way through the clunky online ordering system and placed 2 separate orders. After waiting far longer than should have been expected, I walked up to the podium where the lower and upper portions of the restaurant meet. I waited for at least 5 minutes and had several employees look at me without anyone bothering to ask what I needed. My brother-in-law got up from the table to see what was going on and forgot to put his mask on. As soon as he walked up behind me, the restaurant owner stormed out of the kitchen yelling "You don't have a mask on! GET OUT! LEAVE!" She immediately picked up the phone and called the cops. He would have gladly put his mask on. This was not a case of someone being belligerent or refusing to wear a mask. It's also worth noting that no one was within even 10 feet of us at the podium.

He sat back down at our table and my sister and I went to the counter to get a refund for our orders. Two police officers arrived around 10 minutes later and spoke to us all. They waited with us until we received our receipts for our refund that took at least another 5 minutes for whatever reason. An older gentleman who was with his wife (both wearing masks) asked for a refund as well after seeing the way the business owner reacted. Once we got outside the two officers informed us that they were simply there to make sure that we left as the owner had asked. They seemed rather surprised that they would be called immediately without the owner even asking my brother-in-law to put his mask on. One of them stated that the best thing you can do when someone acts like that is to not give them your business. I couldn't agree more!

Yesterday, my sister left a negative review for this establishment on Google. The business owner then solicited her friends on her personal Facebook page to go leave positive reviews to push my sister's review down. This is against Google's Terms of Service, not to mention that it's a shady, dishonest business practice.

Again, we are a pro-mask family. Mistakes happen. Treat people with respect.

I've been here a few times and although it's pretty cute and a nice location, almost every dish on the menu has cheese in it, which wouldn't be a big deal if they offered a dairy free cheese. They already cater to vegetarians so adding a dairy free cheese option would be amazing! Every time I've ordered a dish without cheese (3-4x), they were so bland, under seasoned, and didn't fill me up (and I'm tiny) but we're like $10/plate. When I asked today about dairy-free cheese, the customer behind me also expressed disappointment when they said they don't offer it. A disgruntled employee turned around and said "it's too expensive". For $10/sandwiches that barely have enough filling, I'm sure they could find a way to budget it in. This was my final attempt to enjoy being a customer at City Lights, I don't recommend it even though I've really wanted to love it for 2 years now.

One of the best parts of visiting Sylva, NC is going to City Lights Cafe!! I am gluten free and they have the most delicious options. My husband loves the variety of beer. The best part is the staff is very cool and takes good care of us. I wish they would open another location here in Decatur, GA!

Great atmosphere,good coffee and delicious breakfast. We had the breakfast crepes,very delicious but I found they were a little dry, all though It came with choice of sauce on top it was not enough. I didn't get all the pictures of cats and dogs hanging on the wall,wasn't sure if I am in a pet store or cafe.

This is, hands down, my favorite place for breakfast in Sylva. The experience is streamlined with online ordering. It's so easy to just put my order in, take my dog for a little walk, and then sit down in the outdoor seating areas to enjoy a perfectly prepared toasted marshmallow latte, delicious sourdough egg sandwich with whatever suits my mood: spicy mayo, bacon, cheddar cheese, fresh spinach, roasted tomato, etc., and if I'm really adventurous, a mimosa. Oh, and my Clyde gets a "pup cup" too! Thank you, City Lights! I can't wait until COVID is over so I can bring my laptop and work inside like the old days.

City Lights Cafe is a wonderful treat in Sylva and Sylva is so lucky to have them! Not only is the food delicious, the space is clean and they have a great beer selection - but the owners care. They care about quality and supporting their community. Also, best breakfast in town!

The town of Sylva is blessed to call City Lights Cafe, which is only one of a small number of
eclectic, family owned & operated restaurants, a staple to our community. We support our local businesses because they are important to our economy and to the soul of our town! No one business is ever perfect but who wants them to be when we KNOW that they only have our best interests at heart. We love you City Lights! ❤👏🙌😁