A self-described moral vegetarian, Heide Rivghun envisioned the blue Victorian home as an eclectic vegetarian café long before the restaurant opened in April 2001. She owned the quaint home located on Larchmere and rented it out as an apartment during the years that she worked to accumulate the funds and convince her longtime friend Carol Fitzgerald to leave a chef position in Manhattan to head the kitchen for her.

The rooms inside, filled with mismatched tables and chairs, remain clearly distinguishable as a dining room, living room, and kitchen. The cozy atmosphere actually resembles a home more than a restaurant. Artwork and photographs by local artists and Heide's friends cover the walls, and a variety of lamps give the rooms a comforting glow. On some occasions, musicians and theater productions provide entertainment. At other times the Café holds charity events and parties. Soon, a regular series of holistic discussions will take place there.

By offering appetizing and affordable food, as well as encouraging her patrons to relax with friends, linger while reading a book, or set up shop to complete a homework assignment, Heide has developed a loyal customer base. At the same time, she says that she sees new people walk through the door every day. Often, the new patrons are unaware that they have just entered a vegetarian restaurant.

Using only the freshest ingredients, Carol combines harmonious flavors and pleasing textures. She only uses rennet–free cheeses and eggs from cage–free chickens that have been fed natural grains. She also cooks using local and organic produce as often as possible. Many of the dishes are dairy–free, but, unfortunately, the menu has little to offer to those requiring gluten-free options.

Ordering from the counter, we reviewed the menu and the daily specials handwritten whimsically on paper bags. Prepared fresh daily, the menu offers a variety of tasty vegetarian dishes at extremely affordable prices, ranging from $3.95 to $7.25. The delicious aromas wafting over us from the open kitchen made it difficult to decide between the soups, salads, pizzas, sandwiches, pastas, and stir-fry. As one of those who prefer to taste a bit of everyone's meals, I delightedly found that we were all willing to share.

Perfect for the crisp fall weather outside, we sampled both of the hearty soup offerings: spicy sweet potato, carrot, pumpkin, and roasted red pepper; and creamy split pea with grilled portabellas topped with crumbled mock bacon. The spicy sweet potato soup was milder than the title suggested but had a unique and delicious balance of fall flavors. The portabellas gave the split pea soup a satisfying texture (one you could bite into) and the mock bacon added a salty, smoky dimension.

The salad special, marinated mangos and sun dried tomatoes on mixed baby greens with black olives, grape tomatoes, toasted almonds, and sesame seed dressing boasted an exceptional combination of sweet and tangy flavors. The salad on the regular menu came topped with an amazing cucumber-wasabi ranch dressing.
We ordered the individual sized pizza without cheese and topped with artichoke hearts, red onions, black olives, and pesto. We found it quite appetizing. The crust was thick but light, and the pesto was clearly fresh.

The scrumptious hot sandwich arrived with melted Swiss cheese oozing out the sides of the ciabatta bread that held artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, black olives, and pesto. With a savory combination of flavors, I can understand why this one is Heide's favorite!

Unfortunately, the kitchen was out of the lime avocado spread that usually tops the grilled portabella burger. But these things happen when a restaurant is committed to only cooking with the freshest ingredients. Because this sandwich is uniquely prepared with chopped up portabellas formed into a patty, I look forward to ordering it again when the spread is available.

The stir-fry, a hearty offering of spinach, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, red and green peppers, red onion, and portabella mushrooms on a bed of wild rice, arrived with two deliciously spicy sauces: a curry Thai peanut and a maple almond teriyaki. The sauces perfectly complemented the simply prepared stir-fry but are not for someone shy of spiciness.

Although quite full and content, I have this thing for desserts and persuaded the others to indulge a bit further. Selecting a dairy-free option, we sampled the delectably nutty and rich peanut butter cookies. Other dessert options included carrot cake, brownies, and other cookies all prepared fresh daily.

I can see why Café Limbo has developed a crowd of “regulars.” It was hard to pull myself from the snug atmosphere to go back out into the crisp fall night. The appetizing offerings at affordable prices will entice me to go back, and I look forward to checking out their musical performances and holistic discussions.

Café Limbo serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner Tuesday through Friday from 6:30 am to 8:30 pm, Saturdays from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm, and Sundays from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm. They also offer take out, catering, and party space. In addition to the thirty or so diners that can be seated inside, the backyard is filled with another dozen tables. The Café has applied for a liquor license and will soon offer a selection of beers and wines.

Café Limbo is located at 12706 Larchmere Boulevard in Cleveland and can be reached by calling (216) 707-3333.