Peach Valley Café is a hidden gem of Gainesville’s dining. Located on 3275 SW 34th Street, it is a Southern style breakfast and lunch café that somewhat reminds me of a Cracker Barrel or Bob Evans. I’d never heard of it until I went with a group of friends to celebrate my friend’s birthday.
I would highly recommend new diners order the apple fritters. They are by far the best thing I had there and alone are worth a return visit. Made with Granny Smith apples and homemade batter these fried balls of goodness are coated with a cinnamon sugar mix and served with a dish of strawberry yogurt- the perfect dipping sauce for these delectable, highly addictive treats. I easily cleaned my plate of all of them.
I considered ordering the pecan cinnamon roll pancakes (alas I’ll have to return for a second trip), but ended up getting the philly steak and egg croissant benedict, which is philly beef steak grilled with mushrooms, peppers, red onions, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. When it came out, I was surprised at how large of a sandwich it was. It’s definitely a sandwich you only want to try tackling with a knife and fork in your hand. I have to say, I was quite impressed with the creativity of this sandwich. I never had thought of combining a philly cheese steak and an egg croissant sandwich, but in some weird way, it worked. The flakiness and butteriness of the croissant complimented the savory flavor of the steak and the vegetables. The sandwich was served with their breakfast potatoes, which were extremely tasty, and a small cup of extremely fresh seasonal fruit that added a bit of sweetness to such a savory dish.
I also ordered a café iced caramel coffee, which was topped with whipped cream and drizzled with caramel sauce. I found it to be perfectly sweet and rounded out my food well.
Overall, I was quite happy with my food there and was impressed with the both the service and the atmosphere. I would happily return there for more (especially for more of those apple fritters!). Bon appétit!
