The Gold Standard Cafe

Great food! Many vegan and vegetarian dishes. Eclectic variety, as well as more traditional brunch food. Some brunch specials are only available on weekends. The Huevos Rancheros was highly recommended by another customer. Best French toast I have ever had! Recommend the cheese cake French toast with fresh berries! Expect to spend up to $20 per person including coffee, before the tip. Lower priced items are available, but the $15 specials are definitely worth it! There is a spacious dining area in the back. When first entering we didn't realize there were plenty of tables.

I’m so happy this place is in my neighborhood. The staff is kind and wonderful, always very accommodating and friendly. I love the food- the chorizo and apple omelette are my go to. Great coffee, it’s always comfortably quiet in there- never too loud or silent. Cozy and wonderful. My server often is Lucy who has become apart of my saturday morning laundry day ritual. Thank you!

Had been to this place once before, but it was a couple of years ago. Went here for breakfast as they cater to mixed diets. I’m vegan and my friend isn’t. We had a little bit of a wait, but that’s to be expected on a Saturday morning. I had the brunch tofu hash with a side of vegan sausage and an orange juice. My friend had 2 eggs scrambled with potatoes, a side of sausage, a side of turkey bacon, a side of 2 poached eggs and Moroccan mint tea. Overall, The food was pretty bland. I had to add a bunch of salt and pepper to my tofu hash and cut the vegan sausage up and add it to the hash in order to get some flavor. My friend also added a bunch of salt and pepper to his eggs and potatoes. His poached eggs were watery and not like a runny egg. The meals were just edible. I might give them another shot in the future and try something else on the menu, but they’re not high on my list.

I have been coming here for 3 years and it has been my favorite breakfast spot the entire time. My favorite item is the stuffed French toast. My personal favorites include the cheesesteak, the pancakes, the omelettes (especially the one with apple!), and the breakfast potatoes. All the egg dishes are on point, I usually get them once over easy. Coffee drinks are great, I don't know much about the other drinks but their basic drip coffee is always fresh and comes with refills. This is West Philly best breakfast spot, bar none.

Gold Standard has been my gold standard for the past three years in West Philly! My absolute favorite is the egg sandwich on the special "Philly Muffin" with bacon, and any potato dish is always cooked up perfectly. For something sweet, the stuffed French toast is a treat worth waiting until the weekend to enjoy! I'm not originally from the city, but their fine food and friendliness have kept me coming back at least once a week, but more like 3x/week, during my time in grad school. This is a true old-school community café! :) The drip coffee has kept me awake and perfectly caffeinated when I need a place to tuck into the comfort of West Philly. Alice and Joseph, the owners, are wonderful people who love to see people eating and happy. They are family people and put so much love into this place. They deserve all the love back! Go eat at GSC y'all, and I'll see you there! 😁

What a sweet little cafe! We did arrive a little late (2 pm for lunch, and they close at 3), so they were out of the bulgogi. Instead I had a very tasty cheesesteak on a crusty ciabatta with fries. I also recommend the London Fog: an aromatic Earl Grey tea with steamed milk. Overall, this is The Gold Standard!

Absolutely loved the vegan options available. The vegan pancakes were good and the fresh blueberry compote was excellent. We also had the vegan version of a BLT, the TLT. Good sandwich and fries! Service was great and the menu was clearly marked, with more than a handful of actually good vegan options!

Not too crowded for a Saturday morning. The kitchen was backed up probably with take out so we did have wait a while. Boyfriend got an omelet which he really enjoyed. I got the breakfast sandwich which was good but maybe not what I was really craving. We shared chocolate chip pancakes which were really good especially if you like pancakes on the fluffy side. Coffee was good.

I have not dined here, but have come few times to get their coffee. My usual go to drink is iced decaf Americano, and every time they are made well. It seems like a simple drink, but depending who makes it the drink either comes out too diluted or way too strong. So I do truly appreciate when my drinks comes out well balanced. The employees here are friendly and helpful as well. It is not a large space inside (in the cafe side), but they do have an outdoor seatings.

