Cafe Lift Haddonfield — Restaurant in Haddonfield

What an experience, the good, the bad and the ugly. We got there, the three of us, at 9:45 am and got put on the list and we're told 15 minutes. I received a text message that I was on a wait list at 9:46am. We walked around the beautiful downtown Haddonfield and returned back at 10 and were told 15 to 20 more minutes, walked some more and returned at 10:20 and were told they were getting a table setup for us. I never received a text message on it so lucky we returned just in time. Excellent menu with good choices and the 3 of us ordered. We received our food at almost 11am and the food was delicious, and our server Meagan was excellent in providing perfect recommendations. We were thoroughly enjoying our food and ordered additional items while eating. So far a pretty good experience aside from the initial wait time. Now the bad: the hostess came to our table at 11:20ish to tell us the table limit is 90 minutes, I mentioned I hadn't received all our food yet and other food while still on table. I asked to speak to a manager, the manager didn't come. We received the rest of the food and received the check. Upon paying the check I requested our server to see if i can speak with the manager. Now the ugly: manager comes to our table and before anything, starts defending the 90 minutes statement made by the hostess. I was now upset and stated we hadn't even received all of our food, received the last of our food 10 mins ago, and the hostess approached us with the 90 min rule and the manager retaliated by pointing at our foods and saying this has been there for 25 minutes. She indirectly called me a liar however i gave her a chance and stated the first order has been however the last order of ours barely came in 10 minutes ago and asked her to check this with our server. She went to validate this and returns confirming i was right, still no apology. Manager even stated I looked at the check on the wrong table, I am now livid, still no apology from her and I am questioning her statements on all of it now and ask her what she was about to say, when I cut her off by questioning. She said "nothing" and still no apology at all. How arrogant can a manager be?

My lower review is solely due to the poor behavior of the hostess and the arrogant horrible behavior of the manager, who needs to learn respect, and manners with customers. Only the 3 of us for breakfast and the bill was $89. I am not questioning the price, food was good excellent server, thanx Meagan, but the manager needs some serious coaching. I will give this place one more chance to change my review from 2 to a better one which it deserves...

Tried this place out looking for a new weekend breakfast spot. It’s a small but cozy environment, though be aware there is virtually no room to stand inside if you have to wait on a table. This can be an issue depending on the weather and temperature, as it was a tad chilly the morning of my visit. Something to be aware, not really a huge issue.

Getting inside and seated, the first thing that hit me was how loud conversations of other guests seemed to be. Not that they were speaking as such, it seemed more like the acoustics of the room seemed to really make any noise really reverberate. This made it a bit hard to have conversation, though not impossible. Again, more of a situational note to be aware of rather than criticism.

Looking at the menu, it is somewhat smaller but this is a positive in my experience, the items offered are focused on breakfast with a bit of brunch, rather than offering everything under the sun. Despite the size, the menu offers a number of diet options depending on your need, with a clear focus on offering vegan options. Pricing isn’t outrageous but certainly on the upper end of the spectrum.

The food came out quickly for how busy it was at the time. Definitely a nice surprise, most restaurants are struggling with the opposite scenario at the time of writing. Quality was above average, fell just a little short of great and this made me wonder if the speed of the kitchen was coming at the cost of quality. It was certainly good enough that I plan a return visit to try their other items.

All in all, 4/5 is a fair score here, with the price being the biggest driver - for the cost, I simply didn’t feel like I got the value. I knew the prices going in and was fine with it however, if you’re going to charge $15-20 for breakfast, my expectations will rise to meet the price. That isn’t to say anything was particularly wrong, but when breakfast for two lands north of $50, I want more than an above...

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📍 Cafe Lift - Haddonfield, NJ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Food:

Mushroom Toast - Slide 1 A truly unique dish. The truffle oil added an amazing touch. The mushrooms were packed with flavor. Eggs were cooked to perfection. The sourdough was fantastic.

Lemon Ricotta Pancake - Slide 2 Light and fluffy, not too lemony. Delicious but with a flavor that was maybe too subtle. Strawberries and powdered sugar were a perfect match.

Vegan Pita - Slide 4 The red lentil falafel was a standout. Super crispy falafel. The pita was warm and fresh. Would have appreciated a detailed spice list; one of the spices (possibly curry) was too strong for our taste. The house-made tzatziki was a winner.

Turkey Bacon - Slide 5 Decent, but I’ve had better. The texture was nice and crisp.

Drinks:

Pistachio Latte - Slide 3 (Left) Subtle pistachio flavor that wasn’t overpowering. Loved the actual pistachio bits in the coffee. Delicious with the ideal milk-to-coffee ratio. Definitely recommend ordering it hot!

Lavender Fog - Slide 3 (Right) A cozy, warm lavender-infused drink. Could have used a bit more lavender syrup to enhance the sweetness. Perfect milk-to-tea balance. The presentation was adorable.

I visited Cafe Lift for a late brunch with my friend, Sammy, and it was our first time here. We will definitely be back! The place is charming, though our table was a bit small. The food was excellent, and our waitress was friendly and attentive.

While they don’t accept reservations, the wait wasn’t too long. Highly recommend giving this spot a try!

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