The Hatter Cafe — Restaurant in Fort Payne

I do not take pleasure in writing this review, but feel like I should let people know. I've been here twice. First I must say that the people are very friendly and polite. However, the food is honestly just not very good. Nothing anybody had in the two times I've been was that great. The best tasting thing both times was probably the hashbrown casserole side. As another reviewer said, the food is very bland, especially the eggs. The bigger issues though are the portion sizes and the wait times to get your food. Both times, we have been the first people there. Both times, it has taken forever to get the food. We ordered pretty basic breakfast items each time. Very off-putting. On my second visit, I could see other customers who came in after us getting frustrated with the wait time as well. The portion sizes are really small. Like embarrassingly so. It was actually quite annoying/maddening. The fruit was just a couple of very tiny blueberries, strawberries and a sliver of orange in a tiny tea cup. Other sides were crazy small too. The biggest joke was probably the country ham side. It was basically two quarter sized pieces of country ham. I wish I was joking. I was shocked by that. Also, the avocado egg toast entree is ONE piece of toast, I couldn't believe that that was the whole meal. That was incredibly bland too. I left hungry, it really should have been a joke. Nowhere on the menu does it say it is a single piece of toast. In fact, none of the small portions are mentioned anywhere. I will say the taste of the country ham was good, same with the bacon and sausage, but they are so small what does it even matter? It's really a shame, I wanted to like this place a lot. In fact, I was very hesitant to write this review and was planning on going back and trying the pancakes, waffles and lunch, but the more that I think about it, I have no plans to return. It's just not worth it. I honestly have never felt so ripped off by a restaurant. I understand you have to make a profit as my family runs a restaurant too (not even in the same state or same type of food, so not a competitor), but this was...

I left a poor review based on a poor experience. The owners responded doubling down on their perspective and suggested my review was hurtful.

After 12 hours of time and space and other meals from other restaurants during our long drive, I have to say...

The food was overpriced. The cost for a breakfast that took 1.5 hours and left us hungry was the same as a nice sit down dinner. There are different definitions of "from scratch." What I experienced is that some of the food tasted and looked packaged. The chicken from the chicken and biscuits tasted exactly like Marie Calendars (there is a unique cut, taste and texture to their chicken and gravy), the biscuits were vegetable oil based and similar in texture to Pillsbury, the "2 day smoked pulled pork" was dry and smothered in Sweet Baby Rays (if you have ever had real smoked pork that is not how you respect the amount of effort that is to make). I could be wrong but it would be harder to copycat those elements than serve them. There were a few very redeeming parts: real local sausage, grit cakes were good, challah toast looked good. Not sure why the bread was made in house and not sold at the bakery...... I would have bought it but they only had massive cookies. The server was nice, oversold how good the food was, but kept drinks full, etc. The owner replied to my previous comment that all meals take 30 minutes but the replacement waffle for our table took 5. Waffles and bacon, even from scratch, should be quick. While I get they were busy, this was an observation I made.

I'm not mad, I didn't have time to talk to management, and I still think it's worth sharing my experience for other potential customers. Because it was disappointing.

And bless their hearts this is not meant to be hurtful, just helpful to potential customers and their team as they tend to...

This is a beautiful restaurant both with the food and the atmosphere! My wife and I went after church today and it was the perfect place. We sat on the screened in porch with a beautiful breeze blowing through. Our server was Danielle and she did an amazing job and really made sure we had a perfect brunch. My wife had the eggs benedict which they substituted toast (made from home made bread at the restaurant) instead of a brioche at her request which was very nice of them and also delicious. Eggs were cooked perfectly to order. She also raved about the pumpkin spice tea and hash brown casserole. She said her meal was a 10+! Mine was also fantastic! I had the special meatloaf which was like a shepherd's pie with melted carmelized cheddar cheese on top....10+++ I also had a side of the mac and cheese which was made with gouda and cheddar....Also A+....Great place to eat and share special moments. We will be back for sure!! Also try the little gift shop run by Pamela and Brittany. Very friendly and sweet ladies who also want their customers to be happy! .....Tip, .....They have home made cookies the size of your face....Big Ben the clock not included...Seriously, they use really fruit juice for the lemon and orange creamsicle cookies. We also tried the smore, pecan, and chocolate brownie cookies with our family at home....Cookies A+ also just like the rest of the food. Whether you live near or are just passing through....Treat yourself to a stop here!!...