Gold Standard has become one of my main haunts of the area, which I've only been living in for the last year. Out of all the places in this general area of west, they have the best chai latte. It's both sweet and spicy and they top it with cinnamon so for me, it's the best flavor. The service is always friendly and the place is spacious to sit and even work if you'd like. I do wish they had more pastries because for the most of it you have to order a large meal here if you want to eat. There's not a lot of small stuff. So far I've had the ranchero bowl which was good but I feel like it could have popped a little more? Like good, but not memorable. I'll try something else next time. So 5/5 on service, ambiance, chai, and 4/5 on food.

Food was amazing. The place is clearly focused on quality and customer service. For instance, the attendant at the cashier repackage Sharpe pancakes because he thought that the butter had melted into one portion of the bag. Also, everyone there was kind to one another.

Stopped in over the weekend and sat in the dining room. Lots of vegan options thanks to the need within the area. :) Nice tea menu, busy brunch crowd. Ordered the Vegan Benedict, which only had a dab of pesto so it felt dry. Had to ask for more pesto even then, I was only given a thimble full. Otherwise, it was tasty. They were busy and service reflected that. I remember waiting a bit for the initial hello but food didn't take too long once it went in. Servicer didn't seem thrilled when I asked for extra pesto and I felt rushed by how quickly they spoke to us. :/

(Updating review in light of a pre-pandemic experience) Vegan chicken club sandwich: 2 stars. There was A LOT of bread, too much of it relative to the other components. It's not tasty, but it's not as disgusting as the vegan meatball sub. Vegan meatball sub is bad, bordering on disgusting. The vegan "meatballs" were flavourless and dry inside and tasted stale. The texture of the meatballs gave the impression that they'd been fried, sat around for a day, then fried again, then sitting around, then refried again -- very difficult to eat. Bread was a bit stale, like it was a day old. The sauce & vegan cheese were standard. Fries were fine. Service was slow. I went with a friend. My friend was helped right away, then before taking my order, staff asked me to wait while doing something else for ~5 minutes. It was kind of inconvenient/annoying to split our orders like that so that our orders were so far apart.

The Gold Standard Cafe is a Philly gem! This neighborhood staple has been serving up solid food since forever (first opened 1979!) Stop into the University City location at 48th and Baltimore Ave. for breakfast, brunch, or lunch, Wednesday-Monday (closed on Tuesday). It is quaint, and the coffee is constant. Their menu offers sweet and savory options and be sure to check out the daily specials, sometimes they have stuffed French toast or vegan meatball sandwiches and quesadillas.

Nice interesting spot for breakfast or lunch . Very good food and you can eat outside. Great service. Check it out!

Try the latte with lavender syrup, and thank me later! And Nico is the best batista!

My friend and I were about to eat here (eat in) for Saturday lunch but encountered a very rude staff member manning the counter. My friend ordered but once they saw she had an outside drink they said with attitude they don't allow outside drinks. This is a reasonable policy and of course other places do this as well but their tone was uncalled for- especially given we were still making a purchase and giving them our money. We were trying to decide what to do and we ended up doing takeout and as we were about to tell them that they asked again rudely "are you ready to order" then walked away before I could place my order. I love the food here and wasn't happy about how we were treated. Not very neighborly.

Really used to be one of my go to breakfast spots, but today I admit it needs a little work. I ordered online delivery and I must admit my food arrived really quickly. From the moment I placed my order, the restaurant was very responsive. They constantly informed me of the progress of my order. The food arrived promptly. I would love for restaurants to pay a little more attention to presentation. The pancakes arrived on the wrong side. Meaning when I opened the container I could see the bottom of the pancakes and not the beautiful top. My last picture I decided to present the pancakes in the proper manner so you can see they are beautiful thick and golden brown. They were a little too dense for me but they were tasty. The bacon on the other hand was swimming in grease. I ended up throwing it out because it was not edible. I have no idea what method they use to cook bacon but they should immediately stop. If a kitchen manager or expediter took a look in the container before it left they kitchen; they would have known the bacon was unacceptable. Take out orders do matter. Pre and post covid take out orders matter. We want to eat high quality food at all times.

