The Neighborhood Cafe — Restaurant in Huntersville

I was so excited to return to this place after hearing about the re-opening. However, on Monday afternoon, our experience started off poorly before even arriving to the restaurant. Although not the restaurant’s fault, the ongoing construction made it very difficult to reach the location. A heads-up would have been very helpful to have on their website/Facebook page.

Once we got there, it was unclear whether or not it was a “seat yourself” or “wait to be seated” establishment. Upon being seated, I immediately noticed the menu was very difficult to read and way too condensed, almost as if they are trying to fit everything on one page. Additionally, as a suggestion, it would be nice to include bread/toast options as well as soft drink options and not only alcoholic beverages.

In regards to the service, it was fairly average. The restaurant was not very busy and only had two servers working. From the moment of being seated, everything was “drop and go.” It was very difficult to get her attention or the attention of the other server as she was consistently on her phone at the front counter. As a party of 3, it would have been nice to have been asked if we were on separate checks instead of assuming on one, for which we again had difficulty getting that corrected.

Finally, the quality of the food was simply subpar and certainly not in Café 100 fashion. The quiche of the day was swamped with grease, burnt (not broiled) cheese on top, and overwhelmingly full of rosemary with a soggy bottom. The veggie frittata was very very salty, especially with whole black olives, which unfortunately paired well with the paprika-doused breakfast potatoes that lacked any flavor. The starter coffee cake was also very disappointing being dense and stale. Additionally, I was charged $4 for a side of avocado. I do not mind paying up charges, but it would have been nice to have been informed.

Overall, having been in the food service industry for years as well as a loyal Café 100 patron, it pains me to have to write this review. I typically would never write this or complain, but I feel it necessary that the new owners understand there was precedent set by Café 100 and it is up to them to not only meet but exceed the neighborhood’s expectations on food quality and service. I sincerely hope to be back and see great improvements and wish the establishment...

I'm writing this review for all the gluten-free people out there (and there are a lot of us!). This is not a gluten free friendly restaurant. There are no gluten free bread options available, even for an up-charge, and whenI inquired, our sweet server said, "We probably should have them because lots of people ask that question." Note to restaurant, keep a loaf of gluten free bread in the freezer and a cheap toaster in the back corner and charge patrons more for gluten free toast. The food we ordered was delicious, so I would recommend this restaurant highly and without hesitation to people who don't have to worry about gluten. But recommend it to gluten free people? Not so much. For people with celiac disease? I would say don't even think about going to this restaurant. I ordered a breakfast burrito with corn tortillas (as specified on the menu, kudos for that). When the plate arrived, there were flour tortillas on top of the black beans. I inquired since they looked like flour tortillas so the server took the plate back to the kitchen. He came back and told me the burrito was made with corn tortillas, but the tortillas on the side of the plate were just extras and, yes, they were flour. So they replaced the flour tortillas on top of the black beans with corn tortillas. This was not a serious risk for me but it would have been for my daughter and anyone with celiac disease would understand this whole scenario was not acceptable and at the very least, chefs, kitchen staff, and servers need to be aware of this. To the restaurant . . . if you don't want to get into the whole gluten free bread and separate toaster hassle, I get that completely and you have every right to feel that way. But at the very least, please make sure your entire staff understands the seriousness of casually mixing up or switching corn tortillas with flour tortillas. There are people who could end up in the ER as a result of someone in the kitchen deciding those two items are interchangeable. They are not. I will end on a positive note by repeating what I said earlier - The food we ordered was delicious, so I would recommend this restaurant highly and without hesitation to people who don't have to worry about gluten. I hope the restaurant is successful and I wish...

If I could give this place 1000 STARS on here I would!

This hidden gem, right off the main road, is worth a visit and a speedy return!

When our party arrived, we were promptly greeted and give the option to choose our seating inside or outside. We chose outside since the weather was beautiful. There are various outdoor options ranging from open-sky to shaded/umbrella. You really have a range of options here. We were greeted immediately by our ever so attentive and personable server, Haley, and when we could not immediately decide (the breakfast options are aplenty!), she stopped by several times to check on us. She is newer to this establishment, so when she was not entirely sure about the answer to a menu question, she promptly asked for us and returned with what we needed to know.

Btw, there are 4 mimosa options I saw on the menu. Perfect for breakfast and brunch!

Our food arrived promptly, fresh and delicious. Highly recommend any of the lox options!

What we loved about this place is everyone who worked there was like family. It gave us this authentic sense of belonging feel, considering we were first-timers. There were tons of locals/regulars there, so we gathered this was one of THE places to go in Huntersville.

What we were amazed by was the superb service. We were visited by I believe her name was Kathy (manager or owner?), Kayla, Samuel, another woman who's name we did not catch and even several of the locals/regulars introduced themselves to us and welcomed us. Every positive interaction further justified our decision to choose this place of all places to eat that day (we aren't from this area so to come here was absolutely worth it!)

This is exactly the type of place you want to find so you can recommend it everyone (even though you selfishly want to keep this place as a secret all to yourself, haha!). I have reviewed tons of restaurants in the surrounding area and none have impressed on me the way...