Cafe Pomegranate — Restaurant in The Hague

I want to start by saying this: there’s something almost noble in what Cafe Pomegranate aims for. The coffee is excellent — deserving of praise. Some of the ingredients are handled with care. The atmosphere has promise. But promise does not a satisfying meal make.

When you walk in, the sweetness of aroma, the warmth of the chairs, the clink of espresso cups — it all suggests that you’re in for a nice time. But what happens next is frustrating: we waited 45 minutes for our food. 45 minutes. Not as an adventurous gamble, but as a matter-of-course delay.

When the food finally arrived, it was cold. Cold in that way where the flavours have shut up shop, where the steam that should steam is absent. We then got another serving (“newly made fries,” we were told) but witnessed a waitress — after scratching her nose — check the temperature of the fries with her bare finger. That moment froze you more than anything on the plate.

To be fair, the staff were open about being understaffed — and I believe that makes a difference. It’s not an excuse, but it’s a context. Maybe under pressure the usual standards slipped; maybe the kitchen, stretched too thin, couldn’t maintain the rhythm. But these kinds of breakdowns matter. They puncture trust.

So, the highs: great coffee; good ingredients; potential. The lows: timing; temperature; a forgetfulness of basic food hygiene and care...

I used to be a regular at this cafe and really liked it, but my last visit was a total disaster. I took some friends there for brunch and the place was completely packed, extremely noisy, and the ventilation was so bad that I left with a raspy throat from all the smoke inside. We had to yell to have a conversation, and by the time we left, we all had headaches.

The worst part was the attitude of the attendant (possibly the owner). We were still waiting for a friend to join us when she rushed us to order, saying there was another reservation in an hour and a half and “it wouldn’t be fair to the next customers.” She also told us that next time we should specify that we want a two-hour reservation - something I’ve never seen mentioned anywhere. It felt like we were blamed for their overcrowding instead of them managing the situation properly.

All four of us left feeling outraged by how we were treated, breathless because of the smoke, and with splitting headaches from the noise. I used to love this place, but after this experience, I will never be...

First of all, we LOVED the food & coffee, but there were two big factors that ruined the experience for my boyfriend and me. There was this constant huge smell of (we think) bacon, but it didn't smell good, because we like bacon, but it eventually smelled so badly that we were getting nauseous and couldn't really enjoy the good food that we had and just wanted to get out ASAP. Even our hair and clothes smelled from it. Maybe there was something wrong with the hood in the kitchen, but I hope this gets fixed, because we would love to come back, but not if the place smells like this. Moreover, the music was very loud, which caused people to talk louder, and I had trouble with understanding my boyfriend the whole time. I hope that Cafe Pomegranate would take this feedback seriously, because we would really love to come...