Person at counter blew their nose and didn't wash hands. Had multiple personal drinks in front of them. Plexi seems unnecessary at this point. Place seemed sad and unattended to.

We walked into this cafe at random trying to find some brunch, and it was lovely! The ambiance in the front is more like a little grab and go coffee shop, but there's a gorgeous dining room in the back that we were pleasantly surprised by. Our server was so nice and friendly and gave great recommendations. There are a TON of vegan options, which I really appreciate! I got the tofu scramble and my brother got the breakfast burrito with vegan sausage, both of which were outstanding. It can be hard to get a good tofu scramble, and this one was well-flavored, good texture, and had a lovely mix of veggies in it. The crispy potatoes on the side were delicious, and the lattes we got were well-priced and very large.

This place was super good, delicious vegan bfast burrito and the potatoes were sooo good and nicely flavored and slightly crisp. Moroccan mint iced tea also lovely. Pretty expensive but quite good

went here for a second time last week and it was stellar again. the dinning room is so cute, cozy, and calming. the food is bomb and the price is SO reasonable. me and my boyfriend both got the french toast breakfast sandwich and walked out of there HAPPY. our server (short black hair and glasses) was super nice to- they were very attentive and got everything to our order. definitely coming back!

Delicious food Good service Great prices When you walk in, you might be confused as it looks like there is only takeout. However there is a room behind the front of the building where they will seat you. I enjoyed being back there and out of the traffic the front of the restaurant brings in. They do offer take out, dine in and out side seating. There are plenty of different coffee options as well. Would definitely recommend as a yummy brunch place to bring the family!

I had the Power Bowl and it was very good. The quinoa and oatmeal are slightly bland, but I didn't mind because the fruit added the sweetness it needed. Overall a very good and filling dish.

This place is very nice. Good, cheap coffee, very quality food which is a tad pricey but not too much, and very friendly staff. The space is a little small, but it does have outdoor seating, and it seems that it's dog friendly. A couple times the lid on my coffee was subpar and had leakage from the brim which was disappointing, maybe they need to find some new lids. Good spot!

For the life of me, I can't figure out why this place got any bad reviews. I'm so feeling the vibe in this place. Really chill and the food is excellent. You gotta try the chicken chorizo hash. Huge portion full of grilled chicken, chorizo sausage, red onion, spinach, and topped with eggs and cheese. I also tried a single pancake. That thing is an inch thick. Only took a couple bites because I ended up FaceTime my 20 year old back in Delaware and his exact words were "Bring that to me NOW"...... lmmfao.... So, I'm taking him the rest of the hash and the pancake as we speak. My server was engaging but not intrusive. I was able to eat and watch my TikTok videos in peace. Definitely worth your time trying this place....and remember.... Tip your servers like they make $3/hr.......because, sadly, they probably do!

My GF lives right around the corner so we went for Sunday brunch and will absolutely be back! First off, the customer service is excellent. All of the employees we encountered were friendly, welcoming and knowledgable ; especially our waiter David. It was really refreshing to be treated so well in a time when customer service has reallyyy fallen to the waistside. We ordered the Stuffed Cheesecake French Toast and Huevos Rancheros plus Chorizo to share and both dishes came out fast and tasted incredible. We also got very generous portions and had to box up leftovers. Can't wait for a reason to go back!

Vegan pancakes are really good! Home-fries are good too. I wanted to eat the pancakes everyday once I had them. Food always taste fresh and consistently good. This review is based on take out orders.

