Let's Brunch: Square Cafe Review

Brunch: It's not Breakfast, It's not Lunch, It's just Better.

Welcome back to this week's segment of, "Let's Brunch." This weeks segment gets a little personal and this review may cause me to lose two of my best friends, but I am a man of the people and here to serve you all! This week's destination was Square Cafe, which is a favorite of two of my best friends (who are dating, largely because of me.. or at least I like to give myself that credit), and they have been telling me to go here for years. These two got me through my undergrad in college and helped me plan my engagement to my fiancée, so I knew this place had to be good... however...

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Alas! I finally made it to Square Cafe, and..... it did not impress me, not one bit. Do I now have to worry about my two friend's taste in brunch? One of them is my college roommate, how could I let this happen? Let's Brunch and take a closer look....

Pittsburgh Locations: Braddock, right off of the 376 E exit. 

Environment/Vibe: If you have been to Pamela's in Oakland, you will feel like you have Deja Vu when in Square Cafe due to a similar vibe and color scheme. The vibe is very laid back and they have some nice outdoor seating. Service was a bit of a disappointment as we did not have a very pleasant greeting...

Alcohol/Bottomless Mimosas?: Nope. If you are looking for a brunch to drink, this is not the place for you. (I promise a brunch with mimosas is coming soon!)

What I ate: Following the recommendation of my college roommate, I ordered the Protein Breakfast (you know, because we are about that getting yoked life), which came with 3 eggs, a choice of protein meat, and a cinnamon vanilla protein pancake. The protein pancake was VERY good and may be one of the best pancakes I ever had, but the eggs and sausage were mediocre. I mean, just look at the photo; I could have cooked up better eggs and sausage in my apartment; also, I am sure if I find a good recipe I can also make a protein pancake just as good! If you go to Square Cafe, just order the Protein Pancake breakfast, everything else is not worth it... Sorry... but not really. 

Menu Options: Square Cafe has a different menu based off of each season that leads to a wide variety of meals on the menu. Even with a large variety to choose from, nothing really "Popped" off of the menu at me. My fiancée ordered the Square Breakfast (pictured below), and as you can see, the best way to describe it is "Meh." They have some interesting bowl combinations along with your usual omelets, pancakes, french toast, etc. They also have some lunch food such as burgers and chicken sandwiches, but what really stood out was their drink menu with a combination of unique hot and cold lattes, smoothies, and milkshakes. If I were to go back, I would definitely try some of their refreshing drinks! 

Price: $$ (Average of $10 a meal). 

Pro Tip: It was all street parking and was pretty difficult to find a spot, so be prepared to search. Also, unless you're in the area, go to one of the brunch spots at the top of my list (seen below) instead of here. Hit up your local Eat n' Park and enjoy that all you can eat breakfast buffet. 

GIF Rating: 

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Overall Rating: 6.5/10.

6.5 is my lowest rating given so far. When I go to brunch, I have high expectations and expect to be wowed, but I just did not have that here. I want my two best friends to know that I'm not mad that a perfectly good brunch afternoon did not live up to my expectations... but just know that I am disappointed, but still love you both! 

Have brunch spots you think we should try? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

-Aaron (AKA: Big Brunch Guy), TGYK

Current Brunch Rankings

1. Café Mona LA Bistro- 10
2. First Watch- 9.5
3. Waffles Incaffeinated- 9
4. Square Cafe- 6.5