Flourish Cafe Opens At The Village At Newtown Shopping Center

NEWTOWN, PA — Flourish Cafe on Friday opened inside the Village at Newtown Shopping Center where it is now serving an extensive menu of Eastern European favorites.

Many in the area may already be familiar with the cafe, which has built a loyal following for its made-from-scratch Eastern European food and baked goods at its other location inside the Village Shires Shopping Center on Buck Road in Northampton Township.

While business has been "flourishing" at its Buck Road site, the owners found themselves faced with an enviable problem. With business so good, it had become a challenge accommodating its hungry patrons due to space limitations. So they made the decision to open a second location just down the road in Newtown to handle the demand.

“Our problem was that we can’t fit people in. We wanted to expand with the Newtown location so we can seat all those people,” cafe owner Madina Chilashvili told the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors last fall. “We’re very excited to bring to Newtown Eastern European cuisine.”

The cafe received conditional use approval last October from Newtown Township to open inside the former 3,200 square foot KO Korean restaurant next to the Capital Grille.

Serving French, Ukrainian, Russian and Italian made-from-scratch dishes, the cafe has built a local reputation for its Eastern European cuisine, including its soups, syrniki (fried Eastern Slavic curd cheese pancakes), and its “must try” potato pancakes.

The cafe serves an extensive breakfast menu featuring pancakes; French Toast; fresh fruit crepes, including Crepes Suzette; Turkish and American breakfasts; potato pancakes; sweet and chocolate waffles; oatmeal porridge; and syrniki (fried Eastern Slavic curd cheese pancakes).

A sampling of its lunch and dinner menu includes an assortment of sandwiches and wraps; pasta, including perogies, ravioli and rigatoni; seafood (grilled Branzino, baked Dorado, Salmon Steak and Poke bowls); and entrees ranging from duck confit, rabbit stew, Kyiv cutlet, lamb chops and chicken stroganoff to filet mignon, bone in ribeye and New York Steak. The BYOB cafe also offers an extensive selection of appetizers, soups, salads and desserts.

"Flourish Cafe is a a true oasis of comfort and gastronomic excellence," says its website. "The cafe combines European cuisine and a homey atmosphere, which creates unique comfort for each guest. We are proud of our delicious dishes, which are prepared from fresh ingredients according to signature recipes with love for our business and guests. From mocktails to signature lemonades, our non-alcoholic drinks add a touch of freshness and fun to every dish."

The restaurant’s customers give Flourish Cafe high marks for its food and service.

“If you’re looking for something different and exceptional, check out this cute cafe,” one reviewer wrote. “Incredible fresh ingredients and homemade desserts will wow your palate.”

Another posted, “Loved every single dish we tried! Chicken dumplings are truly homemade and delicious. Syrnikis are out of this world! My favorite combo was with mango and passion fruit. They also have plenty of traditional desserts like honey cake, waffles and even Muraveinik. The service was great. Will definitely be back. One of my most favorite places now.”

Another wrote, “The cozy Flourish Cafe with its delicious menu and beautiful interior made a wonderful impression. Our waitress was very attentive and kind. This is a cafe you'll want to return to. I especially recommend trying the zucchini waffles with shrimp!”

For information to to make reservations, call 267-983-7821.