JJ O.
Yelp
Food: I got the shakshuka and coffee, I can't recall what exactly I wasn't too jazzed about, but I hate to say it wasn't up to standard Vegas coffee. At the time when this place just opened, I feel/thought the coffee was good, but now with new businesses coming into town with insanely good coffee... this place tasted like Mr. coffee (very watered down), not in a good way. If I do go back, I'm skipping any espresso drinks. My bf got a cold brew and would have rather wasted his money than take bad coffee to go. I on the other hand took the bad coffee to go with the intention of "fixing it" rather than leaving $5-6 on the table.
I got the shakshuka, which is a delicious tomato-based stew with poached eggs. It's typically a Moroccan / Tunisian dish (I think? Correct me if I'm wrong!) and goes well with runny egg yolks and crusty bread, it's often topped with fresh parsley or cilantro. Again, sad to say, this dish is supposed to be simple stewed tomatoes with well-seasoned ingredients. Unfortunately, it was underseasoned and underwhelming, it tasted like canned tomatoes dumped into a bowl with salt and pep. I was hoping for something with more flavor depth. There were a little too many jalapenos, I love some heat, but the day I went I got a dish from someone who chose violence with the peppers.
Service: it was ok, I have no fault here with the staff. They did a great job clearing tables quickly and delivering food right away. The setup is to order at the counter, take a ticket, and find a seat. I will say this right up front, I hate this setup. I understand it's probably easier for the front and back of the house and it was done this way for a reason, but on a personal note (not that it really matters, to be honest), I hate being a hawk for seating, it's awkward. So in order to secure a table, my bf ordered and I hunted down the cleanest table, it required coordinated effort to dine here (kidding). I liken it to following someone in a packed parking garage at the Grove or Americana in Glendale, I'm being dramatic, but tldr: I don't like the setup, I prefer sitdown with table-side service. Oh I also had to ask for cutlery because it wasn't provided.
Overall: It's been a long time since I've dined here. Since then they've made a lot of changes to the interior and expanded the dining areas. It's quite loud and busy for a brunch place which is expected and signs indicating it's good, sadly wasn't really the case the day we went. I will not be rushing back here for the food or coffee. Maybe I should give this place another shot, but with the crowd and ordering setup, it's likely I won't be back anytime soon. My other gripe is the open case of all their pastries. I would have hoped they would have enclosed it by now, but it's still an open case. My issue with it is flies. Not saying flies can't get into a closed case, but having it open just makes it easier for pests.