LAYERED — Restaurant in McKinney

Stopped by today and WOW, very impressed with this new coffee shop, bakery & coffee roasters. The atmosphere is what one would expect in such establishments, with the proper blend of metro simplicity and cafe warmth. That it lies in the Historic District is a bonus. The owner, Nir Sela, is the epitome of all that is accommodating, cordial, generous and helpful. It is refreshing to see someone so directly involved with the sale and production of their business.

The coffee is sublime and worth waiting for through long lines. FYI, if you like to avoid crowds, Mondays seem to be the best day. Parking is a little freer, and the lines are certainly less...affords one perhaps a finer cup of 'jo and the largest selection of roasts...or at the very least a chance to interact with the wonderful staff. The lunch menu is limited, sensible, and most of the dishes were above my standards for such an establishment. For a place whose focus is the beverages, the meals are quite good. Of particular note are the chicken dishes...the meat is marinaded for some time, the end result is quite flavorful.

The bakery does not disappoint. Nir somehow finds the cleverest bakers, and everything I've tried so far will bring that smile to your face only homemade things can. I can't think of one thing to recommend over the other...if you are a chocolate enthusiast, the brownies won't disappoint...if you like coffee cake muffins, these will leave you quite happy! Everything is so crumbly, fresh and flavorful...plus, Nir related the care with which they bake: some baked goods are allowed to mature a day or so following their creation for an even better flavor.

For me, the highlight of the place is the packaged coffee--certified fair-trade green beans roasted in-house to perfection with the fluid bed roasting method (otherwise known as the hot air roasting). The Ethiopian beans are sublime, and beat my old standby brand Sr B*s by a long degree. The strength is good, flavor superb, and one gets the satisfaction of knowing one is both drinking a superior product and supporting local roasters.

Needless to say, I will be returning to McKinney's finest coffee shop...

I did a tasting for wedding cake and signed a contract, as well as leaving a $250 deposit with Shannon Star at the restaurant back in the summer of 2018. Within a couple of months Shannon left the business. I was worried and met with the manager/owner Near. I felt better knowing there were new bakers in the shop to make my cake. I paid in full the remainder I owed which totaled almost $1200. Fast forward to this year, 2020. I called last November I think to tell Near my wedding was cancelled. He had injured his knee and would call me back with the amount due. Two days later I called and left a message with one of his female employees because he wasn’t there telling her to tell him my wedding was back on. I hadn’t heard from Layered. This past Sunday I email to change to color of my wedding cake before the lock out date. I’m then informed by Near that I was a liar and my cake would not be made! I was extremely upset and called my fiancé who also emailed the manager. He didn’t respond to any of my fiancé’s emails. He was rude, arrogant and disrespectful. No good customer service came from him! He proclaimed I had a check waiting for me all these months and I asked why was I not informed with a phone call or email. I was so distraught I no longer wanted Layered to make my cake and just wanted my money back after sending him copies of my contract and receipt paid in full. I call yesterday morning since I had some free time to pick up my refund check. Low and behold the cashier states it’s not there. She returns my call to say Near wouldn’t be in til 12:00 to write my check! I thought my check had been waiting all this time! I arrived and to see they are no longer selling bakery goods and the window where you could see the bakers working was now covered. Instead of Layered owning up they actually ended my contract they chose to blame me and not be truthful. Layered did keep the $250 deposit for cancellation. I hope he believed the value of this bad review was worth it! I threatened to take him to court and contact BBB with a formal complaint but as you see Layered wasn’t concerned about my...

Today was my third time visiting Layered. We made a reservation with the hostess, waited outside for 20 minutes and were called in to be seated. We then sat at our table for 45 minutes until I asked a gentleman walking by (not our waiter) when we would be able to order and he said the kitchen was closed. Obviously, this wasn't an acceptable answer to me since I had a reservation and had been sitting there for 45 minutes watching the customers around us be served with food (including the couple next to us who were seated at their table the same time as us). So I politely asked if I could discuss the matter with the hostess who seated us or a manager. The owner came to our table and was visibly flustered before we even started the conversation. I tried explaining to him that my complaint is the lack of communication and the fact that over an hour of our time had been wasted. He did not seem to comprehend my complaint - probably due to the several interruptions he made to emotionally and defensively explain that his oven was leaking gas and he didn't feel safe using it to cook, he also talked over me about how Saturdays and Sundays are his busiest days and his rent is due soon, Yada Yada. The food in this joint is good, but please be aware that you will be giving your money and time to an owner who has zero ability to listen to or respect his customers. I would give them negative stars if it were possible. This post does not begin to cover the entire interaction, but only gives high level details. I did video the end of our conversation (because the owner's emotions were escalating to a level that made me very uncomfortable) but unfortunately I cannot figure out how to post a video with this review. If you're looking for coffee or breakfast, I highly recommend Filtered Coffee instead (also in downtown Mckinney) and for lunch I recommend El Mejor Mexican Kitchen. Both places are more deserving of your hard-earned money...