Intro – Mosaic Cafe is a small shop located on the first floor of Oak Park Mall, which opened this past summer. With warm and inviting decorations lining each wall, it was easy to find, especially with the sweet aroma of chocolate spilling outside. Service was quick, and the employee was even quicker to answer our questions. Purple christmas lights, clean white walls, floral mosaic art and a mickey mouse inflatable gave its atmosphere ambience, vibrance and a festive appeal. Mosaic cafe is small and cozy, but not crowded, making it the perfect place to catch up with your friend… or date. The menu features hot ticket items like Dubai chocolate, matcha and churros. But it also included lesser known treats like baklava, lahmacun (sort of like Turkish pizza) and dolma, which is rice filled grape leaves. This cafe is a hidden gem of Oak Park Mall, it offers an authentic take on Dubai chocolate and an experience of Turkish cuisine that isn’t often accessible. If you are looking for a sweet treat or a savory bite while out shopping, we recommend Mosaic Cafe.
Dubai strawberries ($12.50)
Greta – The unique texture of the Dubai filling added a fun spin on the classic combo of strawberries and chocolate. The strawberries were so refreshing, and the cup was full to the brim. The portion size was huge, and I definitely felt the price was reasonable. This was my favorite out of the three things we tried, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone going to Mosaic Cafe for the first time. 4.5/5
Sofia – I loved the Dubai chocolate’s soft and crunchy texture. At first, I thought the sweetness would be overpowering and honestly give me a major headache. It ended up being much more subtle. The strawberries had a slight tartness, and they did not skimp on the chocolate, or Dubai. The portion ends up feeling bigger than you think it is. So I’d either split it with someone, or you can get it yourself if you’re okay with throwing away $6 worth of strawberries. I understand why this is their most popular product! 3/5
Spinach Spiral Bodek ($6.99)
Greta – On first glance, this is a stunning pastry. The flaky, yet moist, filo dough added a unique texture and the savory spinach paste inside was a very nice palette cleanser after the other two sweet dishes we tried. The flavor of the spinach was very faint, and I wish it was a little more creamy to make the flavor pop. Other than the nice texture, this didn’t stand out to me. Especially with the price, I probably wouldn’t order it again. 3/5
Sofia – This was definitely my favorite of the items we tried. I was super excited that the filling would be similar to spinach artichoke dip, and it was. There was less cream, and a lot more spinach, which I preferred. I didn’t think the spinach tasted too earthy. It was well seasoned. And I loved the buttery thin filo pastry. It was very hot, but not greasy or oily, which was important in helping hold its shape. I liked that the pastry got more doughy toward its center. I wanted to order two! The price was good for it being so filling and flavorful. 4.5/5
Strawberry Matcha ($6.49)
Greta – The strawberry matcha had distinct layers of pink and green, and a sweet, but not overpowering, strawberry taste. While matcha by itself, to me, tastes like $6 milk, this strawberry matcha tasted like $6 dollar strawberry milk, and that is a beautiful thing. It was a refreshing and sweet beverage that I would definitely recommend ordering, especially if you decide to try one of their sweet pastries and treats. 4/5
Sofia – I am an avid matcha drinker, not performatively, so I was excited to try it. I was more excited by the fact that I’d end up drinking most of it, since my co-reviewer not only doesn’t like matcha, but is very lactose intolerant. The strawberry and matcha complemented each other very well. It’s easy for one flavor to overpower the other, but this felt balanced, not too sweet or bitter. I stopped tasting the strawberry after six or so sips. And it does go from a beautiful light green and bright pink to brown creek water fast. I liked this a lot initially, but then the novelty wore off when its flavor did. Not my favorite, I might order again, but wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it, unless you need cute Instagram pictures. 2.5/5
