Java & Jam — Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale

My family of five recently dined at Java and Jam on Sunday, 03/23, around 1:00 PM, and I must say this has been the absolute worst dining experience we've ever encountered.

My three-year-old daughter has several food allergies, so as concerned parents, we always review the menu to identify safe options for her. There were a few items on the menu whose ingredients were unclear, so we asked our waiter to check with the kitchen. This was particularly important to us since we previously had a bad experience at another restaurant that led to an emergency hospital visit due to misinformation.

However, when we asked our waiter a few questions, she appeared visibly annoyed about having to consult the kitchen, which was apparent to everyone at our table. Despite her attitude, I tried to stay focused on ensuring my daughter wouldn’t consume anything harmful, especially since we were quite hungry. After a few minutes, she returned to take our drink order but failed to address our questions about the kitchen’s response. When I inquired about it, she rudely replied with "corn starch" and then continued taking our drink order without any concern.

Given her demeanor and uncertainty, my husband requested to speak with a manager. Her reaction was shocking; she hesitated and said, "Yes, let me go grab her," only to follow up with, "There’s no one here right now who can speak with you. The more knowledgeable manager is not here (a male), and the current manager is really busy." She delivered this information with an eye roll and a jittery attitude.

Eventually, a manager with red hair came to our table. I shared our concerns and asked for clarification on the food. She informed us that the fries were indeed coated with WHEAT, contradicting our waiter's claim of corn starch, which would have been safe for my daughter. Had I relied solely on the waiter's word, my daughter could have faced a serious health issue, and Java and Jam could have been facing a significant lawsuit.

This incident highlights a lack of training and education regarding food allergies among employees and how they handle such situations. When I explained what happened to the manager, her response was simply, "I will talk with her," which felt insincere and dismissive.

We are incredibly frustrated and disappointed, especially since my husband and I have previously praised Java and Jam after celebrating our wedding anniversary there last year. We wanted to bring our out of town family to enjoy a meal, choosing Java and Jam among numerous brunch spots in Fort Lauderdale, only to have this unfortunate experience.

No one enjoyed their food, which was lukewarm and served without its sides and sauces it was suppose to come with, clearly indicating they were rushing. Despite our frustration, we didn’t feel inclined to complain or send anything back to the kitchen. You can tell the food was just sitting there because steak and eggs should of not been as warm as it was, it appeared very rubbery.

At this point, we don’t envision returning and would like a refund for this disappointing experience.

Unfortunately, the tip was included, but honestly, she deserved...

I write reviews usually when somewhere is exceptionally good or bad. Today was exceptionally bad.

I don’t understand the hype for this place. The pictures on Instagram must be years ago or just for ads. We went for simple dishes to ensure it would be easy to be wowed… and wow what a let down!!!

Banana Bread French toast-$17 - quality tasted store bought +served burnt. I could not taste bananas and It was covered heavily with whip and shredded coconut. It sat in a mango compost - no mango pieces…that made it soggy and did not taste like mango. I had to look at the menu to find out what this yellow liquid was. It tasted like a bulk purée product. See pic- Should not be served!

Nutella French toast -$17- Picture says it all. No love placed into the dish. When I prep at home it looks better than this. I also added the last pic with toppings posted on their instagram page - for comparison to what we got🤨 I rest my case. We ordered eggs as well which did not cook to our request but I was already turned off so I didn’t complain- I just picked around, paid and left. The waiter was your average who could tell the food sucked. Didn’t ask if we enjoyed the meal considering we gave most of it back.

This restaurant ruined our Sunday. We were let down…$50 later with sweaty armpits from being seated outdoors. I hope this post has management rethinking quality over quantity. As this is becoming very common practice lately in the restaurant community. No fresh products served. If it’s being applied to one dish, it’s being applied to all.

We drove to Coral Springs and found another restaurant for half the price to redeem our taste buds. We could not accept going home feeling so let down...

We arrived at Java and Jam around 10:30 AM and were told there was about a 50-minute wait. We joined the waitlist, and I actually had time to run back to the house (I was staying 10 minutes away) to grab something I forgot. By the time I returned, we were being seated—so the timing worked out perfectly.

The hostesses and our waiter were super pleasant and accommodating. The waiter gave us a few recommendations—felt a little pitchy, but I get it. They do have seasonal items, though none really caught my eye. My husband tried one of their basic breakfast combos—two eggs with grits, sausage, and ham. Heads up: the sausage isn’t a traditional Georgia-style sausage (like Garcia’s); it’s more of a chicken link, which wasn’t really our thing.

My sister and I both ordered the steak and eggs. We asked for the chimichurri and hollandaise on the side instead of on top, which they accommodated. I ordered my steak medium and my sister got hers medium well—both were cooked perfectly and we had no complaints.

Drinks were a hit! My husband and I ordered the dragon fruit lemonade shakers, and my sister ordered her go-to Arnold Palmer. She didn’t love it (said it was too tart), so we ended up sharing our drinks with her—and she loved those. FYI, the shakers are definitely shareable; unless you’re super thirsty, one can easily be split between two people. The dragon fruit lemonade was absolutely amazing.

Overall, I really liked the vibe and the food. I’ll admit I was hesitant to try this spot because I usually only read the bad reviews before visiting new places (just to brace myself), but I was genuinely impressed. I have nothing bad to say about our experience and would...