I’ve always heard good things about Satsuma Cafe, but my first trip came by accident. My party originally tried Elizabeth’s (always great), but the wait was too long. It was the same story at The Country Club so off to Satsuma we went.

I’ll get my pet peeve out of the way first. I hate waiting in lines, and the majority of the time I’ve been to Satsuma (including my initial visit) there’s a line. I’m a control freak and impatient so a line isn’t fun for me. It’s great for Satsuma though.

With that out of the way, I only have good things to say about Satsuma. They have a great breakfast/lunch menu (I hesitate to call it brunch) that’s chock full of interesting dishes and juices made with local and fresh quality ingredients.

Salmon Salad Sandwich

On my first visit, I indulged in the Roasted Pear and Brie Melt. Sounds rich, right? Well, it is. But in the best way possible. I’m not sure it should even qualify as a meal, but I made it one nonetheless. The pear and brie go brilliantly together and with the complementing walnut spread, balsamic glaze and caramelized onion, it was superb.

My next visit I tried the Salmon Salad Sandwich. Also delicious. Satsuma makes its own salmon salad comprised of (you guessed it) salmon, capers, red onions, tarragon aioli, tomato and sprouts. If you know me, you know I don’t tomatoes. But the sandwich without tomatoes was awesome. Super light, but incredibly delicious. I’ve never been a big fan of capers, but I didn’t even taste them in this.

I also tried the Black Pepper Turkey Melt. It was good, but not nearly as good as the Salmon Salad Sandwich or the Roasted Pear and Brie Melt. It was missing the melty aspect I was hoping for. That said, it tasted incredibly fresh. I can’t remember the last time I had sliced turkey that had such a perfect taste and texture.

Black Pepper Turkey Melt

Aside from the food, Satsuma does a great job with its juice bar. And I would give props to the coffee bar, but (shocker!) I don’t drink coffee. The juice is made from very fresh produce. I had the Green Drink (apple, fennel, kale, cucumber and celery) and it was great. Very refreshing and not too heavy. The Beet Juice Lemonade was also delicious. I was a little concerned about the neon purple color, but maybe the brighter the juice, the more nutritious.

All in all, I’m ecstatic that I happened across Satsuma by circumstance. It’s definitely I revisit frequently and encourage others to as well. I also need to go back and try it out for dinner.

Satsuma is located at 3218 Dauphine Street in the Bywater. Breakfast and Lunch are served daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dinner is available Wed. through Sat. from 6:30 p.m. (their website says 6:30 a.m., but that has to be a typo) to 10 p.m.