Five Loaves Cafe — Restaurant in Mount Pleasant

Totally flummoxed as to how this is the "best sandwich" or "lunch spot" in Charleston. Found it randomly having an appt nearby. The menu online shows chicken and waffles, smothered chicken, etc. There was barely a place to park in the shopping center and upon walking in we realized it was the culprit - it was packed so we thought it must be good. I must have really missed something in my Google search. First their lunch menu is limited to sandwiches and salad and soup. None of the other food is available at lunch. We decide these must be some really good sandwiches though so we stay. My daughter got the roast beef which she described as bland. We asked someone for mustard and she said "Im the hostess". Finally got mustard. I hade a 1/2 turkey with cranberry and cream cheese schmear.... more like a dollop with an under-ripe tasteless tomatoes. Bland. Yet, my crab soup was so salty I could not finish it and that really says something bc I love salt. Husband's Reuben barely had sauce. He was also underwhelmed. But what REALLY got me is we pay $15+ for very unimpressive sandwiches that come with no sides, nor were there sides on the menu. Everyone had chips but how would we know to say add chips if they aren't on the menu? We assumed they come with.... (How about writing 'chips +$2' next to the sandwich?) I am very disappointed and leaving hungry ..... Wild. My husband says how do you mess up a Reuben? How do you make saurkraft dry? My son said maybe this is the best sandwich shop because it's the only one. Daughter says, this is a pennenisula, maybe they dont get out much and know what food is supposed to taste like. I would laugh except we just spent $80 on 2 whole sanwiches, 2 halves, 1 cup of soup, and 2 drinks AND I'll have to eat something else in an hour or two. Additionally, while the place is cute it was unpleasantly warm. I just don't even know what else to say. My family may never let me pick the...

Third time having dinner here and each time has been a culinary delight. Their soups alone are a destination dish illustrated by the fact that you can order a flight of them or make a meal out of a bowl as my partner loves to do. Her love is the potato brocolli cheddar which is both vegetarian and gluten free. On my flight, I tried the potato brocolli cheddar, the tomato tarragon crab, and the Mexican chicken chili. They are all fantastic. I personally have settled on the tomato crab as my goto. The flavors and textures are great and it's not something that I can make at home or get anywhere else.

The restaurant itself is smallish and intimate right inside. We've been there when it's packed and when it's quiet. We've always been able to hold a conversation comfortably even at its loudest.

On Saturday my soup arrived with my entree, coffee & rosemary grilled pork tenderloin, maple smashed sweet potatoes, braised kale with blackberry molasses. We also ordered the gluten free cornbread with blackberry molasses. I don't typically overeat at restaurants but I had to try all of this. For cocktails we had the blueberry lemondrop and the blackberry bourban cooler.

The cast iron baked cornbread was ample and had a great combination of moist and dry that made it perfect to break off for bites of soup, the perfectly sauteed kale, and the smooth sweet potatoes.

I think what impresses me most about the menu is the way the chef offers sweet and savory flavor combinations that allow you to build a meal that allows a person to eat and sip around the plate. Everything on the menu seems to be good and offers those who are gluten-free vegetarians and omnivores opportunities for a night out that can't be found anywhere else in the greater...

I am not in the habit of writing negative reviews, but our recent visit to Five Loaves Cafe in Charleston, SC, was so disappointing that I felt compelled to share our experience. We were looking forward to enjoying some local fare, but unfortunately, everything we ordered fell short of expectations. We started with the potato, broccoli and cheddar soup, which at first glance lacked the shine that cheese typically gives. Upon tasting, I realized the chef had added instant mashed potatoes, which took the soup to a whole new level of unpleasant. I understand that every chef has their own interpretation, but this was not a successful one. My wife's kale salad with berries was another letdown. The kale was tough and unappealing, as it hadn't been massaged to make it tender, and the hard stems were left intact. The dressing was overwhelmingly vinegary, overpowering any other flavors. My father-in-law ordered the flounder dish and claimed it was fine, so we'll take his word for it. However, my eggplant parmesan was a disappointment. It consisted of two breaded eggplant rounds with no sign of a proper tomato basil sauce. Instead, it tasted like undercooked tomato sauce with dried basil shavings. A good sauce should be simmered for hours to develop the rich aroma of cooked-down tomatoes and fresh basil, but this was far from it. Overall, our experience at Five Loaves Cafe was awful. We were hoping to find a charming local cafe, but this turned out to be our first negative dining experience in Charleston. We hope this was an off day for the restaurant, but unfortunately, it left us with...