The service & atmosphere was outstanding. The server was top tier. I think his name was Dave. I will definitely be back. I want to try the chili wings.

wonderful, wonderful experience here! ordered online before but never been inside but I will be coming back! food was SO good (and so cheap!), service was lovely and the actual restaurant is super cute, with (what looks like) local art for sale on the walls.... loves it!!!!! definite recommend for anyone, not just vegan/vegetarian!

Nice cafe in West Philly with outside dinning only right now . The vibe was cool, the employees were pleasant. I thought the wait for the food was kind of long. My Omelet was just ok because it lacked any seasoning, not even a little salt or pepper but I loved the breakfast potatoes the most! I'll go back just for those. Good and reasonable prices .

Yummy place in the neighborhood for breakfast and brunch. I love their pancakes. They are fluffy thick and delicious. Usually I can only finish one because they are pretty big. Other favorites are the chorizo hash from their bunch menu. My husband tried their French toast bowl with eggs, bacon and it was overall delicious.

I don't know how Gold Standard stays in business. They've fallen so, so low. The front is boarded up but they're still open. Their hours change with no notice. I've spent 10 and 20 minutes on hold with no one picking up the phone. The front menu has become very sparse. The prices have only gotten higher despite everything getting worse. The last time I placed an order here I came in to pick up and the order had never been given to the kitchen to do.

I ended up here with my nieces to celebrate their birthdays with a brunch. We had plans to go elsewhere but our original choice was closed. I'm so happy we gave them a try. Breakfast was delicious. They would have received 5 stars but the waiter handle the water cups around the top edge and that's not sanitary. I chose not to drink the water for that reason. But the portion size is huge and everything was fresh. I'll be back with my own water

Fast service, heavenly coffees and great prices. This neighborhood cafe makes you feel at home.

I don't know much about the "cafe" part of this charming BYOB, but I do know that their kitchen turns out satisfying fare and that their friendly staff are happy to serve it to you. Their brunch menu is a familiar mix of dishes and sides, including croissants, steak, and scrambled eggs. Their smoked salmon bagel sounded tasty, but feeling traditional - Sundays have a way of doing that - I chose a few items a la carte, mixing Canadian bacon and pancakes, and adding eggs sunnyside up. Bacon was tender, and a slathering of syrup helped the pancakes along. Servings weren't overwhelming, but considering the sweltering weather, no complaints. Especially once I started downing my virgin mimosa. Next time I'll pass on the outdoor seating and head indoors; their cafe chairs sure looked comfy!

My server was lovely and made my meal pleasant with her nice service. My meal was a spinach salad with 2 thin avocado slices, red onions, grapefruit, a couple of red grapes sliced in half. No dressing was offered but with the addition of a side of delicious white meat chicken salad, the salad was not dry. The lemonade was being made and not available my entire lunch so i opted for mint iced tea. The only thing i did not like about my meal was it was hot inside. It was slightly less hot in the DR. ** You have to bite the bullet and crank up the air for diners when it's already 89 at 12:30 ** Its only going to get hotter as the day goes on. They had a window open out front where all the internet users hang. Perhaps thats contributing to what felt like the 80's when i dined. I heard 2 other tables complain. I enjoyed my meal and will return in the fall.

I really enjoyed both of my meals at the gold standard cafe - the first time I was there I had an egg bowl with beans, avocado, onion, peppers and cheese. The second time, I did a special take on the egg sandwich. I specifically asked for it on a bagel with avocado. It was AMAZING. This place is a solid 4 star neighborhood cafe. My only complaint is that the table service can be lacking if they are busy.

I am honestly disappointed with my first experience. I picked up my order 45 mins mins later even though they told me it would be 20 mins. I checked my order just to make sure it was correct and this is exactly what my food looked like after the guy gave me my bag. I didn't want to make a big deal because my boyfriend and I were hungry and ready to go. The taste is okay but honestly I would recommend Rose Petal Cafe any day over this place.

