ABOUT BRANCH CAFE & MARKET
Taste the Love
The Branch Cafe & Market is dedicated to bringing you the best quality food, pastry, coffee and drinks you can find... well, anywhere. Though we sit on the humble Historic Town Square in Carbondale, Illinois, our customers who come through from all over the country and around the world resound that we rival the best cafes from New York to Paris. Our new authentic croissant and danish pastry are to die for!
Our team brings 44 years of experience in the food service industry with a focus on making the most delicious, hand made, fresh to order food. We serve fair-trade, organic coffee and drinks, homemade European and American pastries.
In addition to being an amazing cafe, we are also a Market that offers the same grass-fed beef, line-caught salmon and organic, halal, free-range chicken that you find on the menu, in the freezer case to take home.
While you are enjoying a delicious meal, you can browse our Market displays for gifts made by local artisans, boutique food items and our Branch signature products. We feature Dayempur Herbals, Ruth & Johns handcrafted soaps and lotions, Santa Fe Vinegars and Oils, Happy Hippy Handcrafted Kombucha, and many more specialty food and gift items to take home such as our homemade Spice Rubs and Bread Mixes. The Branch Cafe & Market brings you the best of all worlds!
SERVING OUR COMMUNITY
Our goal is to serve the greater community by not only offering values driven, healthy food, but by creating a "third place" that is welcoming to all. We strive to carry the highest quality food, health and wellness products, household items and gifts featuring local, natural and sustainable ingredients wherever and whenever possible. Our paper products and packaging are compostable too. Our walls have always proudly featured a revolving array of local art. Our market shelves are teaming with handmade items from local artisans. Our block, which is located on the northeast side of Carbondale’s Historic Town Square, is a hip part of town that offers two restaurants, two bars, an advertising agency, a local radio station, a Mexican grocery store, a vintage shop, and an amazing thrift store. When you visit us, be sure to check out our information board that showcases our many partnerships. We have been regular contributors to many local causes over the years, and we help raise funds for charities and schools here as well as in Africa and Bangladesh.
PRESERVING THE HISTORY
The Branch Cafe & Market has a long and colorful history. Located on the “Levee” between the east and west sides of town, the Longbranch has always been the meeting point of our diverse community. Built in the late 1800’s, the Longbranch Saloon was a working class bar where men congregated after working all day on the railroad. In 1971, the building served as the Common Market selling local arts & crafts. Tom Egert bought the building in the 1980’s and sold futons and vintage clothing. When we bought the building from him in 1998, the Longbranch was a smoky coffeehouse serving coffee and cookies to students and professors in residence. We have spent years striving to re-enliven Downtown Carbondale and the Historic Town Square. In 2002, we launched the Historic Town Square Business Coalition, in 2009 we organized Art Around the Square, in 2012 we partnered with Carbondale Mainstreet to coordinate the Friday Night Fair and in 2013 we helped found the Downtown Arts Coalition to work on revitalizing downtown Carbondale. Building community and a sustainable local economy is meaningful to us. We are grateful that over the years many of our local organizing efforts have been taken on by our partners, and they continue to serve our community still today.