Elise D.
Yelp
I came here to pick up lunch to go for the first time the other day. This has been on my list of places to try for a while, and I had the time so I figured let's do it! It was pretty busy when I went in. A good sign that it's so popular, right? The downside to that is this is a place that's not really built to handle a lot of people. It's a small space and where it may have been going for a cozy vibe, to me it felt very claustrophobic and anxiety inducing. There is nowhere to wait if you're taking food to go that's not right up against someone's table and it's awkward to just be standing right in someone's space when they're trying to enjoy a meal. They even have a table right against the wall by the dessert counter, which was really the only place that felt appropriate to stand and wait for my order. But, it was occupied, so again, not very comfortable for me or I'm sure for the people trying to eat and have a conversation. I just don't really see the point in having this one table shoved into a weird place rather than having a place for people to wait for their order. There were just too many tables crammed into a small space and there wasn't much room to move, and really nowhere to stand where you didn't feel like you were in someone's personal space.
Anyway, I got in line and placed my order for a turkey ciabatta and a couple dessert items to go. A few minutes after I placed my order, I was called back up to the counter because they were out of turkey, and chicken. I was kind of surprised that this wasn't something that was known when I was placing my order since it was kind of a major ingredient and both were prominently featured in many menu items, but I went ahead and chose ham instead (the other option was roast beef). Had I known this before I placed my order, I would have gotten something else or just went somewhere else entirely. I don't have any dietary restrictions, but this would be frustrating for people who can't have pork or red meat. The staff at the counter seemed a little overwhelmed. It took quite a while for my order to come out. Thankfully a table cleared while I was waiting so I was able to sit down and feel a little less awkward milling around and trying not to be in anyone's way while I was waiting. I finally got my food and brought it back to work. The sandwich was good, I did enjoy it. However, I wouldn't say it was worth the $10.99 price tag. I've been to other cafes where I could spend the same amount and get a side and/or a drink with it. The desserts were very good. I really enjoyed them, they were crafted well and tasted just as good as they looked. Again, everything felt a little overpriced though. The two small desserts (a rumba and a chocolate nirvana) and the sandwich cost about $24 before tip, and one of the desserts was even discounted by 25%.
Bottom line is the food was fine, the desserts were really good, and the atmosphere was uncomfortable for me. I would not come back here for dine in service or food. I'd consider coming back to pick up a dessert to go as long as I could be in and out relatively quickly. I understand wanting to fit as many customers as possible into a spade to reduce having to make people wait and increase sales, and some people aren't going to mind that at all. For me though, it just wasn't a very comfortable. Between that and the surprising lack of main ingredients, it detracted from the overall experience for me. I am sympathetic to the fact that there are issues with staffing and supply chains industry wide. I will say this is the first time I've encountered two major components of meals being unavailable without staff being aware before I placed my order. Hopefully this is not a regular thing and I just came on a bad day.