I have to keep asking myself why I come here. Why? Whhhyyy, self? I've been here maybe 3 times in the last 4 years and each time I'm more dissapointed than the last. There is always a long wait for this super basic food. There arent many options I'm generally excited about... but this latest it was blatant lies about why our food took more than an hour long that really turned me off. Then when the food got there it was bland and dry. I had the vegan chicken blt club. Yuck. Just yuck. And although im not vegan I choose to eat as such often. I know what tasty vegan food tastes like...not a bland, dry, tough mess. My fiance ordered the salmon blt and was also underwhelmed. The best thing about the two dishes were the fries. They made us late for an appointment since we were there for 2 hours and we left smelling like fry cooks. Better vents, please! Never returning.

It started with the Carmel Latte w/ Oat Milk.. OMG!!!!!! Thee Best ... Imma say it again ... THEE BEST Breakfast sandwich I've had in FOREVER!! From the time I walked in and ordered with the AMAZING STAFF until I reheated ..YESSS reheated my leftovers I was in FOOD LUV. GO.. like right now GO.. try the ULTIMATE BREAKFAST CLUB.. I substituted with vegan sausage & those potatoes, CHILE..seasoned to perfection. I didn't even need syrup or ketchup. I totally want to invest. (or was I just that hungry) I will never know. But I do know I'll be a frequent patron.

I'm gonna give 4 stars because this place has served West Philly for many years. I have been coming here since the beginning. I believe it opened as The Gold Standard in 2009 with owners Roger Herman and Vince Whitacre. I had frequented both of their previous restaurants (The Palladium which was on Penn's campus and Abbraccio which is where Vietnam Cafe is now). Since then it was sold to new owners and I think there seems to be two camps. Before the new owners and after. To be honest there does seem to be something missing since they are gone. (Sadly, Mr. Whitacre passed in 2017). They added something very special and personal to the experience. It's been a bit spotty since then, but my lunch today was beautiful and fresh. I had the quinoa spinach salad that popped with flavor. Quinoa, citrus and good things. I love the outdoor seating and it's always a good meet up with a friend in the spring and summer.

First visit. Super satisfying. GREAT potatoes. Strong coffee. Attentive table service. The name is definitely fitting. I will remember my Gold Standard breakfast.

Didn't even make it to the food sadly. Guy working the counter at noon Thursday Oct 28 had the most disgusting attitude I've seen. And I'm from Philly. I understand having a bad day but when being pleasant is the only thing you're getting paid for and you make people feel like they're imposing on you for simply walking into your establishment you shouldn't be working there.

Arrived here for brunch on Saturday about 10am. The front area is cafe/counter service, the back a dining room with table service. My partner and I chose to sit in the back, so my review will be about that experience, but I wanted to note that the front was very crowded and the line was difficult to navigate past as it fills the hallway divider to the door. The breakfast/brunch menu is vast with plenty of options for vegetarians, vegans, and gluten free folks alike. Our server was friendly and answered a question I had easily. I ordered fried green tomato eggs Benedict which was lovely and a large portion for the price. My partner had an egg bowl which they also enjoyed. Seating area was quiet, sunny, and clean.

Zero stars if possible. Omelette was gross. On top of that I overheard either a manager or owner ask a gentleman for ID for coffee. For coffee. English was not the gentleman's first language but i thought it extremely rude to ask for his ID FOR COFFEE. Not the first time I heard comments like this made in the establishment to be quite honest. The brunch is good though. Probably the best time to come in if you dont want to be racially profiled and treated as such by these fools.

Best breakfast in west philly. A dish for everyone. Menu is diverse and adventurous. Great for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. The Benedicts are amazing!

Iced tea like water, with way too much cream. Wish I wanted to frequent here considering I live around the corner but.... I don't :(

I really enjoyed the food here along with the young lady who was waiting on my table. They have it laid out for the COVID-19 restrictions inside to keep space between the tables. This a great spot to eat at, right in the neighborhood. I tried the vegan chicken which was GREAT and their salmon burger! Looking forward to coming back again.

