Gabe's Cafe — Restaurant in Frederick

This sadden's me to write. I am not one to speak negatively about a food establishment. However I am compelled to share my experience. I am a self proclaimed food critic who loves trying out new restaurants. Last friday my wife and I made the treck to gabes cafe for breakfast We love finding new mom & pop spots to enjoy a meal and share the experience with others. From the reviews I had read this place had great food and great service. When we arrived we were surpriseed to find a parking spot right in front We went inside and it was bustling. We were told that it would be a few minutes before we were able to Be seated. After a short weight, we were told that we could go sit at a table near the window. So we went and sat down a couple minutes later. A waitress came over and brought menus Asked what we wanted to drink and walked away. As we were looking at the menu a few minutes go by and the waitress brings us coffee. One of the items that we had ordered along with our coffee was water. She said I'll bring your water back in a bit. Meantime, a family of 6 had come in after we had been waiting to be seated and was sat. We decided on menu items and we're waiting to order. When the waitress came back to the recently sat 6 top preceded to take their drink order and wallked away. I have spent 13 years in food service and one of the things that frustrates me is when the idea of a two top versus a six top isn't going to tip is well so they're not as important of a client. The waitress proceeds to bring the 6 tops. Drinks back and then take their food order. At this point we had been sitting there for fifteen minutes from when we had been sat to this point in our experience. The waitress finished taking the six tops order and simply walked away with menus and disappeared into the back. At this point I was over the experience. Very frustrated and told my wife I'm not eating here. We should just leave. She said let's give it a couple of minutes and see what happens I agreed and waited the few minutes and the waitress never came back so we simply got up and left. I understand this might have been an isolated event. However, this being the first time we've ever visited This restaurant it did not paint any kind of good picture for a return. I assume that the food here is fantastic because it was very busy and that at the end of the day. This could have Probably have been remedied however first Impressions are the most important to me. And the impression that was left on us is that we will never return to this restaurant again. Assuming that the food here is fantastic. I am really disappointed that. I will never experience how good the food actually is . I recommend To this establishment, treat every customer. As though they are the most important to your business. You never know who your serving and how they can affect your overall business negatively...

This place is truly a little gem! We went here for breakfast upon a recommendation from a good friend. We have been searching for a good, quaint breakfast place near us and there is nothing nearby. We finally went to Gabe’s Cafe. I had the veggie omelet, now, most breakfast places have a veggie omelet on the menu and when it comes out it has a scant amount of veggies. This veggie omelet had a generous amount of perfectly seasoned veggies. Let’s also talk about the homemade raisin bread. Delicious! It was a wonderful treat, not super sweet but had the perfect amount of cinnamon, nice crust and delicious chewy center. Ok moving on to the dish my son ordered. The New York steak breakfast, excellent tender steak with green chili, eggs and hash browns. He said the steak was cooked perfectly to his liking and was not tough or over fatty. He also said the chili was great. My husband had the corned beef hash also with green chili and he said it was very good as well!

Our server was delightful, attentive and on point. She and the entire staff were cheery and kept our coffees full and hot. They also seemed like they truly enjoyed working here which is such a positive sign for a restaurant. Another great signal of this place was the buzzing atmosphere, people were talking to each other and enjoying their time here. I did not see one person on their phone while here which is highly unusual these days. There were obviously regulars because the wait staff welcomed these people by name as they were arriving and being seated. Such a happy way to start a Saturday morning.

We sat at Betty’s table, I want to meet Betty! She has her own table, she must be legendary. My husband asked when we need to come to meet Betty. Sounds like we need to be there in the afternoon to meet her.

We also ordered a cinnamon roll to take home to our boys that didn’t come with us. On the top of the box, our server wrote the heating instructions to ensure perfection at home too!

All in all we were highly impressed in this little hole in the wall cafe. This might, very well be our new go to for weekend breakfast dates. It is a little further away from where we live but now that we found it we both agree that it was worth the drive.

If you are looking for great food, excellent service and a wonderful, cheery atmosphere then stop in at...

I was referred to Gabe's for a good bite on the way to a mid-morning round of golf. Hailed as an excellent establishment....Unfortunately, this was not the case. Gabe's Cafe is nestled in downtown Frederick. A local bar/pub that serves breakfast and your typical pub food. The morning got off on the wrong foot, as I sat for about 15 minutes without a visit from a waitress. I was finally visited by what I would interpret as the matriarch of the wait staff (who was not presently serving my area) to ask if I had been helped. When I replied no, a look of disdain came upon her face- as she quickly apologized and got to my service. The venue is typical of what I would expect from a small town cafe/pub. Not contemporary by any stretch of imagination, but not a dump either. Gabe's has larger breakfast menu, but oddly, their cook area is only about 100 SF. Thus- their food is short order line cooking. Which is fine, if the quality is good. Unfortunately- it was not. I ordered a very simple Classic Breakfast. Scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage patty, and white toast. The eggs were a lazy scramble ( cracked on a flat grill and scrambled with the spatula). The hashbowns were done very nicely. Seasoned lightly with butter, a golden brown, and fresh. Very delicious. The bacon, however, was extremely overcooked, old, and cold. The sausage patty was a frozen patty. Also overcooked, cold, and chewy. This is always an indication of sand bag cooking (cooking large quantities and stacking in a pan under a heat source). The toast was old, un-buttered, and curled from sitting. All-in-All, a very bland and boring experience. My advice to Gabe's? Simplify your menu and zero in on quality instead of quantity. If you're going to serve short order breakfast food....Great. But make sure your short order cook is a good one and cares about the quality of the food they are presenting. I'm sure Gabe's works fine for the locals. But you'll find the quality is no different or better than a waffle...