Keifer’s Madison — Restaurant in Madison

My sister and I went there Friday night. I realize they had only been open for two days and were still trying to iron the kinks out but: 1) It took us 50 minutes to be seated even though there were many open tables and only 4 people ahead of us; 2) our server sat us at the very last, tiniest table in the very back of the restaurant away from everyone else even though there were many, available tables in all of the other sections to include outside seating; 3) our server was a complete airhead who took our drinks order and brought them in a reasonable amount of time but then forgot our straws and left us without straws and silverware for another 20 minutes until we got tired of waiting and my sister went to the front and got them herself. She finally came back 45 minutes later to take our order which was a hummus appetizer, dolmas appetizer, falafel appetizer, and two gyros. One hour later she finally brought out everything together and all was good except the burnt (charred)on the outside, raw on the inside falafel which we promptly sent back. She brought out another order 15 minutes later which was even more burnt than the first order. We proceeded to tell her to have the cook to turn the grease down, that he was cooking them too fast, at too high of a temperature. The server told us that was the second time it had happened that day. What I want to know is why they let someone loose in the kitchen who obviously had not been trained properly by someone at the other Kiefer’s Restaurant who actually knew what they were doing? It was not a pleasant dining experience as it took us 4 hours from the time we got there to the time we left and did not get to eat one of the things we specifically went there for because the cook (definitely not chef) had not a clue as to how to prepare them properly. I’m sure that with time they will work all the kinks out and the staff will become better. It is a fantastic location and with time could become as good as the Jackson location. But as of now, I prefer the Jackson location and will go there whenever...

I always hate writing anything but positive things, but as a vegetarian that always reads reviews before going to a restaurant to make sure it’s actually vegetarian-friendly, I felt like I needed to write this as a disclaimer for those out there like me. Falafel is my go-to order, I’ve had it from a variety of restaurants in many states, but the falafel I had here was so bizarre and definitely the worst I have ever had. It was a darker brown and mushy on the inside (it really reminded me of a slightly underdone black bean burger, texture, flavor, and color-wise), and didn’t taste even remotely like falafel. I know falafel can vary a bit in color and flavor, but this was so far off that it genuinely is baffling. I hate having to ask about food or even slightly complain, so I very rarely do, but I did have to ask our server if he’s completely sure this is the falafel, and he confirmed that it was.

All of the above being said, if you are a vegetarian, I would say to just stick to the hummus if you’re wanting some protein, and avoid the falafel. The Veggie Cheese pita is really the only non-appetizer option that is okay (it’s just cheese with some basic veggies and sauce, nothing incredible but it’s pretty good), besides a salad. If you want some good (and much cheaper) falafel, Aladdin in Jackson is always the best for that.

Our server was lovely, as was everything else besides the food! I just felt like putting the information out there that one of the only actually substantial vegetarian options here was quite bad. Maybe I just had an off batch, but from a couple of other reviews I’ve seen, I don’t think it’s only me who...

I went today around 12 PM. I’ve been going to the one in the Belhaven area for over a decade, so I expected this location to be just as good. A girl sat my mother and I at a tiny table in a corner that already had 2 dirty drinks on it. She just picked the drinks up. I asked her if someone was going to wipe the table. She hesitated then said yes. There was a clean table nearby, so that didn’t make much sense. Our waiter came over to get our drink order. I asked again if someone was going to wipe the table because it was dirty when we sat down. He grabbed one of the napkins he’d sat on the table for us and proceeded to wipe the table. I was in shock. I had to ask for him to go get a wet towel and actually wipe it. He goes “Well she should’ve sat you at that table right there but okay.” The cottage fried potatoes were burnt. The pita feta was also burnt. The gyros were fine. The tea was watery. There were flies EVERYWHERE. Much of my meal was spent swatting them. I also had a perfect view of the dishwashing area. The baskets that they bring food out on were not being cleaned. The dishwasher would eyeball the dirty baskets and just sit them with the clean baskets. That is absolutely disgusting. I tipped $10 because I do understand the server struggle, but I don’t think I...