Collingswood, NJ
This past weekend Adam asked if I wanted to go to brunch at Sabrina’s Cafe. Sabrina’s has been a brunch spot staple in the Philly area for years now; I think I first went over a decade ago at their now-closed Italian Market location. Adam and I have ventured to the University City location once or twice, and we are lucky to have a location about 15 minutes away from us in Collingswood, NJ. On our way there I was thinking about writing a post just about Sabrina’s, but I realized that Collingswood is a true gem in our area, and I figured I’d write about the town as a whole, because it is a great place to visit if you are in South Jersey!
Collingswood has a true “small-town” field to it. While it’s not called Main Street, the main drag of Collingswood is full of wonderful local shops and restaurants; from craft stores to coffee shops, artisinal soaps and dress shops, Sabrina’s, sushi, and pizza, Haddon Avenue has a plethora of places to spend the day exploring and eating. It just so happened that we went on a Saturday morning and the Collingswood Farmer’s Market was open! This farmer’s market has been named one of the top farmers markets in America and features fresh, local produce from NJ farmers. I’ve always known there are tons of farms in NJ (it’s what we’re known for!) and I’ve visited some myself, but it was crazy to me to see names of farms I’ve never even heard of! There were flowers and fresh eggs and cheeses as well as local honey, handmade soaps, and local coffee being fresh-ground. There were two live music acts at either end of the market, and there were adirondack chairs set up in front of the one act where you could sit, relax, and listen to music.
We strolled up and down Haddon Ave. a few times and did some window shopping. I learned from a sign on their library (which also had a shelf of free books outside for the taking!) that there is going to be a book festival in October, which has actually been going on for almost 20 years! I will definitely be checking that out and shared it with my book club. In doing some research on Collingswood for this post, I found that they have a Clover Market, which is like the farmers market but even bigger with a wider variety of vendors. They also host a Second Saturday (similar to Philly’s First Friday) which features local artists and vendors and is just a celebration of creativity. Collingswood also hosts their own Restaurant Week, which will be October 10-15 this year. There is a calendar that shows the events in the community that are almost daily into December.
We had a really nice few hours strolling through the avenue, we had a great brunch, and it was nice getting outside and enjoying fresh air! I also picked up a peach salsa, apple cranberry butter, and pumpkin butter, all of which are locally made and super delicious! I highly suggest if you are in the South Jersey area that you check out Collingswood, there is great food and an active community. You can also easily access Collingswood from Philly by taking the PATCO high speed line; the stop in Collingswood is just two blocks away from Haddon Ave., and it’s a great place to spend the day as a family.
Shrimp & Grits from Sabrina’s Cafe
Stuffed French toast latte from Sabrina’s Cafe.
