Cafe Et Lait — Restaurant in Fort Lee

The atmosphere was great, and the place was very clean. The owner was also extremely kind and respectful. However, everything else was quite disappointing.

First, one of the staff members, a Korean who clearly speaks English and Korean, pretended not to understand when I asked a question in Korean. I had to switch to English, which left me feeling confused and uncomfortable. That kind of behavior—deliberately ignoring someone in their native language—feels like an attempt to assert superiority, and it’s just not acceptable.

Next, we were told we’d receive a text message when our coffee was ready. We waited, but no message ever came. When we finally went down to check, the foam on our coffee had already disappeared. It was just sitting there the whole time.

As for the sandwich, we had seen a photo featuring egg salad with tomato, lettuce, and onion—a very Korean-style sandwich, which is exactly what we came for. But what we got was completely different: a sandwich overloaded with arugula and just plain egg salad. The foam on the coffee was also nothing like what we saw in the pictures. It felt misleading.

I even showed the photo to the female staff member who took our order, but she didn’t acknowledge the difference. I don't like arugula and wouldn’t have ordered it if I had known. So, I went back and spoke to the owner. He explained that the photo I saw was of an older menu item that is no longer offered. That’s fine—but the staff should have told me that from the start. It’s just common sense.

The staff member’s attitude and lack of communication ruined my day. I drove a long distance to visit this café, and I left feeling disappointed and frustrated.

That said, the young owner was polite, eager to learn, and genuinely kind. If he hires the right staff who are respectful and clear with customers, I believe this café still has great potential. I truly hope they don’t lose their original spirit and keep striving to do better.

The reason I took the time to write in detail about that staff member is because I genuinely hope she learns, even at a young age, how important it is to treat others with basic respect...

The coffee is mediocre, but I sometimes go to this cafe because they have a lot of seats where you can work on your laptop. The tables are a little too high for people of medium height or shorter, unless you get a seat at the high tables by the windows. Ergonomically the best seat, but your feet are hanging off of high chairs. The first time I went, their decaf coffee was very good, but then when I went again, it wasn't very good at all. Their egg and cheese bagel sandwich was great for $4.50. It was a good deal. But if you want that same sandwich on whole wheat bread, it doesn't taste as good. Their teas come in plastic tea bags, which will excrete 11.9 billion particles of nanoplastic. Google that and it'll make you want to never drink teas from plastic bags again.

The biggest problem with this cafe is the awful, head-banging, disco tech music that makes you want to leave after five minutes. I'm so annoyed listening to it. I only wish the management or owner would consider the opinions of their patrons in their ambient music choices. There is a reason why some businesses fail and others succeed and that key reason is providing for the needs of their customers. I bet you if you conducted a customer survey, most would say to turn...

Very welcoming staff with a modern take on cafe look. Espresso was dialed in very well. Had a coffee as well with a very rich flavor(on the darker side). Latte small size was a bit too small for what I would consider a latte(8oz) but when Violin made it the flavor was definitely great.

I also had a bacon egg and cheese there that was delicious. Easily the best Korean cafe bacon egg and cheese I’ve ever had. They let you choose between a brioche bread or a bagel. I chose the brioche which was amazingly toasted to the point to it being croissant consistency. The egg cheese and bacon were cook to perfection to where I didn’t feel greasy and sluggish after eating.

I went in today with a new barista who didn’t seem to understand how to steam milk properly but one hiccup isn’t going to change the fact that everything else is impeccable!

All and all the place is definitely a competition to other cafes in the area. But would definitely recommend training your baristas in the simple task of steaming milk. Seems like kind of a waste to have a la marzocco to just make...