Recently, a new food spot was added to Glen Ridge’s quaint collection of stores. With only a pharmacy, deli, nail salon, post office, dry cleaner, and one restaurant, this new cafe-bakery combo named Whisk It All is a much-needed addition to our town’s limited food and business sector.

Whisk It All is located centrally in town on 10 Herman Street, behind the Glen Ridge Arcade and across from Fitzgerald’s 1928. It’s a local, family-run business, making it perfect for our charming small town. Though it officially opened in late November, because the store did little advertising and isn’t visibly obvious from the main street, I hadn’t heard about its opening until a few weeks ago. Since it is only open until 4 P.M on weekdays, I decided to go on the weekend when I would have time to take in everything and enjoy their most popular breakfast items.

After walking in, I was immediately shocked by how tastefully the owners transformed the space, which had previously sat idle and run down. With beautiful hardwood floors, large windows for tons of natural light, calming plants, and stylish tilework, Whisk It All boasts a delightful atmosphere to grab a snack and cup of coffee, chat with a friend, or connect to the free wifi and catch up on work. One downside is that the space is small—only four tables, a few counter seats, and a sitting area with a couch and coffee table—so on a busy morning you won’t be guaranteed a place to sit, but this is no problem if you just want something quick before walking to the train or the beautiful park across Bloomfield Avenue.

It took me a few minutes to decide what I wanted since everything looked so amazing. They have all of the delicious pastries and baked goods, freshly made by the owner, Melanie David, in a display case at the counter, which I admired before deciding to order the chocolate croissant. Other great options are the variety of cookies (including the brown butter chocolate chip cookie, their most loved), muffins, scones, and their popular croffles, a hybrid between a waffle and a croissant. I also ordered “The MJ” from their short but tasty sandwich menu, which is a panini with pesto, mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, and balsamic glaze. To complete the meal with a drink, I ordered the iced chai latte and added its brown sugar syrup flavor to it. 

Everything was ready within minutes making it super convenient for anyone who needs to grab a quick breakfast before going to work or school. The first thing I tried was the drink and… wow. Just wow. If you are a chai fan like me, I would highly recommend getting this latte and adding the brown sugar flavor to it. That flavor really completed the drink and turned it from an average chai latte to a spectacularly refreshing and satisfying summer drink. The panini, which ended up coming with homemade seasoned potato chips, was fantastic and absolutely hit the spot. It was perfect for a light, but filling lunch and was affordable too—only 10 dollars! The croissant was good but it was reheated a little too much and became a bit soggy. Overall, though, everything I tried was delicious!

I will say that this cafe is definitely not the cheapest option, but when you pay $6 for a chai latte at a place like Whisk It All, you aren’t just paying for the drink. It’s the experience, and, most of all, it’s the quality. You have to remember you are ordering from a small business, which puts much more effort into using quality ingredients than the average chain store like Starbucks, which is just a half-mile down the road from Whisk It All. Also, for me, I am happy to spend a few extra bucks now and then to support a local family business over the mega-million dollar corporations.

Melanie and her family are all super nice, and our town couldn’t be luckier to have people like them running this charming cafe. Needless to say, my experience at Whisk It All was amazing and I will be back soon to try every fabulous item they have to offer!