The Rusty Cup Cafe — Restaurant in Mountain View

First, let me STRESS that I am looking forward to changing this review! Please fix things! We WANT you to succeed! Now, on to why I gave them a “3”.

Ambience: 5 - It’s a fairly small place, with a nice, cozy feel. The owner and his family did the build out themselves, and I have respect for that. Not only was it DIY, but they did a pretty good job of giving the place a vintage, small town feel. Kudos, guys - job well done! The only issue with the place was that it was hot. A thermometer probably would’ve read in the low to mid 80’s. Granted, it was mid 90’s outside. So, slightly uncomfortable, but not so hot that we would’ve left. Some times older places just don’t stay cool very well.

Service: 3 - This is where things took a left turn. Granted, it was mid lunch rush, and almost every table was full (which is why it wasn’t a 2). Our waitress was fairly bland - definitely not wow’d, but that’s okay - not everyone can be a paragon of personality. No lowered marks for that. She took our order relatively quickly. Our order was made reasonably quickly, as well, considering when we dined. Unfortunately, the order was wrong. That’s something I can overlook, if the service is otherwise good. But, the waitress never came back - like NEVER. My wife had to take the order back to the counter to get it fixed. And after it was fixed, she still never came back. Drinks went dry and stayed dry. Not sure if they usually bring the check to the table, but if they do, it didn’t happen in our case. When we did pay and thank the staff, the waitress said “no problem”. Now, this is a pet peeve for me, because I’ve worked the service industry for much of my life - but I understand it’s a common reply these days. So, I didn’t factor that into my rating, but I’m hoping they read this review and change that reply. If you are in service, there better never be a “problem” serving people. If there is, you need to find a new line of work. So, to tell a customer it’s “no problem” for them to dine in your establishment is entirely inappropriate, in my book. Do yourself a favor and take a sheet out of Chick Fila’s playbook. If you don’t know what I mean, go there, and thank ANY employee in ANY store. I guarantee you, you will NOT here “no problem”.

Food: 2 - This was the most disappointing aspect of the visit. It wasn’t “bad” - it was utterly tasteless. Sadly, it reminded me of nursing home food. I had a club sandwich with potato salad. The sandwich was quite small, like the bread was Walmart generic white loaf. The meat portions were lackluster. But the killer was that even the BACON was tasteless! The potato salad was equally bland, if not more so - it was just boiled potatoes in mayo. I could SEE other ingredients, but it was like it had sat in the fridge for a week and lost any flavor it ever had. My wife ordered a chicken salad sandwich, but received a chicken wrap. She thought maybe she had misread the menu, and that it was a chicken salad wrap, rather than a sandwich, so she tried it anyway. Like my club, her wrap was utterly devoid of any flavor - it looked appetizing, but lacked all flavor. When she swapped it out for the chicken salad she ordered, she was every bit as disappointed with a somewhat stale croissant and flavorless chicken salad - so much so that she gave up and just ate her chips. I love food, so I tried her sandwich, planning to finish it. I was so disappointed in yet another tasteless item that I left it, as well. SO disappointed in the complete lack of flavor in our entire meal, except the cheap chips.

Price: 4 - I give it a 4 (or maybe a 3) NOT because I think the pricing was inappropriate, but because I felt like $8-9/sandwich was exorbitant for such weak food. If I had enjoyed it, I would’ve been happy to pay that. If I had been wow’d, I would’ve been happy to pay up to maybe 30% more, even.

This is a new restaurant, and they’re trying to figure out what works for them, so keep that in mind. I’m confident they will...

The Rusty Cup overfloweth with good food and good times. Wandered in, a drifter, a hobo vagabond farmhand troubadour, quite unlike the agèd vacationeers that frequent Mt. View,—and Lo! but I am met by the sweetest staff of sweethearts that this old world has to offer. The ladies talked me into the Reuben, which features a house-made sauerkraut, or “hauskraut,” alongside chips, coleslaw, cut tea. No alcoholic drinks, unfortunately, as this here Rusty Cup is sittin pretty in a dadgum dry county. Now, you tell me how the “Folk Music Capital of the World” can exist in a country without rye whiskey rye whiskey? how this little “Bluegrass Mecca” can go on in a land without shine? Folks, that just ain’t right. And yet it was all right—a most satisfying, refreshing, revitalizing meal after a long day on the road. Met the owner / head chef, a friendly spirit well worth supporting and getting to know. I only wish I’d have had more time to chat, to order an ice cream, and/or play the piano by the window; but, alas, ‘twas nigh closing time. Left the joint and soaked up a top-notch bluegrass show, free of charge, right across the street on the courthouse lawn. Later, waltzed around town, sung a few songs of my own in various places, and slept in a vacant gazebo. But, of all these experiences, I have to say The Rusty Cup will be the one I remember most fondly, the best part of my overall Mt. View experience.

You know that scene in Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade where Indie drinks from the old, rustic-looking cup rather than any of the ornate fancy boys? This Rusty Cup is exactly like that, right down to the immortality thing. Now, come here, over all the other restaurants in Mt. View, and see if you can take a bite without hearing that hoarse old man in your head say, “You have...

First time here. Went in to place a to go order. I had a cheeseburger and potato salad and the wife had a patty melt and chips. They don't have french fries. I asked what the hamburger special sauce was and the young girl told me that it was a secret but it's good. Lol So I decided to go with mustard and mayo instead. She tells me that the mayo would be on the side, in a cup. I told her I wanted it on the sandwich because I was eating in my vehicle. She had to ask if they could do that. Crazy. Then asked me how I wanted my burger cooked. I told her medium. When I bit into it, it was well done. The patty had a firm texture to it and taste like it was made in a microwave. Definitely a frozen patty that they disguise as fresh by asking how you want it cooked. The lettuce, tomato and onion were good and fresh. The potato salad was good. I asked to add mayo on the patty melt and they charged me 50 cents. The wife said the patty melt was ok but she only ate half of it and threw the other half away. This restaurant is trying to be a fine dining sort of restaurant and charges that way as well. They are far from it and are way over priced. After reading the positive reviews we were very...