Joanna C.
Yelp
As a disclaimer, I've been lucky to live in a bunch of places with easy access to lots of authentic, ethnic food! So comparing the food at Global Cafe to that, but it may not be a fair comparison since there are fewer options in Memphis!
Situated in the Crosstown Concource, Global Cafe is such a great concept! With super affordable prices and a rotating menu featuring food from around the world, it's a fun spot to check out. The chefs are all friendly and it has a casual vibe where you just go and order the food directly from each station. My friends and I came and decided to share dishes from each station. We had the:
-Empanadas (chicken, beef, and potatoes and cheese): we universally liked the empanadas the most! In particular the beef and potatoes and cheese ones, which featured well-textured, crispy shells and well-seasoned and moist insides.
-Stuffed Cheese Potato Bread: you don't have to order the soup to have the bread! It was nice and soft, but we didn't love something in the potato that was on the bottom half of the bread. The top of the bread was really yummy though
-Mixed Grilled Vegetables with Tzatziki Sauce: lots of nicely grilled-vegetables, with probably the best rice of our three entree dishes. Some of the vegetables had a bit too much garlic for me, but was generally tasty
-Chicken Shawarma: the chicken was a little dry, but was well-seasoned and the vegetables in this dish were delicious. It did have our least favorite rice of the three entree dishes, but the pita was nice!
-Asado Negro Beef in Black Adobo Sauce with Rice and Fried Plantain: the sauce was too salty for me and the beef was really dry (though I usually feel this way about Asado Beef). The plantains added a nice touch, and the rice helped get rid of some of the saltiness
The dishes didn't blow my mind, but Global Cafe is a nice spot with a wonderful mission! Would love to come back for the next menu switch, or for more of those tasty empanadas!