Off The Trail Cafe — Restaurant in Canaan

DECAFINATED COFEE DRINKER * BEWARE *

Now, I know what you are thinking.... who the heck drinks decaffeinated coffee and has the gall to complain about the "quality" of coffee!!! I used to be in that same boat so, I completely understand. Medical reasons forced me off the caffeine train but, not without kicking and screaming.

Having considered myself quite particular about coffee previous to the decaffeinated world, it has become even more crucial being restricted to only decaf. I once cared about bean origin, fare trade practices and roasting techniques now, decaf has set me back into a place where I am hoping that the coffee has flavor.

The more recent influx of families from out of state that have either taken residence in the area or just visiting, I believe is a good thing for the local food and beverage establishments as well as the previously established locals. I see the demand for quality food and establishment increasing and the demand being answered. Businesses are updating their look and vibe as well as their menu options.

In regard to Falls Village Cafe - they have answered the call to updating the feel with clean lines, recent color schemes and amicable menu options. The food is pretty good. This morning I had a scrambled egg sandwich (86 the bacon) on a croissant. The eggs were cooked on a grill that needed to be more free of previous cooking remnants. The eggs had a brown griddle look and taste to them. The croissant was quite good but, am very sure they do not make those there so, good job on the sourcing of the pastries. My husband had a breakfast burrito that he said was good but, really needed more within the burrito as far as volume.

Staff was amazing! Do anything you need to do to keep these people. Their customer service is wonderful.

The biggest SHOCKER was that they had positively no decaffeinated coffee!

Being quasi local to the area (within 12 miles) I want to see nice places succeed so, I went to my local coffee roaster and purchased a bag of their locally roasted decaf beans. I brought the bag back to Falls Village Cafe to share the treasure of VERY FLAVORFUL Decaf with them.

I am not sure if the owner thought I was a "sales person" that just needed to be blow-off (hats off to sales people - I could never do what you do) or if she was just really having an off day - I really hope the ladder is the case.

It was explained to me that they did not have enough counter space to offer decaffeinated coffee.... what?.... Yah, I swear that is exactly what I was told. When I offered to leave the beans anyway and tell her about this great coffee roaster that is local THE WALL WAS UP!!! She further explained that she had "blank brand..." and everyone likes it. I do in fact see that there are reviews in favor of the coffee.

This morning I did jump off the Decaf train in order to enjoy my ideal breakfast and will say the latte that I had possessed more notes of paper, gaining it's flavor from steeping in the paper cup as opposed to the depth and complexity of a well harvested and roasted bean.

Keep in mind when reading this review - My best coffee experience consisted of staying in a hotel in NYC that had a full on coffee bar. Their beans were listed by region and the staff were very well versed in the bean quality as well as the overtones and hints of flavor within each. If anyone is familiar with "Paper Coffee" in NYC will know the reference.

One day while at the coffee roaster in Bantam, CT someone from NYC came in and proclaimed that they were is desperate need of good local coffee. The demand is there so, please consider broadening your horizons as restaurant owners to meet the demand and it would be great if you could give a nod to those far and few...

Well, after trying this place many times the last experience was enough to lose a customer over. tried to place order everything bagel and a latte, out of everything bagels and out of whole milk. Next issue, food doesnt come out, was waiting for awhile and had to actually go back to the counter after 10 minutes to ask the manager for the muffins. The bagel was ready but had been sitting and was cold. Mentioned that the muffins we ordered were inedible as was the bagel which was cold, stale, and falling apart. The order total was about 25 for 1 bagel with cream cheese, 2 lattes, and 2 muffins. Asked manager for refund on bagel and muffin but was told that they could not refund the muffin because theyve been serving them for awhile (not sure of the reason still because it tasted awful) We will not be returning for a good reason. Also in the past I learned not to order the chicken wraps because the chicken is microwaved and tastes funny, as well as the lemonade which was a complete ripoff at over $5 for some water and a couple slices of lemon. So yeah, Goodbye falls village cafe, we have had much better luck at mountainside cafe down the street. I left this same review on Yelp but felt it should be on google too, just to spread...

The coffee was sour and the place is really dirty. After getting a sour drip coffee, I asked for an americano instead. They obliged, though not happily. Most of the tables had old food debris on them and the floor has a gritty texture due to all the dirt. There are also bits of food on the ground and several wet used napkins and other small pieces of trash. The bathroom is also super dirty- like the toilet isn't gross, but the floors are in dire need of sweeping. It would be incredibly easy to clean this place if they cared to.

Update: I left a 2 star review while in the cafe and hung out for a while. Then I went to the counter to order another americano. The woman actually denied me service because she said, "they received a bad review." I guess they check their reviews pretty frequently! Anyway, their behavior shows they deserve the bad review. This is probably the worst cafe experience I've ever had, and definitely the worst customer service. Because of their immature response to the 100% accurate review about the sour coffee and dirty establishment, I have lowered the...