An abandoned corner at the intersection of Park and Main in Lombard has undergone a renaissance.
While it may be a bit of a stretch to credit Cafe 101 with the resurrection of life in Lombard’s downtown, there’s no denying that, before the coffeehouse’s debut last summer, al fresco diners, outdoor jazz musicians and gatherings of neighbors were a rarity at that location. “People can’t believe that this is Lombard,” said Cafe 101’s Paula Basile.
Basile, who owns the establishment with her husband, Jimmy, credits him with taking advantage of the location. “He immediately saw the possibilities here,” she said. “And it’s a nice, sunny corner.”
Along with a sense of place and a cup of joe, Cafe 101 also serves a variety of eats throughout the day. “We started serving just coffee,” Paula Basile said, “but we’ve expanded the menu to include muffins and scones, sandwiches, salads, pastas and desserts.”
Coffees include mochas, lattes, cappuccinos and espressos, served hot or cold, decaffeinated or regular, and priced at $1.95 or $2.50. “People really like the mochas,” Basile said.
Favorite bills of fare, averaging $5 to $6, include tocchinella, a roasted breast of turkey sandwich served with pesto sauce, roasted red peppers and Havarti cheese; giardino, a vegetarian sandwich with tomatoes, sprouts, cucumber, avocado, Havarti cheese and Italian dressing; and insalata caprese, which is a salad made up of sliced beefsteak tomatoes and mozzarella in olive oil garlic dressing with fresh basil.
“We also have specials on the menu that change daily,” Basile said, describing the arancini, which is a combination of rice balls, ground meat, peas and cheese; and panzarotti, a pocket pizza.
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Cafe 101
101 W. St. Charles Rd., Lombard
Hours: 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday and 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday.
Phone: 630-495-7880.
![Today’s Highlight in History: On April 24, 1995, the final bomb linked to the Unabomber exploded inside the Sacramento, California, offices of a lobbying group for the wood products industry, killing chief lobbyist Gilbert B. Murray. (Theodore Kaczynski was later sentenced to four lifetimes in prison for a series of bombings that killed three people and injured 29 others.) On this date: In 1877, federal troops were ordered out of New Orleans, ending the North’s post-Civil War rule in the South. In 1915, in what’s considered the start of the Armenian genocide, the Ottoman Empire began rounding up Armenian political […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/migration/2023/06/12/5LTPEE42BQ2O25ECG7SKBN4RV4.jpg?w=535 "Today’s Highlight in History: On April 24, 1995, the final bomb linked to the Unabomber exploded inside the Sacramento, California, offices of a lobbying group for the wood products industry, killing chief lobbyist Gilbert B. Murray. (Theodore Kaczynski was later sentenced to four lifetimes in prison for a series of bombings that killed three people and injured 29 others.) On this date: In 1877, federal troops were ordered out of New Orleans, ending the North’s post-Civil War rule in the South. In 1915, in what’s considered the start of the Armenian genocide, the Ottoman Empire began rounding up Armenian political […]")
