In the middle of two railroad crossings stands a little cafe called Off the Rails Cafe. Inside are several televisions playing sports TV, a pool table and a plethora of yummy foods. Early this year, Off the Rails joined the East Idaho dining community as a sports, food and family establishment.
“My husband got the wild idea of wanting to open a restaurant,” said the owner, Marissa Ward. “He said, ‘Let’s do it while we are 25 instead of 50,’ so we went for it.”
Owners Tanner and Marissa Ward took their prior management and cooking experience to embark in the restaurant business in January of 2023. “He enjoys cooking,” Marissa said. “He does the cooking and I take care of everything up front.”
The menu items at the cafe offer a wide variety of American cuisine classics, or as Marissa describes it, pub food. From wings to sandwiches to burgers, the menu offers guests tasty and traditional appetizers and meals.
Some of the more popular items on the menu Marissa says are wings, burgers and the mozzarella sticks. “My personal favorites from the menu are the chicken wrap and the bacon cheeseburger,” Marissa said. Each burger is served with double patties and the wings come with the option of a variety of flavors from barbeque, buffalo, cajun or mango habanero.
The cafe not only offers guests yummy meals but is also a source of fun.
“We have a few TVs here that play NFL games and a pool table,” Marissa said. “We are hoping to get a dart board or a pinball machine soon in the future.”
The atmosphere at the cafe is nothing short of inviting and aside from the yummy foods, the cafe serves beer and canned cocktails. “We are very family-friendly here,” Marissa said. “We have kids’ menus and teenagers like to come and play pool here. It’s a good place to sit down in the AC or the heat during lunch breaks and we have a Happy Hour.” Happy Hour runs from 2-5 p.m. when you can buy one beer or canned cocktail and get one free.
Families enjoy spending time with each other at the cafe over a delicious meal, a friendly competition of pool and watching the current sports games. “I would say we are more fast paced than a fine dining restaurant,” Marissa said. “Even during rush hour, we can get your food out within 15-20 minutes.”
The laid-back and friendly environment combined with comfort foods and comfortable seating is making this cafe special to this side of town. “This is another place where people can support local businesses,” Marissa said. “In the future, we just want to grow and keep being a part of the community.”
The cafe is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-9 p.m and Sundays from 1-9 p.m.
Head to www.off-the-rails-cafe-llc.square.site/ for more information.