Coffice — Restaurant in Mechelen

I wish I could put 0 stars!

We were a group of 9, and were forced to order drinks first. After ordering, we were informed that this establishment only allows to order 4 meals per table. They didn’t have eggs Benedict most of us wanted to order, so we had to find alternatives which brought us to more than 4 total, and we were refused, getting mad at us for not “respecting the rules”. We even offered to split the group in 2 tables which was also against the « rules ».

From the clients perspective, it’s unacceptable to order a meal I do not want, not because of availability but because restaurant doesn’t want to serve it to me? So the table next to me could be having the meal I want but not me?

So, we asked to leave (having just ordered drinks 2 minutes before that decision), and WERE REFUSED TO LEAVE?! The managers argument was that the drinks are ready, but there was nothing on the bar counter - with 9+ drinks, it would obviously be seen?

We asked the manager for a solution and we were told off for being bad clients and violating the famous « rules » - by the way, after asking, turned out they are not written anywhere.

Horrible service and rude attitude, no client oriented mindset. When you open a restaurant, it’s to feed the people the food they enjoy, not to forcefully make them order something they’re unhappy with. Do yourself a favor and avoid this place at all costs!

UPD: Response to the owner: Thank you for commenting on the situation. As clearly mentioned in all of our reviews, the reason for our disappointment is not at all the kitchen’s limitations. Reason 1: we were not informed of them verbally or in written (in the menu). It has to be the first responsibility of your staff to inform a big group of this limitation you have. Reason 2: the manager of your establishment is incompetent in working with clients. Instead of explaining the situation as you did, which would reduce tension, she kept repeating “these are the rules”. She offered no alternatives than for the last 4 people to order the same as what the first 5 people ordered, while WE were offering solutions which in my opinion is her job (overcoming limitations you have to serve clients) Reason 3: when we declined to finish the order due to reason 1 and 2, we were refused to leave and were treated with disrespect. If you were lied to your face that you need to pay for something you not only haven’t consumed but haven’t even seen with your own eyes - how would that make YOU feel? If you really hope to rectify this, please share an email address, so we could have further...

I was reading the negative comments below and it's incredible how much gratuitous meanness some people have. I understand why you would want to leave a negative review on behalf of a group, but leaving an individual comment just to lower the rating of a restaurant is low level. "typically Belgian" is just a poor comment from typically turist that just because they saved some money, they think that the service has to be at a level of 5 stars michelin, with 20€ and asking for individual ticket for a table of 9, without being able to have a normal friendly conversation to solve an issue. And NO, I do not know anyone from the staff here, it just happens to me to work in horeca also (not in Machelen), and I am not a “tipic belgium” whatever that means. I am a romanian one living here. Coming back to my impression, I just came here for my second time, we had breakfast here and we had the most delicious Curcuma latte, very good coffee, best carrot cake. Although the terrace was very full ( the rest of the terraces were almost empty), the waiters kept a smile on their faces, they answered politely to any question I had, the food was fresh and delicious. We will come back for sure. Thank...

I usually don’t leave reviews, but the service I received today was unbelievable, so I feel compelled to write one.

During our trip to Mechelen, my family stopped by this café and ordered four coffees, a banana bread, and a croissant. The coffees were served quickly, but we had to wait 30 minutes to receive the croissant and banana bread. We repeatedly asked the staff about our order, but all we got was the same response: “It’s coming soon.” In the meantime, we had already finished our coffees and were just waiting for the food.

The young blonde waitress with her hair tied back, who had taken our order, told us there was only one croissant left, so we could take it. yet it still took them 30 minutes to bring it to the table. I genuinely wonder what kind of attitude this is. She then handed us the food without saying a single word and walked away. Absolutely ridiculous service. We visited other restaurants in Mechelen, but never experienced...