Mahtay Café & Lounge — Restaurant in St. Catharines

Not impressed. The lady working the cash was quite aloof, she took her time chatting with the other employee, as the line began to appear. I even said hello, and she didn't turn around, but contiued to chat with her male coworker. I inquired about the menu, asking about tea types as it was my second time there. I'm not familiar with the menu, so I asked about the kinds of tea, and she pointed to the sign by the cash without saying anything. Then looked at me as if it was a stupid question. At this point I was debating about walking out, but decided to get a tea as my lunch break was nearly over.

I got my tea and went around to the side where I asked for sugar. The girl had told me they don't have sugar, and told me everything I needed was on the counter; pink packets of artificial sweeteners, and some type of soy milk that was not refridgerated, along with natrual cream of some sort. I only wanted a packet of sugar and a bit of milk, however they do not carry it (or had any of it out upon my visit) I felt like they don't tailor to everyone's needs, and are focused only on granting the organic/gluten free/ healthy choices which is a great option, but do have OTHER stuff for people who cannot tolerate those items. I cannot handle soy, due to allergy reasons so I have to be VERY careful to what I ingest. I was hoping they maybe had almond or rice milk, given the style of place they are, but they did not. I ended up taking my tea as it was, with no milk or sugar.

I dislike this cafe. I have gone here twice now, and each time I walk in I feel uncomfortable. There are young students / young adults sitting around all with their faces in their computers, phones, music, etc. No one is talking or pleasantly conversing with anyone but themselves. The staff are rude, and expect you to KNOW and already be AWARE of the menu choices, and answering any question seems to be difficult for them. The food there is quite overpriced in my opinion. My last visit I bought a brownie that was very stale, like it had been sitting in the display case for the entire day. I never bothered taking it back because it's not worth the trip back there.

I'm a young adult myself, and being 25 years old, I'm not all into this hipster / alternative theme or style this cafe has. It's dreary, dimly lit and the decor is really lacking. My personal opinion: If you enjoy a friendly, welcoming, cozy environment do NOT go here. It's a popular young people hangout, and a very cold, distant setting. I will not...

Overall, I really like this place as it has good coffee and a great atmosphere that makes you feel as it's your hangout place to invite friends to enjoy their company with good coffee and some good craft beers. It feels like they're really part of the community.

They have a few vegan options, a couple selective baked goods, and maybe one of the best homemade soups I've ever had, which it is too bad it was only a special of the day..

This is not corporate style coffee shop and that is a good thing as I have seen a few comments that slack the service. I have to say I've been here quite a few times since it's a local place to me and I find the service is pretty good overall, occasionally it happens like any other place, they get busy and things happen like the last time we were there (take out breakfast) they actually forgot to put our order in to the kitchen. But, the staff is friendly, this is why I still go to these places when things happen sometimes (it becomes a problem when it's consistent which I have not found at this place).

The reason I'm not giving it a five-star is what they call "Best Vegan Breakfast Sandwich In Town". I guess technically it could be if there's no other tofu sandwich in town, lol. My wife and I make these every weekend, I get the fact that we make it tailored to our taste, but that is where lays the problem. The sandwich was pretty tasteless and not very much tofu , specially for the price, so overall the sandwich really needs some work. I will try it again for the reasons I mentioned above as things happen and maybe a bad day, I will adjust my rating if the sandwich turns out to be pretty good.

Overall I highly...

The vibe is way more chill and the espresso drinks taste a lot better these days. Edit: I come here to work on my lap top regularly. The times vary. Joey was serving me this morning. They were kind, attentive and helpful. An owner came in an hour into me being there and started their management ordering tasks. The cafe was quiet at first but business picked up. The owner, as they referred to themselves, did not help Joey and the other individual and at one point snapped at Joey quote “I have only 10 minutes to do this” and went on to complete an order on their laptop. While, being in the restaurant industry myself, as a supervisor in charge of taking orders etc I understand deadlines are important. However I observed two employees stressed and trying to run a rush while an owner did not step in to help them. It left a sour taste in my mouth. I would have extended my parking time to stay longer and order another beverage/ more food but I was unfortunately distracted by the unpleasantness of the owner. I tried to politely bring up my concerns to the owner privately as they were writing out the menu(they were experiencing issues with their QR code). I was met with half apologies, I was interrupted, and I was given excuses like, “Joey and I have a different relationship that we are working through” “I have worked here for 6 years and I don’t think you come here often” “I don’t think you were here this morning” “half an hour is not much of an observation of a cafe”…

Needless to say, I have enjoyed coming here, albeit it is not “everyday” but I do consider myself a frequent guest.

I will sadly not...