Friends and I ate here for breakfast on a Saturday morning. Â We were pleasantly surprised to find an open table outside and in the shade, a wonderful bonus. Â The waitstaff were very pleasant (we had a lot of questions for them). Â I really enjoyed the extensive drinks list, including iced coffees, lots of tea options and some fun stuff like bubble tea and a coffee drink with ice cream in it. Â Would really enjoy ordering more fun drinks if I were to return.
The food was only okay, nothing too special. Â It was odd eating breakfast at a place that doesn't have a griddle so no potatoes, pancakes, or sunny side eggs. Â Those are mainstays of an American breakfast place and our party was a little irked. Â We did still enjoy our food, basic breakfast offerings.
Would certainly return for the convenient location and drink menu.
this place has a really good atmosphere. the service is okay. the food is okay. i enjoy eating outdoors in the shade. indoors feels a little too cozy, with all that fresh ocean air right outside the door.
it took me quite a while before i actually tried this place, i think i tried every other restaurant on the block first. the menu didn't really do much for me. when i finally did eat here, i wasn't really impressed.
this place earns 5 stars for ambience, a cool laid back artsy vaguely European style cafe atmosphere, they often have live music on Friday and Saturday evenings, a very friendly sort of place.. They use Illy Cafe (a big plus) and make excellent espresso drinks!! The food is generally Mediterranean/Greek  in theme and is fresh and decent, but not spectacular, the meats could use more seasoning/marination in my opinion. the restaurant is very clean and there are some tables out on the sidewalk.. Given that I don't know of any other place like this in the greater Atlantic City area as far as the ambience/atmosphere; I have been here several times and will come back many more.  Oh the tiramisu is homemade and is awesome,  served with ice cream it is a pretty huge dessert which probably could be shared..
Review Source:I recently tried the roast brisket panini and was very disappointed.
The brisket was hard as a rock, and tasted like it was left over from another holiday. Â It was served on a roll and that was fine. Â
The owners father used to make brisket on Friday nights at another restaurant in Ventnor and it was always delicious. Â I was hoping for the same quality but was not there. Â I have not tried any other meals at Malelani.
Malelani is my favorite place to get lunch in Ventnor. George Drakopoulos is the owner and chef, and often works alongside his sister Maxi and his parents, giving the place a homey, family feel. The paninis are awesome, the coffees and teas are great, and the staff is lovely. George and his family are supporters of local musicians and artists and always have art shows and open mic nights.
Of all the options at Malelani, my personal favorites are: The Dusk Special - a homemade chicken salad panini with guacamole and bacon; Crispy French Toast - rice crispy covered french toast with syrup; and the Tiramisu. I would also recommend the Parma Panini and the Chicken Salad Salad, but everything at Malelani is great and you can't really make a bad call.
Malelani is a unique cafe with an artsy vibe and inviting atmosphere. Ventnor needs more places like Malelani to bring more culture to the town.
Yelp helped me find Malelani and I'd like to think there were some other places nearby, but I couldn't find any. Â I first discovered Malelani when cycling down Atlantic Avenue early in the morning and spotting the Illy coffee logo (a rare site in Atlantic City and environs). Â
Fresh food, cooked well with a Greek Med influence. Â Good portions. Â Wait staff is friendly and fun. Â Atmosphere is local and artsy, all the while inviting. Â Take-out is great for the beach, which is two blocks away.
Good for health conscious and vegan/vegetarians alike. Food was fresh, tasty and came out quickly. They were able to accommodate my requests as well. I had the mediterranian veggie Panini and it was great. I asked for them to add Guacamole to mine. The inside had a college town feel to it, kind of artsy. They had live music when we got there which was a nice touch and also added to that college like cafe.
Review Source:We happened upon this little corner restaurant and decided to give it a try. The staff was super friendly and the food was good. Seems like they specialize in breakfast and light lunch fare, along with a wide variety of teas. There is some outdoor seating, and they seemed to have a steady take out business.
Review Source:If I were held at gunpoint by terrorists and asked to describe Malelani Cafe in one word(hey it could happen), that word would be "sunshiney." Â The terrorists might get super mad at me for using a word that doesn't appear in the Oxford English Dictionary but then I'd point out that they only asked me to pick a word and that the word didn't have to be real, or even in English for that matter....yet I digress.
This is a delightful little place to get brunch. Â They have a diverse selection of paninis, wraps, and breakfast items. Â The setting is bright and happy. Â The servers seem really enthusiastic and the restroom is spotless. Â I like this place.
The mexican chicken wrap is a good bet. Â If you want something more breakfast-y, the egg and cheese on a croissant roll definitely rocks. Â This place gets extra points for having ample Tabasco sauce at all of the tables.
We came because someone recommended it as a place where music and art are trying to thrive. Â We were told wed and sun had live entertainment, and showed up on a wed. Â Our intent was to eat dinner, but after looking at the menu, decided this was a place for a snack or light meal, not so much a dinner. Â We got coffee and a dessert instead. Â The coffee was fine, nothing remarkable. Â The tiramisu was pretty tasty, with a scoop of ice cream. Â Nice. Â
There was a guitarist, who was doing an ok job, playing pop tunes. Â A bit out of place for a coffee house, it was as if he was rehearsing for a beach bar gig he got. Â A few folks were "drawing" the music. Â I really loved the idea, but the execution just wasn't so great. Â In anycase, I don't fault the cafe - I applaud them for trying to create a creative space in the community. Â Â
I am really curious to see how the open mic on saturdays go.
I ate dinner here and found Malelani's food to be unremarkable. I ordered the Mediterranean panini and my wife ordered the tuna panini. My Mediterranean had hummus, spinach, mushroom and tomato. The bread was flavorful, slightly warm, and a little crispy from being toasted. The sandwich didn't have enough food in it. It was bread heavy which makes me feel like I'm eating a wish sandwich. The tomato was completely lifeless, mealy and lacking flavor. The sub shop down the street had excellent tomatoes earlier that day, so it's not like they're not available. The hummus had an acceptable taste but wasn't unique or particularly fresh. The spinach tasted ok but there was so little on it, it didn't matter.
My wife's tuna was better but had the same pitiful tomato. The lettuce was crispy. The tuna was pleasant but didn't have any signature taste (eg no curry powder or even black pepper).
We got the lava cake for dessert. It was fair but the ice cream was half melted.
The only plus to this place is we came on a night when they had open mic live entertainment. That was nice but it doesn't make the food taste any better.
You should not eat dinner here. Maybe this place is ok for coffee or breakfast.
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