'A Peeling' New Cafe in Orland Park: Blissful Banana

Pull up a stool and make yourself at home. There's a library in the back room where you can drop off books and just leave them there for others to read. You might try tasting a gorilla. Come again?  

A delicious drink called Gorilla Coffee is the signature drink at . This is just the start to this new cafe that not only boasts some of the best coffee in town but a menu full of healthy delicious options.

"We offer three different concepts in one," says owner Cyndi DeZutter.

Cyndi, along with her husband Dennis, opened Blissful Banana in April and it's been going great.

"Everything we do here is fresh," DeZutter said. "We bake everything fresh, all our sandwiches our fresh, we chop our vegetables the same day we serve. We also use a local roaster from Chicago. If I call today, he'll roast any beans (for coffee), get them the next day and brew them within two weeks."

The popularity of Blissful Banana has grown since it participated in Taste of Orland this summer. DeZutter re-emphasized that the secret to success is the freshness

"The food speaks for itself," she said. "We don't add nitrates or preservatives, just really fresh food. I felt this area could use something like Blissful Banana. We are vegan friendly, we also have gluten free options as well."

The food is not the only favorite at the new cafe. Blissful Banana has returning customers for their favorite pick-me-up drinks.

"Gorilla Coffee, once someone tastes it, they absolutely love it," DeZutter said. "We cold brew our coffee, which is a 12-hour brew, it's less acidic. If you are a vegan or can't have dairy, the only thing you have to omit is the whipped cream on top."

Don't expect Blissful Banana to be your typical cafe. It doesn't even carry the popular colas.

"We want to stay pure, we don't use high-fructose corn syrup. We want to give choices where you don't end up with a stomach ache or even diabetes."

She brought her nephew, Daniel, to Blissful Banana. The east coast resident brought his culinary style to mouth watering daily specials that will have you coming back for more. Some of the popular specials are the grilled Margherita Pizza, the Certified Angus Burger, Scallops over angel hair pasta and a California Club on a pretzel croissant just to name a few.

Recently, she said, a frequent customer gave less than a 24-hour notice to make Grilled Margherita Pizzas for 50 people. "We're used to giving our customers what they want." 

Cozy and comfortable is the norm at Blissful Banana. A fireplace goes on during cold winter days. There are murals of windows with a view, painted on the back walls of the cafe. No matter what day it is, you must try the dessert that the cafe is named after: the Banana Bliss.  

It's ice cream that is made from pure frozen bananas. Nothing is added. The cafe also features a fudge sauce that is pure unsweetned pineapple juice, pear, dutch cocoa and pure vanilla extract. It's fat free, gluten free and diabetic friendly. "It tastes like really delicious fudge."

The cafe is open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

"We try and keep the mood friendly," DeZutter said. "I want you to feel at home if you've been here once or a million times. Banana Bliss, the healthy food with 'a peel.'"