Toasted — Restaurant in Northampton

Toasted checked every box. Our party of 10 thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful breakfast here. We’ve lived in the area our whole lives and had high expectations as the previous breakfast establishment that lived in this building (Sylvester’s) was a favorite of ours. We wanted to get a full understanding of their menu so decided to order different beverages and plates. From the full option espresso bar to sweet and savory breakfast plates- we tapas’d Toasted. First off, in The States, having real espresso options is key to starting off your breakfast right and they did not disappoint. From cappuccino to latte, iced or hot, we savored our well brewed and poured specialty coffee as we selected our plates. Portion size ratio to cost are Goldilocks perfect. One is not left wondering how anyone finishes a pancake the size of a serving platter or questioning how anyone can charge an exorbitant amount for 3 silver dollar size pancakes. Each pancake fills an 8” plate perfectly- which is more than generous. Additionally, Toasted does not skimp on more pricey sides orders. From specialty meats, avacado, pure maple syrup or hand squeezed orange juice- all sizes are very fair at the offered price. We ordered Pancakes, French Toast, Eggs (almost every way), Eggs Benedict, Eggs Mediterranean, Custom Omelette, Breakfast sandwich, Gravlox Toast, Mango Compotte- you name it, we tried it. Not one dish disappointed: *Taste/Seasoned: house made home fries, Toast Gravlox toppings, Hollandaise- all house made concoctions balanced fat, salt, acid and heat perfectly. Preparation: perfectly toasted English muffin for Benedict’s, two slices of Canadian Bacon, perfectly poached large eggs and pancakes light and fluffy and not overly sweet but buttery- perfect preparation for sweet toppings. *Basic healthy ingredients: house made breads, guacamole, fresh vegetables, high end cheese, good quality butter. In summary- Toasted performs and delivers across the board. Atmosphere: light soaked with windows running the length of the dining room and espresso bar on either side of the restaurant. Quick eat and go at the Espresso bar to the right at the foyer or, take a left to enter the dining room to take your time on the weekends with larger parties. Booths are comfortable and intimate and they can join middle isle tables for larger parties. However, we did notice a lack of art or wall hanging attractions which we feel the space would benefit from. Service: Staff were accommodating, swift and New England pleasant (polite, considerate, brief)- as breakfast demands. They successfully played our preferred balance of leaving us to enjoy our party of 10 while filling our immediate needs in a timely fashion. With gusto, we’re looking forward to our next...

The service is very good, the food is okay, I have been a couple of times and my experiences are from more than one visit, cobbled together, as I wanted to leave a fair review. I hoped it would get better as they worked out the kinks. If you order something standard like a Benedict things seem to go well, omelets are good, home fries are actually amazing. The Toasties seem to confuse the kitchen, and I get why, they take a minute to figure out how to order, but then you place your order and what comes out of the kitchen seems to maybe sort of resemble the thing you asked for. Mine was incorrect bread type, with a missing ingredient. On the other occasion I visited, a table near mine had a similar experience. The lattes and coffee are downright terrible. The matcha is sickeningly sweet. To be fair, they seem to have a really good barista there, we got to see them in action for a short time, but they may throw someone behind the counter who has no training at all on a whim to cover, and that's just not going to work. I didn't have any cafe drinks made by that official barista as far as I know. I think every problem they have comes down to a serious lack of leadership and direction. There were servers being thrown into other roles without training (we literally witnessed this happening), a person called in to cover a shift who got thrown immediately into a mess of tickets and waiting customers, who had to just sort of figure their way through it (with customers hoping for the best as well), three people at the host station and several empty tables (mix of booths and tables), but for some reason they were telling people to go sit on the cafe side (where it was hot and getting crowded quickly) because they had big parties coming (never saw evidence of that). At one point the servers in the restaurant ran out of glasses. These people were super professional and were clearly doing their absolute best, three cheers to all of them for their kindness and professional attitude, but not once did we see a manager hit the floor despite the fact that this is a new establishment and they were clearly facing some challenges. I hope they can get it together but I just don't know that I...

I had been a regular customer of the former Sylvester's, which previously occupied this location. Sylvester's was a popular eatery in Northampton offering delicious food at reasonable prices with excellent service. Like many of us in the region, I was very disappointed when they closed following the pandemic. When Toasted opened in its place, we were all looking forward to having another great eatery to put on our frequent flyer list. I invited a couple of my friends to join me for the first time at Toasted for lunch. My guests ordered a burger, a grilled chicken sandwich and I had their reuben. The service was very slow, especially when it came time to pay our bill. We waited for over 20 minutes for the server to bring the check. She was also slow in bringing our drinks prior to the meal and the restaurant was very busy when we arrived. The biggest disappointment was the food. Our sandwiches were mediocre at best. My reuben was not a typical reuben that you would find at a deli or diner, loaded with corned beef. The sandwich was heavy on the sauerkraut and very light on the meat and dressing. The bred was saturated in butter and grilled so hard that it fell apart when you took a bite. It was accompanied by a small bag of potato chips. With tip, the final cost for this luncheon was over $90, not worth it in my opinion. I may give them another try at a later date but my first experience was not positive. I'll give the new chef/owner some time to work out the bugs. I don't mind paying a bit of a premium for a quality meal. I do mind if it's mediocre. Bagged chips are a turn off. They should have offered homemade chips or a side like potato salad...