Cafe La Maude — Restaurant in Philadelphia

This review is really to remind myself of this experience and not waste my time in the future. I rarely disagree so hard with a rating like this, but this is why I need to write it down!

Woke up early and was like: oh sht! We should finally try that place with the insane line. Without brushing teeth, we dashed out the door and made it before the rush (9:50am on an April Sunday).

tl;dr — Lots of hype. The food was waaaay expensive ($20-$22 per brunch entree) for the quality and portion. Not at all on par with Philly standards: Middle Child, Front Street Cafe, Sofi’s Corner, Cafe Lift, honey’s sit n eat (next door), etc. all of these cheaper than La Maude.

I got the huevos rancheros and my partner got the open face Mediterranean burrito. Both were so surprisingly weak in terms of presentation and taste.

Huevos Rancheros - they separate out the components of the huevos so you’re eating each part in isolation (or you mix it yourself but the balance of ingredients is off anyway). It’s served on a 10 or 12 inch plate and you get 2 dollop of guacamole with home made Doritos, a room temp watery bean soup?, 4 triangles of brisket quesadilla, and a few slices of fries that propped up the sunny side eggs. All the components were different temperatures, ranging from slightly cold to a warm egg. Such a confusing dish. I felt like I was eating a bunch lunchable.

The open faced burrito was poorly composed as well. All ingredients organized weirdly on the plate with a whole cup of pico de gallo on the side, then the warm components piled up: pita, beans, green rice, eggs and guacamole in that order. The balance was just wrong. (Very little beans, too much salsa). But it just looks like a mound on a plate. Like you got in line at a cafeteria and the lunch lady plopped them all on your plate. A bowl would have made a lot more sense, esp because one of the best parts of a burrito is having the flavors melt together. My partner was initially confused as the rice and guacamole looked the same. He thought he was about to eat a pound of guacamole.

Even with the weirdness of the compositions, if the dishes were made with high quality ingredients or fresh baked pita, and interesting flavors, we’d give it some love. But it really felt like they went to Giant and just plopped things on a plate and charged us $22.

Coffee was burnt (ordered black, then had to cut it with cream and sugar). Cappuccino was fine, on par with a typical coffee shop.

Service was also rushed and a little rude. The guy visibly rolled his eyes when I asked him about the 3 different kinds of potato sides on the menu with all similar names.

They clearly get a lot of volume and try to turn you over as fast as possible and are impatient. We were in and out in about 30 min even with eating slow. The food came out within 5 min of us ordering it. We still tipped well, we were still kind to the servers, especially one that presented as non-binary and was being joshed by the manager.

Maybe it was an off day and I fully appreciate that people are working hard, but man, just a little effort in the food and patience with customers would go a long way, esp for those that are arriving...

On a delightful Father's Day outing, my brothers and I decided to treat our dear old dad to a memorable meal at Cafe La Maude. We arrived with high hopes, only to find that the restaurant had a peculiar policy of not taking reservations until the entire party was physically present. Fair enough, I suppose. However, the layout of the establishment left us scratching our heads a bit. It was like a labyrinth! Outside seating had its own section, and inside was no different—there was a section near the entrance, and then another mysterious section hiding in the back. It felt like a puzzle without a clear solution. There wasn't a natural flow to the place, making us wonder if we had stumbled into a culinary funhouse.

Now, let me tell you, the seating on the outside was an unexpected surprise. As we approached from the north, the tables practically jumped out at us, as if they were mistakenly placed on a residential street. It was a comical moment, really. But, fear not, for the decor inside was truly a sight to behold. The aesthetics were on point, and cleanliness was clearly a top priority for the restaurant. Kudos to them for keeping things spick and span!

As for the service, given how bustling it was, we were pleasantly surprised by its adequacy. There was this one gentleman who seemed to be orchestrating the whole affair like a maestro. He pointed and gestured, directing everyone with flair. In the mere 40 minutes we spent devouring our breakfast, we witnessed him giving instructions to multiple employees, scolding a couple of guys for their lack of urgency, checking on customers, and even escorting them to vacant tables. This guy was running the show, and it was evident that he was the heartbeat of the operation.

Now, onto the main event—the food! Oh, it was a symphony of flavors. Everything we ordered was nothing short of excellent. Since the restaurant didn't allow substitutions, it stands to reason that their cooks have mastered the art of crafting their menu items to perfection. And boy, did they deliver! Our taste buds were treated to a culinary extravaganza.

All in all, despite the restaurant's quirky layout and slightly unorthodox seating arrangements, we had a truly delightful experience at Cafe La Maude. We left with full bellies, content hearts, and the intention to visit again. So, if you're up for a little adventure and a lot of scrumptious food, this place is definitely worth a visit....

I’m truly heartbroken to write this review, especially after hearing so many wonderful things about Café La Maude from my girlfriend. She loves this place—it reminds her of home, and with Philadelphia being like her second home, she had been eager to bring me here for almost a year. Unfortunately, our experience was absolutely unacceptable and left us deeply disappointed.

Here’s what happened:

We found a piece of Brillo pad (metal wire) in one of our dishes. This isn’t just gross—it’s dangerous. If one of us had accidentally ingested it, it could have caused serious harm.

We immediately informed the waitstaff. To their credit, they recognized what it was, but their "solution" was disappointing. They only took that one plate off the bill—not the entire meal, which is insane given the severity of the situation. In my opinion, a situation involving metal in food warrants a full meal comp or something more thoughtful than simply saving us $20 or so.

Out of respect for the server (it wasn’t his fault), I paid the bill in full and tipped him. However, this experience was so off-putting that I will never return.

This was supposed to be a special outing for us: a chance to finally visit this beloved-for-years restaurant. Instead, it turned into a moment of shock, stress, and disappointment. Café La Maude failed to handle this properly and showed a lack of care for its patrons. What could've happened if this piece of metal was ingested? The risk alone was unacceptable and unsettling.

If you want proof, I've attached a photo of the shiny piece we found in the food. This wasn’t just a bad experience—it was dangerous, absurdly disrespectful, and their response was severely lacking.

TLDR: Found a piece of metal (Brillo pad) in food at Café La Maude. It could’ve seriously harmed someone. Waitstaff only comped the one dish with the issue instead of the full bill. Disrespectful and unacceptable, especially since this place meant so much to my girlfriend. I paid my bill and tipped the server, but I will...