This place was a recommendation from a friend. I was less than thrilled with the three star Yelp rating, but upon eating here, it goes to show that ratings are all relative. I had a great experience here and would definitely come back! My friend and I stopped in around 1 on a Sunday. Parking was tricky, but on Sundays it's free, and we found a spot within close walking distance. This place is split in two- the front is a casual order-at-the-counter cafe, and the back is a staffed restaurant. Both areas are small, but the space is utilized in a way to maximize seating without making it feel cramped. We were initially quoted a 30 minute wait, but we sat on some stools in the front and were called in less than 10 minutes. The special brunch menu is about twenty items, but they also offer their normal breakfast and lunch options, as well as many a la carte choices. There are quite a few vegan and vegetarian options, which bodes well for friends of mixed dining requirements. I chose the crab cakes benedict, my friend ordered a blueberry pancake and veggie sausage patty a la cart. I was nervous when my plate arrived because the crab cakes looked like sausage patties - flat. However, the eggs were cooked perfectly, the hollandaise sauce was the perfect amount, and all of the components of dish meshed well together. I had no issues polishing the plate. My friend's blueberry pancake looked amazing - it was at least a half inch thick, fluffy, and made with plump fresh blueberries both within the pancake and on top. We both left with happy tummies. Their prices are about what you'd expect, a little more than a hole in the wall diner but nothing that would break the bank. I'm definitely keen to come back and try some of their specialty coffee drinks and baked goods.

God awful service. First time I've ever left a $0 tip. Was about 45 mins between arrival and receiving the wrong food. Place was dead. Had to run to the coop to grab something to feed my kid before our flight because the waitress f'ed up our order. Not sure if she's ever been to a restaurant herself. Didn't seem to understand a thing about her job. She was kind of a prick.

I don't understand the lower reviews. We had prompt friendly service and got seated right away. Good coffee. Gold Standard breakfast sammie was delicious with eggs, pesto, grilled tomatoes on rye. Also excellent crispy potatoes. Veggie omelette very good. Would definitely come here again.

The West Philly community has indeed been waiting around with curiosity and anticipation for here to open. Ever since I saw them setting up shop if been looking forward for here to open. And even though I've had a mixed bag of experiences with Abraccio, I expected here to deliver smashingly. I still feel that way, but ordering wrong on my first attempt showed me that they still have some kinks to work out. Since I've been eating a carnivorous crap load of meat I decided to counterbalance and get some veggies on my platter. And after reading through the sandwiches the one that offered eggplant, artichoke hearts, and roasted peppers sounded like the way to go. While it delivered in taste, it left a LOT to be desired when it came to portion. With 2 slices of eggplant, a couple pieces of artichoke, a few roasted pepper strips, and a bit of greens, the sandwich clearly offered more bread than veggies. The portion of fries that it came with were also kind of on the skimpy side. The iced coffee I picked up was good, but it met the standard La Colombe expectations. So while my first meal here left a lot to be desired, the place does have a lot to offer West Philly. It's a brunch spot that doubles over as a BYOB at night. And West Philly desperately needed another one of each. And while I could care less, I know plenty of people who are down with the fact that we have a La Colombe coffeehouse now. The outdoor seating and service were both beyond satisfactory. And I've heard great things about the burgers and chicken wings. So in a lot of ways Gold Standard has a lot to offer that can only get better with time.

