Boardwalk Cafe

A friend of mine told me about this place. He said to try their steak grinder. He also made the comment of their salads being really good. I ordered a 8 inch steak grinder with a side salad. There's so much to tell... what start with the homemade bread for this sandwich. It was just the right thickness and tasted very fresh. If I had to pick something to make the sandwich better it would be to add more shaved steak. But the combination of the peppers and cheese and mayo was excellent.The side salad was delicious for a side salad. It had fresh veggies and you must get the homemade ranch dressing. It is possibly the best in the state. There are several booths to sit and enjoy your meal. It was a warm and cozy atmosphere.The service was relatively quick. The young lady at the counter was super friendly. I'm so glad my friend told me about this place. I will definitely be back. I have already told others about Boardwalk Cafe!

Located across from the Peru Post Office. Street parking which was empty this time. It was full when I attempted to check this place out previously.Decor & architecture were interesting. Pretty vintage style chandeliers, painted tin ceiling tiles, & exposed brick at the back behind the counter. The white ceiling fan was dirty as my friend observed. I'm glad it was off and not flinging dust about.Pretty empty on a Wednesday evening. Open until 8 PM most nights, so better hours than a lot of Peru establishments. Closes at 9 on Friday & Saturday. Closed Sundays. The ordering process was a little strange and unexplained. You walk to the counter at the back to order. A black lit up menu was on the wall & wasn't entirely easy to see. We later discovered the menus displayed on the counter are old & don't list accurate information. I'd glanced at menu photos online taken by patrons before heading out, so I knew what the basic options were - grinders, salads, and pizza. They have no website listed online, yet had a QR code on the lit up wall menu. I'm not sure how you'd even scan that from that distance or where it takes you. They give you a number placard to place at the edge of your table, even if you're the only diners inside. They fill your soft drink for you from a fountain to the right of the counter. We sat ourselves at the cleanest booth after passing two dirtier ones. The seats on ours had visible crumbs.The girl who had taken our orders offered me a refill on my water table side. She waited for me to hand her my cup & didn't reach for it. It's a better standard to bring a fresh drink out & not put a used glass under the soda fountain not to mention other hands touching your cup, but whatever. At least two girls brought food out. My friend's "Irish nachos" looked pretty good. Smelled like potato skins. She said she liked them but could only eat about half & did not opt to take the rest to go. I think the use of frozen tater tots is meh. I'd have expected homemade potato medallions. Again, whatever.I'd ordered the veggie grinder. I asked for no cheese. Maybe I'm not understanding what a grinder is, but to my dismay, after my food arrived & staff had walked away, I realized the grilled bread had hot, coagulated mayo on it. It wasn't easy to see. I knew by taking one disgusting bite. I'd already noticed the obviously canned mushrooms when it was set in front of me. I could have dealt with the mushrooms and the sad amount of veggies on this thing even though mine had none of the most expensive ingredient which is the cheese, but mayo on a grinder? Since they serve pizza, I assumed it would have marinara on the side if anything. I returned my basket to the counter. I didn't know it came with mayo. I don't understand why anyone would think you would want mayo if you don't want cheese. I was offered a new one, but I didn't want anything at this point. I was grossed out, and there wasn't much to this sandwich. I would expect some extra veg for no cheese or at least ALL the veggies one of the menus cited this came with, that I might be asked about the other ingredients. All that aside, I was more flabbergasted that no refund was offered. I returned to our table. When my friend was finished, she went up to the counter and got them to reverse the charges on my card for my sandwich. I could hear the counter girl arguing that it stated "mayo" on the lit up menu, which I did not see, and said the "old" paper menu on the counter doesn't list it. They must have changed the menu a few times as the two I saw online also didn't list mayonnaise, DID list more vegetables, and listed a price hike. It wasn't clear whether you bus your own table. Again, no direction. Poorly thought out procedure. I'm not against tipping if I order myself standing at a counter if it's exceptional service or if I think I have a chance I'll be remembered and get priority service upon return, but I don't like the idea of a place like this asking for a tip at checkout before your visit is completed. They had a prominently displayed tip jar for cash as well. Ugh. Anyway, another sad excuse of a restaurant in this town. Quite half-assed attempts at a vegetarian menu. If you are vegan, I recommend staying away. That's what I'm going to do. I can cook far better food myself at home. It'd just be nice to have somewhere decent to go in this area for ambience and atmosphere. This was like a bar without the bar combined with a better decorated Subway.I don't often hand out one star reviews. You may like this place and the prices if it suits your dietary needs. I'll be inspecting menus more carefully and will be extra specific while out in the future. It seems I need to whip out sanitizer wipes as well. If they paid more attention to menu and service detail as much as decorating and had a working website along with maybe one fully plant based option, this review would have taken a different turn.

The Boardwalk always has good food and good service. This food is NOT like the fast food. It is homemade food, made with care and quality. The salads are amazing as well as all the other food. I never had anything disappointing at Boardwalk.

I've been extremely impressed with everything we've tried at Boardwalk Cafe. Grinders, salads, bread sticks, and soups are all excellent. Specifically go on Monday sometime for their grilled cheese grinder & Tomato Bisque combo. It's incredible. The staff is very friendly, food is fresh and brought out quickly, and the prices are very reasonable. This is what a restaurant is meant to be in every way.

Passing through for work, great spot to grab a delicious sandwich or pizza. Steak and cheese is fancy but tasty. The ham grinder was mouth watering - the sit down space is super cute. Food came out fast and the service was spot on

Pre-Covid Mancino's was our go-to. Post-Covid Mancino's quality was super lacking. Boardwalk has THE BEST breadsticks. They're like what Mancino's had pre-pandemic. Got a Club grinder and pizza. The pizza could have spent a few more minutes in the oven, but we were so happy with everything we ordered. The staff was fast, friendly, and attentive. Will definitely visit again!

We stopped in after a recommendation from someone at our RV park. It did not disappoint. The sandwiches were delicious with in house homemade bread. Looking forward to coming back a lot this season.

Just enjoyed a very good & fresh Cobb salad for dinner from boardwalk. Very relaxing establishment with courteous & attentive staff. The fresh salad & breadsticks were very filling. Thank you Boardwalk Cafe!

Had a small mushroom pizza, was very good. Nice and helpful staff. Would definitely go again.

What can I say besides, WOW!? Boardwalk Cafe is a hidden gem that everyone needs to try. The staff is extremely welcoming and the food is always delicious from the salads and breadsticks to the grinders and pizza. The restaurant is cozy and is always up to date with seasonal decor. Morgan is an absolute sweetheart. I can't get enough of this place!! I can't wait for my next meal from the Boardwalk Cafe!