Budget friendly and comfort combined

Island Cafe & Restaurant located along Middle Road across Mobil Gas Station opened in December with the vision to serve budget-friendly quality meals. (Bea Cabrera)

Island Café & Restaurant located along Middle Road is filled with two things: Good food at budget-friendly prices and comfortable interior that will make you want to stay there for hours. These are what owner Kyung Hee Park has envisioned for the community of Saipan—a café and restaurant where they can enjoy good food and relax from the daily grind.

“There are many restaurants that people find expensive… they are nice places but it doesn’t have to be that way. This was the idea behind opening Island Café & Restaurant where family and friends don’t have to worry about money but only to enjoy their food while being in a safe and comfortable environment, like being in their own homes,” she said.

“I want families to come here and have a good experience…I have been on Saipan for 25 years, I am now 50 years old and serving the community this way makes me happy,” she added.

Living on Saipan half of her life makes Island Cafe & Restaurant owner Kyung Hee Park know what the community needs in terms of providing opportunity to enjoy dining out without hurting their wallets. (Bea Cabrera)

Island Café & Restaurant has an array of dishes—from breakfast meals, to inviting pasta dishes, to island favorites. They also have pastries that will go well with your coffee, tea, smoothies, and frappes. “‘Breakfast All Day’ ranges from $5 to $10, our pasta dishes range from $12 to $14 inclusive of soup… one of our specialties is our carbonara as we make the sauce from scratch and it comes with chicken, bacon, mushroom, and garlic to provide a rich and fragrant dish that many will love,” Park said.

“One of our ‘Island Favorites’ dishes is Boneless Fried Chicken. We use chicken leg meat marinated in our special secret sauce that results in a juicy and delicious fried chicken… we also have all-time Korean favorites and soul food like bulgogi, tteokbboki and bibimbap… We offer ‘croffles’ made with croissant dough that is fermented for three hours before baking, a very popular dessert in Korea,” Park added.

According to Park, aside from the main café and restaurant, they also have three private rooms for company meetings and celebrations. “We cater to various celebrations like birthdays, bridal parties, baby showers, private meals, etc. and offer free decorations… the first room can seat 10 people, the second eight people, and the third, 14 to 16 people. We do not charge for room use as we only need minimum of four persons with food order of $10 or more and they can stay for three hours,” she said.

Island Cafe & Restaurant will impress you with its clean and modern interiors that aims to give comfort and relaxation while you dine. (Bea Cabrera)

“We also have a photo booth where family and friends can have their photos taken to remember good memories… we have parking in front and at the back… our goal is to make everyone happy, safe, and comfortable especially during this time of the pandemic…. I find it a blessing whenever customers give a simple compliment about the delicious food we serve,” she added.

Island Café & Restaurant is located across Mobil Gas Station along Middle Road. They are open Monday-Sunday from 8am to 9pm. For more information, call (670) 234-0190 and (670) 483-8825. Check them out on Facebook: Island Café & Restaurant and Instagram: @islandcafe670.