By Kiya McClenton

Haven Haus Cafe is the latest trending food craving in the Inland Empire. Located just 3.1 miles south of the Rancho Cucamonga Chaffey campus, this cafe offers a wide variety of affordable food and drinks choices for people of all ages to enjoy. My family and I recently had the pleasure to indulge in the delicious food at Haven Haus Cafe, and I am excited to review our meal!

We arrived on a Sunday afternoon to make our in-person reservations. I quickly noticed how packed and busy the establishment was, with several other parties waiting as well. The wait for our reservation was about an hour long; fortunately Haven Haus is located right across from the Terra Vista Town Center, so we stopped by a few shops until we were notified that our table was ready.

Once returning for our reservation, we were promptly seated and given menus by our lovely server Yasmine. Although she had many guests to tend to, Yasmine made sure to constantly check up on each of her tables and quickly get whatever was requested.

We started our order with some water and the mimosa flight. This drink flight contained 4 glasses of different flavored mimosas: orange, cranberry, peach, and mango. Although they were in small glasses, these drinks were deliciously strong for their size, so I was satisfied with the amount given. The drink presentation was even cuter, with the 4 glasses being held on a drink carrier with sweet fruit and flower garnishes.

Next was our orders of appetizers and entrees. Our appetizer was the Corn Ribs; corn cobs sliced in rib-like shapes, topped with butter, mayo, crumbled cotija cheese, cilantro, and lime. This appetizer was a nice reminder of the elotes many of us Californians grew up enjoying. The next order was the honey chicken biscuit sliders; 3 chicken tenders smothered in a honey sriracha sauce and coleslaw on homestyle biscuits. The sweet and spicy chicken tender tied great together with the buttered biscuit, and was the perfect combination of breakfast with lunch. The next order was the chicken avocado bacon sandwich; a grilled chicken breast, applewood bacon, swiss cheese, fresh guacamole, lettuce and tomato on a crescent brioche bun. This sandwich was crispy and the chicken was very flavorful, with a very similar taste of a chicken club sandwich. Lastly, I ordered the shrimp ceviche; marinated shrimp mixed with onion, tomato, cucumber, avocado, jalapeno and cilantro with a balsamic glaze. The balsamic glaze with the ceviche was a new flavor combination for me, and I was very pleased with how amazing the different food combinations compliment each other, bringing both a sweet and savory flavor.

After our meal, I asked Yasmine more questions about her motivation as a server and what kind of vibe she feels the establishment brings to the community. She describes the cafe’s vibe as, “LA comes to the I.E”. With decor similar to those that you’d find in cafes in Los Angeles, Haven Haus gives an internet trendy brunch vibe that the people in our community don’t have to go far to find. The gourmet food further gives off this vibe, with an eye-catching presentation style that looks amazing on any camera screen, and tastes even better! The well-kept cafe is designed and decorated with furniture that exudes the LA aesthetic, with neon signs and green plants along the walls, which make a lovely background for any photo op.

I also had the fortune of meeting Haven Haus Cafe’s owner, Daniel, who happened to be hosting that day, and I was able to obtain more information about the establishment’s history. Although opening in late September 2022 as the height of the COVID pandemic began slowing down, the business at Haven Haus started off very slowly with just a few customers coming in every day. Daniel states that the community’s support made a huge impact on their development. As more people in the Rancho Cucamonga community began discovering the restaurant and leaving reviews, the establishment started to become fastly recognized in the community.

With their fastly growing success, Haven Haus Cafe sees so many guests every day that their wait time for tables is often over an hour long. Although some may not be very ecstatic about the hour-long wait, I would argue that there has to be something amazing about the food that there would be that many people willing to wait and eat there.

After the success of the Rancho Cucamonga location, Haven Haus Cafe opened another location in April of 2024 under the same name in the Old Town Temecula area. This location offers a dinner service Thursday-Saturday from 4pm-9pm alongside their normal hours.

Both Daniel and Yasmine expressed that building a connection with their guests through their food and services is most important to their work life. They both urged that they want guests to feel included, with the many food options for anyone to enjoy. From amazing cocktails, sweet brunch, savory sandwiches and a yummy kids menu, there are options for anyone of any age to choose from. With many positive reviews and over 18,000 followers on Instagram, Haven Haus takes their community engagement seriously, making all guests feel welcomed, excited, and carefree inside the cafe. Eating at this cafe was both a great food and environmental experience, and I would gladly return to this establishment any day!

Heaven on Haven Avenue