3.5 stars but rounded up to 4. I finally got a chance to eat at this restaurant despite having lived just a few blocks away for years. After numerous failed attempts at other places to grab brunch during Christmas eve, a friend and I decided on The Gold Standard as they were open regular hours. The set-up is kind of confusing; at first glance, the cafe looks like a grab and go place as it has just a few tables out in the front area, but then the cashier handed us some menus and led us to the back area which was surprisingly much more spacious than the front. It was cozy with the feel of dining in your friend's mom's place than a cafe. We both settled in with cups of coffee (pretty good), and I got the yogurt parfait while my friend got a breakfast burrito. We decided to also share a side of banana pancakes. The food took much longer to come out than I would've liked, but our coffee was filled very frequently and I loved my yogurt parfait. The banana pancakes were fluffy and thick, which meant that one was enough to fill me up. I wish they had included more slices of bananas (there were only 4 tiny slices on top of the pancakes - but the banana is also included inside the batter), and overall the banana flavor was a little more subtle than I would've liked, but it still was good enough to hit our cravings. The service was a little haphazard - looked like they were training a new server who kept bringing the wrong food to the wrong tables. It also took quite a bit of time to get our waitress's attention for the check, but she was very pleasant throughout our time there. Overall, I can't say that I would return to The Gold Standard over other options in the area (I am very partial to Renata's), but I didn't find it to be as terrible as other reviews below make it out to be (but then again, I also have never gone to The Gold Standard before the ownership change so I cannot comment on how it's changed).

Looks: 5 stars Speed: 0 stars Staff: 1 star Food: 2 stars From the time I ordered at the counter to the time I got my food it took 50 minutes. Pretty unreasonable for a veggie burrito and a salad. I would have given this review 1 star, but the waitor gave us 2 cookies to apologize for the delay. I thought the food was better than most of the reviews indicated, but still not stellar. Wouldn't come back again...

Gold Standard was my local hangout for a long time. They fed and sheltered me during the long, hard slog through my thesis. They made me bread-free sandwiches when I went gluten-free and were always willing to check ingredients for me so I could dine as safely as possible. I'm not a strict Celiac, so I don't have to worry, but a big dose of gluten gives me migraines, so I appreciate help in avoiding ouchies while still nomming yummies. I do wish they carried gluten-free baked goods or bread for the gluten-phobic among us, but they weren't terribly open to the idea. Their coffee drinks (for my hubby) and chai (for me) were very hit-or-miss for a while, but their flavorful fruit iced teas were always cool and refreshing. Overall, it's a solid place to eat that isn't too pricey or too fancy. A place where you can plunk down with your knitting or laptop and/or thesis and work and not worry about being hustled out (unless it's a super busy dinner night). Their shrimp Caesar salad is overpriced considering it's just a Caesar salad with 4-5 shrimp plunked on top (c'mon, try harder and maybe add something else interesting), and they could offer slightly bigger salad portions, but overall you get decent value for your increasingly rare dining-out dollars. I wouldn't really call them the *gold* standard, but they're definitely silver (silver plus on a good day), and that's A-OK in my book.

Made a reservation for brunch at 12 at Gold Standard Cafe. Nervous about what I read on Yelp regarding the waiting time, I came in with low expectations. However, we were seated as soon as our party of 5 had arrived in the main dining area. It was extremely crowded and thus pretty loud, which was kind of annoying when trying to converse with my four friends. The food came in a jiffy, but unfortunately did not meet my "gold standard." My friend and I opted for two sweet dishes to split-- the Apple Waffle dish and the Croissant French Toast dish. Though the Apple Waffle dish was tasty (it came with a large belgian waffle, some caramelized and sugary apples dabbed in cinnamon, butter, and syrup on the side), it did seem too awfully simple to be a restaurant dish. It seemed like a waffle that could have came out of a simple Belgian waffle maker that you find at hotel breakfasts. The apple topping was meager and did not have a WOW factor, and the butter was too much. I scraped it all off before devouring. The Croissant French Toast dish was a bit confusing. It didn't taste like a croissant to me, which was the biggest letdown. It tasted a bit like bread pudding or normal french toast. The eggy flavor was overpowering and the mascarpone flavor was off as well. Some friends at the table even claimed the Croissant French Toast to have an alcoholic after-taste. I was able to mask some of the weird flavors I was tasting by dousing the french toast in maple syrup. The place is adorably decorated and from the outside looks like a quaint little corner brunch spot. Prices are affordable, and the menu is extensive. However, the food does not live up to a "gold standard" and thus I probably would not make the trek back and would not recommend the spot to others.