Promenade Cafe — Restaurant in Long Beach

BEWARE - RESTAURANT EMPLOYEE ATTEMPTED TO STEAL FROM US!!

I went with my mother and aunt (3 people) to the Queen Mary last Tuesday. We went to the Promenade for dinner and from the start our waiter Mandel made me slightly uncomfortable with his informal attitude and swearing, but I just ignored it. After dinner, we handed him a credit card and he brought back this receipt. The individual items weren’t listed, but I noticed that the total seemed unusually high for 3 small meals, so I asked if by any chance the tip was included. He looked nervous, but said absolutely not. I asked for a new receipt with the individual items and he gave me a VERY hard time, stating that he’d need to re-run the card again. I insisted that I need a new receipt, so he reluctantly re-printed the receipt and said something like “oh I found the error- an automatic gratuity of 20% was added to your bill because you were marked as a party of 8+ people. Sorry, the machine is old so it does that sometimes”. Bro CLEARLY falsely marked us as 8+ people in an attempt to steal an extra 20 bucks from us by unknowably tipping twice.

The next day I called the restaurant and politely asked to speak with the manager to make sure something is done about this. I was told the manager (Matthew) was busy, but they’d take my phone number to call me back. They never called back , so I have no way of knowing if this was a one time incident by a bad apple, or if this is just the way they run the entire queen mary. I’m just assuming it’s the latter.

Check your receipts...

I arrived at the Promenade Cafe on the Queen Mary without any particular hopes, only to be utterly impressed by the quality of the food. From the moment we walked in, we were warmly greeted and expertly served by Savannah. Our order included a variety of dishes: fish and chips, a club sandwich, calamari, clam chowder, eggplant manicotti, avocado toast, and three cups of coffee. Each item arrived piping hot and felt made-to-order. It was a delightful surprise; I hadn't anticipated such culinary excellence from a quaint cafe aboard a historic ship like the Queen Mary.

The fried selections were impeccably crispy and devoid of excess oil, suggesting a commitment to freshness that extended to their cooking practices. The salads boasted vibrant, crisp greens that didn't feel like it sat in a fridge for days. The clam chowder was generously stocked with sizable clams and impeccably fresh potatoes that retained their shape beautifully. Even the bacon in my club sandwich was fried to perfection, offering a delightful balance of tenderness and crunch (unlike the ones fried in big batches and become stale over time.

While the Queen Mary's age was evident in the worn appearance of some tables and seats, everything was kept impeccably clean, including the restrooms. This attention to cleanliness reassured me about the standards maintained in their own kitchen.

In conclusion, I would return to the Promenade Cafe for another enjoyable...

If zero stars was an option - I would have given a zero. My friend has a specific diet due to his religion and stomach issues and doesn't eat pork. We were specific to the server "absolutely no pork" and asked to make sure that this dish didn't have pork in it. The menu Item also does not state anything about pork. The Chicken and waffles came to the table - chicken on the top - greens buried in the Middle and waffles on the bottom. My friend took a bite and instantly got sick - realizing there was small bits of pork in the greens under the chicken. When we spoke to the server she said "the item shouldn't have pork" and then came back minutes later stating that "the menu has changed". When we asked to speak to a manager she went and got one. 10 minutes later "cat" the manager on duty came over and made sure to let us know right away that "the menu hasn't actually changed but that greens are always made with pork" - with zero concern that my friend's religion and Health was put in jeopardy due to their lack of training. We were astounded by not only the lack of awareness of their menu - but also that lack of concern for the issues they caused to my friend. Will not recommend this place - and it's too bad cause the Queen Mary is a pretty cool location - unless there isn't anywhere I would be willing...