1841 Cafe — Restaurant in Lenoir

I never give really low scores. This place deserves better. Honestly, they do. We were excited to try it. We heard good things.

We had horrible service. She was very friendly and happy and nice. But gave horrible service.

This was our first time. Food was actually really good and fresh. Server apologized several times that the restaurant was so backed up. It was not the restaurant!

The other servers served their clients quickly, efficiently, appropriately. We were seated for 15 minutes before we were acknowledged. We were waiting for our party to be complete. After our party was complete it was 20 minutes for she noticed and took their drink order.

I am not exaggerating, we were there for 2 hours for a meal that should have been 45 minutes.

Tables that came in after us were served and completed before our order was taken. We got there at 5:30 pm got our food at 7:04 pm. We were done by 7:30 pm because I chased her down and handed her my card while she was at the computer.

Slow service i can handle if everyone is waiting. But not 2 hours for bar food.

She had 4 tables that she served together. We were first, 5 top. Then a 6 top that seemed to be locals and friendly with her. Then a 3 top and a 2 top. We were there 25 minutes before the 6 top. And the other 2 came in about 15 minutes apart. She disappeared a lot. And came through delivering drinks to everyone.

At 6:30 pm She took our order first and then went to the other 3 tablea.

We were there first. Her 6 tops that she was friendly with got their food 15 before we got ours. We waited for an hour and a half for food!!

I was giving a 1 star review. But before we left, "grandma", I think she had to be the owner. She was very sweet and friendly, she treated us like we were family. She just wanted to make sure all the food was good. It was. She didn't ask about the service otherwise I would have told her.

Honestly if we had any other server this would have been a 4 or 5 star review. They all waited on their tables and got them in and out.

I feel bad for writing this because I know it's not easy. But it was aweful service and we had places to be after a long day. She was nice but not good at serving. We still tipped well because I know that's how they make a living.

Before we left there was a 2 top seated next to us that waited 20 minutes to be recognized and get menus. Same server.

We won't...

Wow, what a great place to have a party. Vickie’s 1841 Café has so many things you cannot get under one roof anywhere else for your entertaining purposes. We held our son’s wedding rehearsal dinner at 1841 Café. There are not many places one can find with the space, the décor and amenities all in one package. First of all, to decorate in the unique feel of this place in historic Downtown Lenoir NC would bust most budgets. Next and most importantly, Vickie with her kitchen, worked one on one with us to create a unique experience. Eric, Bert and Danny handled our menu’s special request with no problem. This kitchen has become one of the best in Lenoir. They took the extra effort to find the right ingredients to create a beautiful menu and display that not only tasted great, but also made it an extraordinary presentation for our special occasion. Our new extended families are from far away states of the north and mid-west. We wanted to have our best foot forward and Vickie and her staff knocked it out of the park for us. We had a night full of hors d’oeuvres, dinner, dessert and a great place to fellowship. They served 60 people comfortably in the event room. And with a full bar conveniently available next door in the Café’s dining room, we had every need met. It was worth more than the price we paid, which is usual for anyone who knows how Vickie works. She would rather you tip her staff well because that helps her develop a good team. It was a wonderful way to break bread and get to know each other as a new family. Thank you Vickie for creating such a great place for our community to entertain with our families, I can’t wait for our next family get together at the Café. Cliff & Marty...

I'll give 3 stars because the food was tasty. However, the experience was awful. Upon entering and seeing the "please wait to be seated" sign we stood at the front. The bartender made eye contact but said nothing. We waited. And waited. Eventually the hostess came out, made no apologies, barely greeted us and showed us to a table. The menus were sticky, paper stained and items scribbled out with a pen. Our waitress was sweet but we barely saw her. From the time we ordered, it took 40+ minutes to get our burgers. The burgers were cooked to order and tasted good. The fries were cold. Throughout the meal the group at the bar was exceedingly loud and the bartender was having a fabulous time socializing with them. The waitress never checked on us, even once... just delivered the food and made no apologies for the length of time it took to arrive. We were also charged an additional "non-cash" fee for using our ATM card instead of paying with cash. I understand minimums to use a card but when ordering 2 full meals with drinks, this seems ridiculous. We wouldn't have even known about the fee if we hadn't taken the time to read the receipt. I cannot imagine returning to this place. Far too many better...