Cellar Door — Restaurant in Lawrence

Ended up in tears instead of enjoying an easy to go breakfast. The pastries and coffee here are lovely as far as I can tell but the management is clearly struggling. I tried to order breakfast for myself and a friend via their website which is run through Square - at the end there was an 11 dollar fee that appeared. I figured it was an error and just called and placed my order. When I went in to pick it up - expecting the total to be the amount of money my food cost, I was dismayed to see a small handwritten sign stating "20% gratuity added but tips are appreciated" or something similar.

I was absolutely floored and when I inquired about the sign the employee at the register was cold - quick to make me feel like a Karen, saying loudly with customers in earshot, multiple times who the money is for - the kitchen staff and the FOH. I understand what tipping is but this is egregious. A forced 20% gratuity means you need to raise your food costs. I'm being forced to pay your employees an appropriate wage instead of you figuring that out and running your cafe accordingly.

I didn't appreciate being treated like a tone deaf miser for having the nerve to point out that forced tipping on to go food is a lil unorthodox. I KNOW I am not the first person to be shocked at this dishonest practice. I also asked about the square space fees and the employee claimed those weren't for tips but something else. But hey, rest assured that either way you order you're gettin' surprise charges.

This interaction was galling because I'm a fabulous tipper. I've been tipping on to go before anyone ever asked. I've worked in service as FOH since I was 13 and I'm a working musician. It's just not ok. When I was a struggling 18 year old in Lawrence I would have ended up so embarrassed having to back out of a to go order because of the hidden illegal costs.

Long story short regardless of the kitchen's prowess, this was a crappy experience. $51 dollars for a simple to go breakfast ain't it. My bagel sandwich was meh- the sausage is dry and crumbly akin to a sujuk, (which can be nice but maybe not in a breakfast sammy) the egg seemed to be egg white and the sandwich was overall dry and disappointing. I did enjoy my coffee though my heart rate was already through the roof as I left with my...

I’m writing this review after multiple visits to Cellar Door. I’m a sensible person and am totally forgiving when a business has an off day and periodically makes mistakes as any business is expected to. I want to love cellar door because it’s one of the only good lunch options in Lawrence and we live close by. The menu and food execution are generally very good, but every single time I’ve been, week or weekend, there have been a handful of errors that are too numerous to dismiss. When the food is done well, it’s very good and out of the box creative. But the service is always very poor. The barista and FOH are usually on the phones and pay no attention, in fact last visit I watched a woman and her child standing at the register for ten minutes without acknowledgment. The barista today was on their phone with a full cafe, but no one in line except myself. I watched them pour old milk that was just sitting in the steamer cup for who knows how long into a drink, which is simply careless and not up to par with drink costs or health code.

The website is almost never up to date. Things listed as out of stock, yet when we arrive are present. Today we got lunch and got the grilled cheese and tomorrow soup. The sandwich wasn’t built as listed online. And no one mentioned that to us when we picked up our food. It takes five minutes to update a website description, this is a simple error that could be fixed with minimal effort.

We arrived early to pick up the order and the soup was ice old. In addition to this, the food is never ready at the time listed for pick up. I almost always order online ahead of time and the food has not once been ready on time. It usually takes 15-20 additional minutes.

Last week I picked up cookies and a canele and all three items were burned. I get that some times things can vary but my partner and I have worked in the industry and we’re appalled that they would sell items like that, especially at full price. I reached out and...

This minimalist diner blew my socks off. My husband and I shared the Chicken Schnitzel sandwich, tofu tacos, the FRIES, and a blood orange and pistachio tart. The sandwich was like holding comfort in your hand. Served on a fresh English muffin that had such a fluffy and chewy texture. The chicken thigh was not lost in the bread due to the perfect crispy crust and tangy cabbage slaw. Neither one of us wanted to put it down. Tacos were were flavorful and gave you surprising textures with the green sauce and thin sliced onions really making the basket pop. The FRIES. These are THE BEST FRIES IN LAWRENCE KANSAS. Perfect blend of soft and tender and oof, that crunch. There seasoning blend is tantalizing but not spicy. Served with a mild Dijon aoli. Don’t skip the pastry. Perfect shortcrust with a sweet orange custard and ground pistachio base. The candied blood orange gave it the acid I expected to get from the custard, which allowed a perfect textural component also. Do not miss this place on your tour of Lawrence restaurants. And do not skip the fries.

Also shoutout to the barista: people rightly so love Alchemy. But that latte was on point with our beloved coffee queen and they have a delicious espresso blend that look forward to...