Baruch cafe — Restaurant in Bethesda

We came to this location because we saw a IG reel showing the coffee flights and tasty looking sandwiches. When you walk in, it is set up and designed nicely but the problems started after we ordered our food. For context, we placed our order at 2:06 pm EST on a Sunday. Yes, there was a decent amount of people there but not enough to justify getting our food at 3:40 pm EST.

We ordered 2 mix and match coffee flights which is barista choice, and 2 sandwiches, 1 was the Philly cheese steak and the other was a croissant burger. For those 4 items + 18% tip, we spent $72.02 which already was on the pricey side. Figured we probably get a good amount of food and coffee was our thought.

Turns out that was wrong. The coffee came within about 15 - 20 mins or so of sitting down which was acceptable. They were delivered on a very cheap plastic plate that was easily bendable in addition to each of the coffees being served in a different cup which took away from the presentation. The person dropped off the two flights without even telling us what was what so we had to play a guessing game essentially.

First of all, the coffees arrived in tiny espresso sized cups, loaded with syrup that just stuck to the bottom. No provided spoon or even napkin was brought with the flights so the syrup stuck to the bottom after 2 sips, which is all it took to finish the coffee. Okay, no big deal, it's Bethesda after all so things will be pricey. Looking forward to the food at this point.

1 hour goes by from when we arrived, and we're thinking, man it must be busy. Then we see people that arrived after us getting their orders of food. Went up to the register, and inquired about our food respectfully to which the staff seemed confused that we hadn't received our order. They apologized and said they'd order it. Great, give them the benefit of the doubt and went back to waiting patiently.

Another 30 mins goes by and I'm fed up and irritated at this point so I go back to the counter and respectfully voice my frustration. To which the staff offered to void my transaction or make the food right now. I asked how long if we waited to which they assured me it would be 5 mins so I agreed to wait another few mins. Surely enough, the food was received this time within the 5 mins.

Fantastic - finally got our food and we're ready to eat. The food quantity to price ratio is fully off. The Philly cheese steak I got, was on panini bread style which didn't look anything like the photos. I was confused if they messed up the order but at this point I just wanted to eat and leave. The croissant burger wasn't bad though, that was good.

Overall though, the management needs to step up. There was a lack of communication between the staff. Not number on a stick or buzzer to let the staff know which order went to which table. They would go to tables asking if this was their order. The napkins were hidden in front of the express side and no clear signs for the restroom. Its little things like this that made the experience lackluster especially being in Bethesda. I would not...

So disappointed. Instagram hyped this place up so much, and my partner and I were the most excited to try the drinks - esp the coffee flight. Its like the people that work there have never tasted anything they make.

Bullet points for easier to read feedback: -Water cups misshapen and couldnt stand on their own on the table -Tables were messy, I had to ask them to clean one for us to sit down -Breakfast panini and sandwich were good, tho not sure why the panini cost $2 more when it was smaller and had less food included -Karak chai was tasteless, when its advertised as a bold, creamy drink. It was premade, watery tea and whole milk -not evaporated or sweetened condensed milk like its supposed to be, and no sweetener. I asked for more flavor and they just remade it the same way, so I think they just dont know what its supposed to taste like. -Rose cardamom coffee was plain coffee with dried rose petals and powdered cardamom on top. No syrups or flavorings. The only way to infuse any flavor is to stir it up and wait for the toppings to steep. Drinks are wayyy overpriced for the quality. Food pricing made sense for the area. The coffee flight is not as custom as they say. You have to pick certain drinks, though from hearing the feedback from the people next to us, it doesnt really matter because its just 4 bland same coffees with different toppings on top to make them seem different. No syrups or flavorings.

Edit on reply back: if a flavor is offered, the flavor should be included in the price without having to pay MORE for the flavor. If I wanted a plain drink I would have asked for a plain drink. We paid for the extra egg and would have paid for any or extra syrup if we knew that we had to ask for it in order to get the flavors we requested. Please taste test your drinks before you offer them to people. The folks next to us got a flight and said it was 4 of the same drink except with different toppings. At least tell people what they are getting (a topped drink, not a flavored drink). Also, reviews from a few months back said everything tasted like syrup, so it seems like yall just decided to listen too well to them and not to syrups at all?...

I've been to this place twice and what I like is the bright yet cozy dining area. The shop's setup is a little weird, especially because of the left side next to the open kitchen and the little hallway with the orange juice machine and utensils. The coffee area is pretty cute but the sweet offerings on display do not look very appealing nor fresh (at least they didn't both of the times I was there). It is a shame, though, because besides the look they do not taste as fresh as they should. I can understand the high cost of replacing the sweets daily or at least every two days but there are ways to manage this. I hope they can figure things out with product rotation and freshness. The savory offerings are plenty and all of them sound good but the execution falls short. There's really nothing impressive or memorable... the presentation has nothing to it, no attention to detail whatsoever. Even though they use cute plates and cups, the way the food is presented is underwhelming. The flavors are very simple and again not impressive. Today I was told to look at the handheld menu because what was on the big signs was outdated. Both, the menu on the wall signs and the paper ones had multiple corrections, which makes them look sloppy. There are a few things with the dining area that threw me off, like a chalk drawing in one of the walls that is half erased. They should just go ahead and erase the whole drawing, I don't think people will miss it. Attention to detail plays a big role, especially for the diners in the area that are always expecting a memorable experience. Again, I like the ambiance in general. I think that the mismatched tables, sofas, and chairs are a great idea and I love how they made it very personal by adding family photos. I also enjoyed the friendly staff and meeting the owner, who is such an inspiring lady! I would strongly recommend getting some help with the menu items and their execution, I really hope they do. I think they have the best intentions and seem to be putting a huge effort into this project so I wish...