Cafe Nola — Restaurant in Frederick

The top review at the time of my posting this says something to the effect of: "This isn't New Orleans, get that out of your head." But I think that's an understatement. I'm from Missouri - fried chicken and general "southern cooking" were not staples in my life. However, at least we had standards when it came to breakfast.

If Cafe Nola is "acceptable" breakfast in Maryland, I should probably quit my job and open a breakfast joint, because this state is ripe for the picking in that department.

We ordered breakfast for dinner and this was easily the worst food we've had since we moved to Frederick last year. We ordered two rounds of Biscuits & Gravy (B&G) with french fries - sweet potato and regular. Along with that, we got two sides of "thick cut" bacon.

The biscuits were a step below Pillsbury canned biscuits: they tasted like they came from an expired discount rack at Costco. They were bland, dense, and mechanically uniform. The french fries were limp and underseasoned. You could see salt on them, but you couldn't taste it. Largely they tasted like the outside of an unwashed potato and depression-era sadness. The bacon, well... There's no planet on which it can be called "thick cut." It was only marginally thicker than microwave bacon with the same level of flavor. I've genuinely had better bacon from McDonald's.

The gravy, however, which could have redeemed everything we got, was instead the most offensive thing we received. Not only was it watery and broken, it featured the saddest sausage I've ever had - I literally could not even taste it. The gravy tasted like pure fat (think crisco, not bacon) and way too much sage. There was literally NO other flavor. I felt like I was eating uncooked lard with a pinch of pepper and a handful of sage. It was absolutely atrocious.

If you've ever had a decent breakfast in your life, do NOT eat at Cafe Nola. On the flipside, if you think Cafe Nola is a decent breakfast, you need to...

Overall this is a good brunch place. Please read the whole review. I list cons first but don’t let that influence you before you finish. Some of the cons include the sides (breakfast potatoes, maple sausage, etc.) being not very good, and some of the service wasn’t that great. The potatoes were bland, and not served with anything else, just browned potatoes, but there was salt at the tables. The sausage was greasy and not my preference for taste. When we got there (today, a Monday) it was pretty busy, but as expected for holidays. We waited outside in the air lock for about 15 minutes, it was pretty cold but better than outside. However, the hostess was rather blunt and not very nice to some of the people waiting. Overall the service was lacking, but it was busy and I’m sure they were trying their best. I work Despite the cons I will definitely be coming here again though! The atmosphere is great, and the main dishes are incredible. I got the B & G’s (biscuits and gravy) and I was very happy with it. The biscuits were light and fluffy but still filling and not soggy underneath the gravy. The sausage gravy was perfect and it was overall an amazing dish. I also ordered a Chai latte with brown butter flavoring. I have to say the highlight of this restaurant for me is most definitely the drinks. I think I’ve been ruined for chai! The drink was incredible. Foamy but not too hot, and had just enough spice in it to be pleasant but not overwhelming. Well worth the 15 minute wait, I’ll definitely be coming here again even if it’s only...

There is absolutely no doubt that the food is as close to whole food as possible, it is excellent, well prepared AND tastes wonderful. I have been visiting Cafe Nola for a number of years. Having said that, this review has been a long time coming. Today is the day. It is the wait staff that appear to be more aloof than ever. 2p.m. in the afternoon, my daughter and I visit, asking for a table outside. We are told the wait time, give our number and walk around waiting for them to alert us. We decided to return early only to find two tables outside available. The hostess that was to alert us, was outside washing windows. someone else saw us to our table. We ordered, food was brought out by someone else. Not once did the waiter return to fill our water glasses, bring straws we requested and did not offer condiments. At one time the smell of cigarette smoke was so bad it interrupted our conversation... we then noticed our waiter and several staff in the alley smoking. The smell of cigarette smoke was obvious and heavy. So we get over this. We had to go inside to ask for our check, because we asked the hostess that was ignoring us to begin with, to summons him so we could leave. She did not do this. We did not tip and this sat heavily with me. I can think of no reason why we were treated this way. This is not the first time the staff have been rude and ignoring. This is a long...