Cindy's — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Today was my first time visiting Cindy's. Turns out it will also be my last. I've lived nearby for a few years and have always noticed how cute – and busy – the place looked. My husband and I decided to pop in this morning to grab breakfast. The very kind host seated us at the counter immediately and got our drinks. About five minutes later, our server Trisha, came by and took our orders. Everything's good so far. But over the next few minutes, we see her being rude to the other staff and hear her making demands while ignoring her tables to spend minutes at a time chit-chatting with friends at a booth. Finally, a runner brings our food. I ordered the Noah's Ark – two eggs, bacon and two pancakes – but what I got was eggs, bacon and potatoes. I figure, okay, it's just a side not mentioned, and wait for the pancakes to arrive. The eggs were fine, the bacon strangely seemed undercooked yet tough, and the potatoes were mushy with no flavor. The entire time I was eating two-thirds of the plate, Trisha was at a table chatting with friends, so I flagged down another server and asked them to check on my pancakes. They inquired at the kitchen window, and Trisha finally returned to work to see what was going on. She came back to our spot at the counter to tell me I didn't order the Noah's Ark and pointed out what she wrote down on her order pad. Okay, she might have written what she wrote – eggs and bacon – but what I explicitly said aloud was Noah's Ark, which is what I reiterated to her, politely but firmly. She didn't like being told she was wrong and responded with some very passive aggressive remarks. It ended with her taking my meal off of the bill – which I did not ask for nor expect – but that doesn't make up for her nasty attitude. I've eaten at a lot of LA restaurants with mid-tier food and still gone back because I like the atmosphere or have had amazing service. This is not one of those cases. Thanks, Trisha, for saving me from spending any...

For over 40 years I have passed by this establishment and never gone in. My guest wanted to go here because the Fox’s restaurant in Altadena was under the same ownership and burned down, along with my former home, in the Altadena fire. The Green Goddess Omelet was on the menu from Fox’s. I should have ordered the same thing, but feeling adventurous I dared to order the Gumbo. I have been to New Orleans several times and know gumbo. Cindy’s cook does not know gumbo, so it’s surprising that it makes an appearance on the menu. Okra is more often used as a thickener in seafood gumbos than those with meat. This okra gumbo was made with chicken legs dark meat and some Andouille sausage was added. I found a very sharp needle-tipped bone from a chicken leg in my scant bowl of “gumbo.” Gumbo is traditionally served in top of rice or accompanied by rice on the side. Not the case here. There were three small pieces of Andouille sausage in the gumbo, the size of the odd green onion garnish on the dish. When I saw an additional charge of $2.50 for maple syrup on any order, I should have known. This is a very pricey hipster coffee shop for those willing to part with $25-35 per person for coffee shop food in a vintage retro setting. Never again even if it was free. I left the needle like bone on the spoon and asked the server to inform the kitchen. No response from the kitchen says it all. Do...

Tried it twice to give them the benefit of the doubt because it's just the kind of cute retro diner I love. Was SO disappointed in the attitude of the staff both times. One of my favorite things in the world is hot buttered toast where the butter is all melted into the pores in the bread. You have to butter it right away to really get it right. If you wait until the bread reaches the table it's too late. I asked for this and they REFUSED. It was really important to me, so I offered to pay extra for this apparently unusual service. They STILL refused! So much for giving people the food they are paying for the way they like it. Never again. I will take my money to places like Shakers where they actually tout hot buttered toast right on the menu. Part of the reason for me going out is to get food the way I want it, not to get snubbed for such a little thing like that. It literally takes seconds to butter hot toast, but it makes all the difference in the world. When I asked the owner about it, btw, they said that they get very busy and it's at the discretion of the staff if they have the time and want to butter toast, but that they fully support them if they don't have the time. Not, in my opinion, a way to...