The Leisure Club Coffee & Brunch Bar — Restaurant in Pensacola

NOTE - For first-time visitors, this is what you need to know. 1st: If you want just coffee and not to-go, then order at the counter and they will make you sit at the coffee bar, not at a table. 2nd: If you are going to eat food, then someone will seat you and you can sit at the tables. (My wife and I were very confused our first time.)

My wife and I went in for just coffees and were really confused/uncomfortable. We weren’t sure if they would lead us to a table or if we were to order at the counter since we saw both options. A waiter finally came up to us and put on a waiting list, and when we got a text saying our table was ready, I finally decided to ask at the counter if I could order, and the barista was very helpful. While I ordered, a waiter seated us at a table. When I had finished ordering, a different waiter came to the table and asked if we wanted to eat anything, but we had already ordered our coffees at the counter. When we got our coffee, about 5-10 minutes later while we were still drinking coffee (The whole point in going inside to drink coffee and not just getting it to-go is that you can enjoy a leisurely experience in a nice place and just talk without gulping coffee down.), the waiter came back and said we needed to move to the coffee bar because we didn’t order food and two seats there had just opened up. We had to gather our coats and coffees and awkwardly walk over to the bar seating. We felt guilty for ordering only coffee even though that’s all we wanted. Had we gone there in the first place, it wouldn’t have been awkward at all, but they had led us to the table, didn’t ask us what we were there for, and then made us move after we had received our coffees and had been sitting there for a few minutes. We felt like we were an inconvenience and finished our coffees quickly at the coffee bar and left. We like the potential of the cute place, but in the end, we felt uncomfortable/unwanted because of the lack of organization and communication. Rather than spending the time just talking about life with each other, we spent the time trying to figure out how the system and talking about how awkward we felt. We do plan to go back again since the food looked/smelled delicious, but we’ll do so with lower...

Update to my old review: I’m incredibly delighted with our visit today. Before we even walked in I got a whiff of the food smell and got much more hungry. We sat down and our waitress was very kind and super helpful throughout our brunch. We ordered some smoothies and my husband got mimosas (he said they were really good) and then ordered our food. Let me tell you, this meal was fantastic. I wish I got pictures of our plates because the presentation was great too. We got vegan biscuits and gravy, waffles, bagels with smoked salmon, avocado toast and potatoes. Everything was so so delicious!! I even got a side order of potatoes to-go which didn’t even make it out of the restaurant lol. Everything was great, I’m very happy we came back and I am positive we will return. Thank you TLC for a wonderful experience and fresh, filling food. Future customers: please give this place a chance, staff is friendly and food is delicious. -A satisfied pregnant woman, a no longer hungry 7 yr old, and full, happy husband :)

OVER AN HOUR WAIT Disappointed. Went in today for some brunch and they were understandably busy. I have heard really good things about the food, so I was excited (especially to have some vegan options). We sat down and waited at least 10 minutes just to be given our waters and then ordered some smoothies. We then waited more time just for our order to be taken. We waited for an hour before finally the waiter told us that they were out of salmon for our food. So frustrating, why couldn’t he have told us before?!? I bet the food tastes good here but nothing is worth that long of a wait. If I ever come back I sure hope it’s not as bad of an experience as this one. -a pregnant woman, a hungry 7yr old and an increasingly...

I'm long overdue on doing a review of The Leisure Club in Pensacola, Florida. Glad to say that I have been their biggest fan for years. It started a long time ago when they were downtown. The former owner, Denise, was kind enough to sponsor us, The Pensacola Argentine Tango Society, at her venue on slow nights. Now TLC has moved out of downtown to (#theleisureclubcoffee) and has been passed along to the new owner, Matt. But it's vibe is still the same: very good food at very good prices in a very cool place. It's a Gen X and Millennial hang out. I'm the oldest living fan in the building. What's so cool is that they know my name: I'm "Croissant Toad." Why? Because I always order a "Croissant" Toad-in-the-Hole Brunch Trio instead of the standard Bagel. NO SUBSTITUTIONS PLEASE. I wonder if I am their only exception? Yep. TLC is NOT Old School. No grits here. Still, the Conecuh Sausage is amazing. Let's call it "New South." Where else can you find Sasquatch, Inteligentsia Coffee, Bottomless Mimosas and Toads in Holes? Only at TLC! Had not been here for 2020 and 2021 because of COVID. But when I came back, it was like Homecoming. Don't know the Chefs name. But he and I have a special relationship. Why? Because I tip him. Try it sometime. Watched him patiently wash dishes for about a year before he moved up to the grill. He is VERY good. My first job was washing dishes back when I was in High School. But that's no career. That's just a job. Chef sounds better and is better. Hope he's saving a few dollars so he can open his own place. Anyway, let's give TLC a rare 5 STARS. It's well worth a visit IN MY HUMBLE OPINION. Signed, sealed and delivered by The...