Growing up in Orange County in the mid-1980s, I was mesmerized by the grandeur of Nordstrom. The South Coast Plaza department store not only held the brands I coveted, like Guess and Esprit, but it had a freaking restaurant inside of it. I’ll never forget shopping for my first prom dress with my mom, then hitting the top floor for iced tea and turkey clubs. How grown-up.
When I became a mom, I found myself returning to the Marketplace Cafe, this time in the Bay Area. I’d push my son’s stroller down Broadway in the relentless Walnut Creek heat, thankful for the large patio overlooking Mount Diablo, where we’d linger with other moms and tykes.
The restaurant is still there, next to the children’s department, where it has been for the past 39 years. In fact, of the six Nordstroms left in Northern California, only the Walnut Creek and San Mateo stores still house old-school cafes. The other locations — Palo Alto, Corte Madera, Santa Clara and Roseville — have more updated concepts. You’ll know you’re in a Marketplace Cafe because it feels like a nice cafeteria, with various shades of brown and overall ’80s decor.
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The exterior of Nordstrom Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Calif., on April 28, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
A customer orders at the counter at the Nordstrom Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Calif., on April 28, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
The roasted turkey and avocado club at the Nordstrom Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Calif., on April 28, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
The menu differences are subtle, but Marketplace Cafe is less about blistered Brussels sprouts and more about classic dishes executed with intention: a double cheeseburger too good to smash, a tomato basil soup so comforting they jarred it for sale.
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And despite the plethora of dining options in and around Broadway Plaza these days, Nordstrom’s own has a surprisingly loyal following, which is rooted in taste, ease and the same kind of nostalgia I have for the cafe, as I found out on a recent Tuesday.
“I’ve been coming since I was 5 years old with my mom,” Ava MacKay, 24, of Lafayette, told me while seated on the back patio. “We’d be walking around the old Walnut Creek mall and my sister and I would probably bug her at some point about needing food and we would always come here. We come back because the food is actually good and because it’s convenient.”
The interior of the Nordstrom Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Calif., on April 28, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
The menu of the Nordstrom Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Calif., on April 28, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
Over at the counter, a small line starts to form around noon. The counter is long and dramatic, with a pastry case of fresh-baked treats, a selection of wines, and other goodies, like Nordstrom chocolates and coffee beans. Regulars, some of whom have been coming here for 20 or 30 years, put in orders for their go-tos — a French dip on Parmesan baguette, a simple Margherita pizza, penne Bolognese — and scatter to tables in the two dining rooms. Three smartly dressed retirees tuck into their usual corner booth, dipping into creamy coffees and cookies even though their salmon nicoise salads have already hit the table. “We’re die-hard fans,” one said, giggling. “Shopping and eating — what’s better?”
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It’s rare for a counter spot to take table service so seriously. But that’s the drill at Marketplace Cafe, which employs servers who’ve been there for 20-plus years, said Becky Mulligan, Nordstrom’s vice president of restaurant operations. Another interesting factoid about the Walnut Creek cafe: It was the first full-service Nordstrom restaurant and the first to serve beer and wine, Mulligan told SFGATE.
Customers dine on the outdoor balcony with a view of Mount Diablo at the Nordstrom Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Calif., on April 28, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
The Nordstrom Double Beef Burger with kettle chips at the Nordstrom Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Calif., on April 28, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
The Roma Tomato Basil Soup at the Nordstrom Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Calif., on April 28, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
So, even though you order and pay, including tip, at the counter, you’re in the hands of a competent server after that. Oscar, our server, brought whatever we asked for over the course of a long, leisurely lunch: extra plates and bowls for sharing, sides of sauces. He anticipated our needs and even put my dining companion’s iced tea in a to-go cup — without being prompted — and topped it off before we left. Looking back, he deserved more than the 15% that I tacked on at the register. A tip on tips: Bring cash in case you want to leave more gratuity after the meal.
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Looking back at my two decades of popping into the cafe for a ginger sesame salad or chicken panini, I can’t remember not having a good meal. This past Tuesday was no different. The Nordstrom Double Beef Burger ($18.75) recalled the Before Times, when burgers were reasonably thick instead of doily-thin, and came with perfectly melted American cheese, roasted garlic aioli and sprightly bread-and-butter pickles that are clearly made in-house. It was the best Walnut Creek burger I’ve had in a while.
Roma Tomato Basil Soup (cup, $6.25; bowl, $9.25) is to Nordstrom’s Marketplace Cafe what Barbecue Chicken Pizza is to California Pizza Kitchen. And this weekday batch did not disappoint; it was velvety-smooth and earthy-sweet, which allegedly comes from the recipe’s abundant use of carrots. Whether you’re ordering the soup or not, a Rustic Cheddar Chive Biscuit ($3.75) is a must; it arrived warm and was perfect for dunking. The staff bakes everything served at the restaurant and in its downstairs Ebar.
The exterior of Nordstrom Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Calif., on April 28, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
Customers dine at the Nordstrom Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek, Calif., on April 28, 2026.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
But the Marketplace meal is a dying breed at Nordstrom, which turns 125 this year. Nearly 30 years ago in 1998, the department store chain’s Classic Cafes were turned into Marketplace Cafes, with an expanded menu and updated look, according to Mulligan. The Classic Cafe dates back to 1980, at Nordstrom’s flagship store in Seattle; the Walnut Creek cafe opened seven years later. Now there’s Bazille, which Mulligan described as “a more elevated dining experience with handcrafted cocktails.” Today, it’s the concept at Valley Fair, Stanford Shopping Center and The Village at Corte Madera.
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On my way out of one of Northern California’s last old-school Nordstrom cafes, I stopped to chat with two young mothers on the patio. They had set up camp, just like we used to do, with strollers, diaper bags and baby bottles spread around them. Jen Choi, of Concord, told me she appreciates the ample seating and food quality.
“I come here with my mom,” she said, feeding her 6-month-old. “It’s easy, it’s quiet and the view is stunning.”
Marketplace Cafe, Nordstrom, 1200 Broadway Plaza, Third Floor, Walnut Creek. Open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
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