Sam & Zoe’s — Restaurant in Berry Hill

On our way out of town, I wanted to stop and get a coffee for the drive home. Sam and Zoe's was local and convenient so we pulled off.

They have a small parking lot for about 4 cars and stairs and a ramp up to the house-like structure where the business is located. The surrounding neighborhood is cute. It looks like there might be a drive-through available.

Inside, it was hot and muggy. Not sure if the A/C just wasn't on or if it wasn't working. There are a few small tables and a sort of sofa/nook-like structure. The menu has a few specialty drinks, blended coffee, standard coffee, and a few breakfast and lunch items -- simple sandwiches and burritos.

My biggest problem with my visit was the service. I don't complain about service lightly and try to be very understanding of workers. However, my reception here was impressively frosty, and I wasn't the only one treated that way. I was the only one in line to order and not a single person spoke to me, despite making eye contact with at least two employees. I had to sidle up and say I was ready to order if they were ready to take it. The woman who took my order barely spoke to me at all -- not even to tell me the price of what I ordered -- and stared at me with a very surly glare. Another man came in behind me and he had a few very innocuous questions about item availability and one question about an allergen and she spoke to him with short, clipped, unhelpful answers and the most rancid tone I've heard in a while. They were slow to fix both of our orders and I was relieved when mine was done and I could go to my car and leave the incredibly bad vibes behind me.

I ordered a Mayan mocha, which is a mocha with cinnamon and a little bit of heat. Unfortunately, on top of terrible service, the drink wasn't very good, either. It was shockingly thin and watery -- to the point I wondered if they'd made it with water instead of milk. The drink had almost no flavor elements of chocolate or coffee. I did get a few small flares of spice...spicy watery coffee was not at all what I wanted, though.

Honestly, I initially thought I was going to give 2 stars, but writing this review I've realized there's really nothing I can say that I enjoyed about my visit, so...I guess a 1 it is. Shame to end a trip to Nashville on a low note, but we still had a good weekend in other parts...

Sorry to say we found multiple hairs in our sandwiches.

We were excited to check this place out after the Flea Market last Saturday. First impressions were good. Atmosphere was nice and the music just the right volume (not too loud). We decided to dine in and ordered a latte, cappuccino, and two Chicken pesto sandwiches. We were surprised our coffees still came out in take-away cups, but the latte tasted great and the cappuccino (although too hot) was still nice later on. We sat down at a table near the window, which wasn’t clean, but there were other tables available away from the window that were, so it was out own choice. The problems for us started when the food came out. The first two bites were amazing, but with the third, I found my first hair in my food (felt it in my mouth and had to pull it out). It was dark and medium long, and I knew 99% certain it wasn’t my own (I’m blond) but since I was wearing a dark blue wool sweater, I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Still, eating the sandwich after that was a less than great experience for me, and while I kept nitpicking my sandwich in baby bites, my boyfriend found a hair in his sandwich too. We noticed it was stuck in the bread, so probably something went wrong whilst making the dough. As I looked at my own sandwich in that moment, I spotted another hair in my bread. We didn’t finish the rest of our sandwiches, of course, feeling grossed out. When I brought the dishes back to the counter, I discretely tried to let the cashier know about the hairs, so they could check the bread for next customers. He seemed a bit distracted but replied with some quick and seemingly nonchalant apology like “oh, I’m so sorry that happened for you” before turning back to whatever he was doing before I interrupted him, and with that we were on our way out. Not quite full nor satisfied, but nauseous and with feeling like we had hairs stuck in our throat. I like to think the owner/ manager of the place would’ve at least offered to compensate us in some way, just as a gesture, as the people working there seem nice enough. Without the hair issues, I would’ve gladly recommended this place, but as it is, we...

I needed a breakfast stop on my way between two appointments and Google suggested this place. I wanted to like this place more than I did. It is this nifty little spot complete with a drive thru and everything is made fresh to order. They have seasonal teas and flavors that make you want to be a regular. The staff is friendly and kind and the atmosphere isn't too hipster for a spot like Berry Hill. In short, they are doing all the right things, yet I still couldn't give them 5 stars.

The tea was boiling hot. Even with a second cup and a cup liner I had to wait until after I finished eating to taste it, and it was surprisingly bland for hot Apple pie (a seasonal herbal tea). I expected it to be a little sweet. this was more spice than apple.

That seemed to be the trend because the Apple turnover I ordered was more phyllo than filling, and it was served room temp, right out of the rack. Even though i ordered in, it was bagged to go. It didn't seem to be any different than the day old pastries they had sitting in a basket right next to the fresh ones. Plating it would have been a nice touch, considering that I have to bus my own dishes anyway.

I also ordered the breakfast burrito in a bowl. It tasted fine and the presentation was pretty, but when I cut into it, it wasn't a scramble, but more like they baked the egg right in the ramekin with the veggies, meat, and cheese on top. So the flavors weren't really combined and there was a lot of egg left at the bottom of the "bowl". The portion also seemed a little small for the price. Glad I ordered the turnover or I would have still been hungry.

Again, the food was fine, just a little less than I expected for what you experience as you enter the place. And I will likely return because it is on my commute route. but I probably wouldn't go out of the way to find this place and next time I'll pick up the day old pastries to save a few...