David K.
Yelp
As my wife said succinctly, "It's good but not great." In our neighborhood, I've dined in nearly a dozen times at Stay Cafe, including long "stays" while working and during the busy weekend morning rush. Service is always excellent and a real strength! The food is pretty good and ranges from healthy options to kinda decadent. This morning, I finally had the signature Red Velvet Pancakes, and with slightly more frosting they would have been perfect, but the side of tasty sausage links was this morning's star. The coffee is always very good and includes interesting variations that I haven't tried (eg, Red Eye). Booths are enormous and great for working over food and coffee with power outlets on the wall. However, with little effort Stay could be better by getting some details right. The space is decent with good light from the street and includes some plants and a lounge area. But despite being open for quite awhile, it's entirely devoid of any art, a conspicuous omission for our hipster neighborhood, especially on the strangely built back wall that always leaves me puzzled as to whether it was the architect or the contractor that got it so wrong. And I would argue the music is similarly devoid of art, always a poppy pablum that grows quite tiresome, imagine stuffed animals dancing among flowers (don't think I've ever criticized the music in any prior review). And some other details are off as a result of trying to be a little different. For example, although I appreciate the style of the large coffee mugs, I recently ordered a dish that was pleasing to the eye but where the actual dish would not allow me to rest a knife easily -- form without function. [Similarly, in their sister bar next door, a boozy cocktail was served with slivered citrus zest that stuck in our teeth.] No one detail is a killer alone, but they start to add up to diminish the overall experience. I will continue to go there and genuinely hope they do well and remain a convenient option in our neighborhood.