Coffee Shop In Cranford Makes Restaurant List

CRANFORD, NJ — A coffee shop within walking distance of the Cranford train station may not have a website, but it still rates high with internet users.

Track 5 Coffee made an appearance recently on a list of 23 of the most popular local eateries on Yelp in 2019. Yelp released a list at the beginning of 2020.

The restaurants at the top had dozens of four and five-star reviews from customers.

Track 5, at 5 Eastman St. in Cranford, near North Avenue West, received more than 250 reviews. Patrons posted photos of espresso drinks, sandwiches, crumb cake, waffles, and more. And they also praised the friendliness of the staff.

"Expect yummy lattes and croissants that need a warning label on them of how good they are!" wrote one user. "The grilled chicken sandwich on rosemary flatbread is a must! Staff behind the counter are so nice and they even remembered my name and I've only been here twice."

A fan on Facebook, commenting on this very article, noted, "The employees take time to get to know the customers by name. Most of the time they even remember your favorite order by memory."

Owner Kevin Brennan said, in response to being on the list, "We just totally enjoy making people feel like an individual and making great coffee. Simple as that!"

Brennan said the store opened four years ago, replacing another shop he owned.

"That shop was started by me [more than] 27 years ago," he said. "It was first called Cafe Rock. Then it became a small chain (nine stores) which I called Rock N Joe. Sold the chain, kept this store out of the deal and rebranded as Track 5."

Brennan said that the lack of a store website is a good thing. "We focus all our time and energy on what goes on in the store," he said.

Track 5 ranked number 17 on the list. The first 15 restaurants in the list appeared in a NJ.com story here.

Got business news in Cranford or Westfield? Email caren.lissner@patch.com.