Though later than usual, Elderslie Farm’s seasonal outdoor cafe is ready to open
In a year when the coronavirus pandemic has some people preferring outdoor dining, one of the Wichita area’s most popular and idyllic outdoor cafes is about to open.
Bramble Cafe, the seasonal eatery that draws crowds every summer to Elderslie Farm, 3501 E. 101st St. North, is opening for the summer on Saturday.
Usually, the cafe opens the first weekend in May, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s getting started a month late.
Still, says Katharine Elder, who owns the cafe with her husband, George, she hopes it can provide a respite for people feeling unsettled about world events. Escaping to a farm setting, where baby goats are running around and plants are blooming, can be soothing for the soul, she said.
“To be able to just give people hope is so important,” she said. “It’s just tough right now.”
The cafe, which should be open until early August, will serve breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and breakfast and lunch from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
There are several additions to the menu for the cafe’s seventh year, including a pulled pork taco with elote; a farmers salad with bacon, local cheddar and house-made Ranch dressing; and a pita sandwich made with local turkey or chicken plus apple pear slaw, cranberry and house-made cheese.
The breakfast menu offers sweet and savory scones, plus tarts, muffins and a savory bread pudding. You can see the updated menu below.
People will notice some changes when they arrive at the cafe, Katharine said.
The ordering method will be different, she said, in that people will approach the counter to order, take a number and wait for their food to be delivered to their tables. In the past, people grouped up in a line where they ordered, paid and picked food up all at once.
Also this year, the cafe will not be accepting cash. Credit cards and gift cards will be the only form of payment accepted.
People who want to order gelato and cheese at the Elderslie Creamery, which the farm debuted last summer, won’t go inside but will instead order from a stand set up outside of the creamery.
Formal dining, which has been on hold during the coronavirus pandemic, will resume on June 12. When it does, Katharine said, the Elders will limit capacity and spread people out a bit more.
Dinner is served on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.
You-pick blackberry season
Besides dining, the other seasonal activity that’s become a big deal at Elderslie Farm is you-pick blackberries. The farm is known for its brambles, which produce giant, sweet and plump berries that visitors load into buckets.
The farm’s output varies from year to year depending on the weather, and 2020 won’t be a big blackberry year, George Elder said.
Unlike last year, when weather conditions were perfect and the bramble was overflowing, a May 3 hail storm stripped blossoms from the farm’s plants.
“They can only recover so much,” George said.
Picking season likely won’t start until July 4, he said, and may last only two or three weeks. People should watch the farm’s website in late June, when they’ll be able to start making you-pick reservations.
“There will just be a limited number of spots available,” he said. “We’ll do the best we can to get everybody out.”
Bramble Cafe menu
This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 2:41 PM.
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