One World Cafe
100 W University Pkwy
Baltimore, MD 21210-3454
(410) 235-5777
Breaking away from the Goucher brunch bubble, I decided to check out Baltimore’s One World Café on a recent Saturday morning. One World is located near Johns Hopkins University, and can best be described as a three part hipster-vegetarian hotspot, with a coffee shop café in the front, fully stocked bar in the center, and sit-down restaurant in the back. Two friends and I headed straight to the back and ordered off of their weekend brunch menu.
The dining area is packed fairly tightly with rickety tables and chairs and comfy booth seats festooned with cushions. The dining crowd was clearly present, but fairly unobtrusive at this time on a Saturday. However the setup does have the tendency to produce a rather noisy, bustling atmosphere, making it great for a spirited get-together, but perhaps unwise for an intimate dinner dining experience.
I started my meal off with a small glass of organic hemp milk, a novelty I felt compelled to sample. I’d say it has a similar taste to soy milk, but with just a twinge of earthy after-bite….I stuck to good old cow’s milk for my chocolate chai. The menu is entirely vegetarian, with a fair number of vegan dishes mixed in as well.
Luckily, I’m not averse to soy meat substitutes, but if you were looking for a hearty traditional brunch of bacon strips and sausage links, One World would not be your place.
I ordered the soft-shell breakfast taco, which was filled with steamed eggs (a healthier alternative to scrambled, my waitress informed me), refried beans, meatless sausage and cheddar jack cheese, and served with sides of salsa, guacamole and homefries. The meatless sausage was surprisingly effective, and the flavors and textures blended together to create an entire plate of comfort food.
The cinnamon French toast with warm spiced granny smith apples and brown sugar walnuts was also a good choice; perfect for those with a morning sweet tooth and a penchant for caramel sauce and maple syrup. I also tried the sautéed organic baby spinach, fresh garlic and mushroom omelet with melted swiss, which wasn’t terrible but also retained a bit too much moisture for my liking.
Overall I’d say the food was tasty, but far from noteworthy. The colorful environment and mere concept of ‘going out for brunch’ are more powerful attractions than the food itself. Portions left me feeling full and not inordinately greasy, like a brunch-time visit to the dining hall can be apt to do.
Prices were reasonable, but not especially impressive (each dish ordered cost around $10). Service was efficient, and our waitress was receptive to our requests (ie: half decaf/half caffeinated and “Ooh can I try the hemp milk??”). We never felt rushed to pay and get out, making One World a nice place to linger with friends on a weekend morning—providing you pay off the parking meter sufficiently beforehand.
One World Cafe: "A Hipster-vegetarian hot-spot"
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009
Updated: Monday, August 9, 2010 20:08
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