Haven Café — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Overall a 1/10. The 1 is for the music that was playing, good selection and I can’t give 0 stars. Besides that, I would never recommend this restaurant. I went on a Saturday at noon for reference and I have a culinary and hospitality degree so I know food service and customer service. This place was actually recommended to me by a friend. Initially walked inside and was shocked to only find 2 tables, and then diner style seating. Very small establishment. My friends and I decided to stay because the menu looked good. It took about 5-10 minutes for someone to ask us if we’d had our order taken. The server finally comes over and we put in drinks. She charges us right there which my friends and I found odd but okay fine, we paid. She comes back with 3/5 drink we order. She tells me my coffee is being made and will be ready soon and informs my friend she’ll have her apple juice in a moment. Okay great. We put in our food order. As we’re ordering the server is continually asking us questions about items we may want to upgrade to or include with our meal that have up charges to them and aren’t listed anywhere on the menu, which again, odd, but we just declined them, no problem. Again, she asks for payment right after we order before handing it over to the chef which again, odd, but we paid and continued our brunch. She finally brings my friends apple juice. I’m still missing my coffee. Catching up with my friends, I’m realizing A LOT of time is going by, A LOT! About 30 minutes in post ordering food, I have no coffee, and we all have no food! I had to stop the waitress 3 times before finally getting my coffee about 45 minutes post ordering it. Also, it felt each time i inquired about it, the server acted like I was inconveniencing her by asking. The bar server finally walks over my coffee and blames “not getting handed the cup, not knowing if it was hot or iced, and not knowing if I wanted whipped cream” as to why I never got it. Which as a customer I care about none of that, nor should I have been informed with excuses about what’s happening in the BOH (back of house) about why I didn’t have it. We’re about an hour in at this point and we ask the server where our food is. She brings the food, and ALL THREE orders are wrong. She brings me pancakes and over easy eggs, I ordered waffles and scrambled hard eggs. Same with my friends, their orders were messed up too. She takes the incorrect orders away and comes back about 5-10 minutes later STILL WITH INCORRECT ORDERS! She tries to tell me I order over-easy eggs. I inform her that I’ve never eaten over-easy eggs in my life so I would have never order that and to please bring me what I’ve ordered. She takes the wrong orders away for a 2nd time. She comes BACK OUT with all 3 plates that have no eggs and tells us “the chef said to bring your plates without the eggs for now so your food doesn’t get cold and we’ll bring the eggs out in a minute.” Us being extremely hungry, we obliged and ate what we had in front of us, although it ended up not mattering because all of our food was less than lukewarm by that point. She also served us plates with no utensils so we had to wait for those as well. My waffles, although good flavor were hard and hard to cut through. She finally brings the eggs and they were lackluster in taste. My friend then asks the server where the water is that she had ordered about an hour ago. She brings the water. We eat and I go to take a bite out of my friends pancakes when I ask my friend “are these pancakes stuff with something”, to which she replied no. THE PANCAKES WERE RAW!!!!!!! That was the final straw, the server says she’s new and it’s her 1st day like that matters to me and I asked her to get the manager. The owner/manager/chef comes out and immediately apologizes because he can clearly see the raw pancake sitting in front of me. They tried to offer more pancakes but why would we want to eat something that took us over an hr to get and then was raw!? Although apologetic, there was no sort of reprive or compensation...

This place has been on my want to go list for quite a while, I finally decided to go after seeing this restaurant on Tik Tok twice. I especially wanted to support because I heard this place was black owned. I went to this restaurant on a Sunday. When I arrived at the restaurant, I noticed a sign on the door offering the option to inquire inside about hosting an event for free. I thought that was a really thoughtful gesture. Once inside, it was very cozy. I saw a Community board where other businesses can advertise. This is a nice touch. There are a few seats at the counter, a few other seats around the perimeter of the restaurant. A few patrons throughout enjoying their fill. Good vibes so far. There was a high chair off the side, I am assuming this is to accommodate guests with small children. The high chair had left over food on it that no one bothered to clean, and didn’t seem like it was a concern to anyone. I ordered my food to go and decided to wait in my car. I ordered a hungry man breakfast that consists of pancakes  or waffles, choice of breakfast meat, eggs, and home fries. I received two pancakes, two scrambled eggs, two slices of bacon and my order actually was missing the home fries completely, but I had not realized until I got home. This was about $14. I also ordered a cheesesteak, advertised to be $9.50, but actually rung up at $10.50. To add fries, it was an additional $3.50. I requested fries, but for some reason the young lady who took my order did not have fries added to my order. I ordered a 24 oz tea, the cup was half full and it looked like she was going to fill the rest up with ice. The tea was $5.50, which I thought was a little steep for a half cup of tea, so I removed that from my order. My total for everything was a little over $30, which surprised me a little because the portions are small, and I was missing items from my order. The flavor was ok, nothing was seasoned and the pancakes were bland. The cheesesteak was unseasoned and missing ketchup. It was about half the size of that I was expecting (I included a pic with my hand for reference). I did not recieve any condiments or napkins on the side. I do believe in giving second chances for redemption, but I don’t think I will return to this café. Even though the ambiance is very cozy, I don’t think the prices match the small portion sizes and I really didn’t like that fact that my order was missing items and the host made quite a few mistakes when taking and placing my order. I was overall...

Haven Cafe is a hidden gem nestled in the heart of Forgotten Bottom Philadelphia, and it's quickly become my favorite go-to spot in the city. From the moment you step inside, you're greeted with the cozy embrace of a quaint and comforting atmosphere that feels like a warm hug on a chilly day.

The service here is exceptional, with a team of friendly staff who go above and beyond to ensure you have a delightful experience. Whether you're a regular or a first-time visitor, you'll feel like part of the family from the moment you walk through the door.

And let's talk about the food and drinks—absolutely phenomenal! Every bite and sip is a testament to the care and passion that goes into crafting each item on the menu. From hearty breakfast and brunch options to robust coffee blends, there's something to tantalize every taste bud.

Whether you're stopping by for a quick caffeine fix, a leisurely brunch, or a cozy afternoon catch-up with friends, Haven Cafe is the perfect destination. Trust me, once you've experienced the charm and hospitality of this place, you'll find yourself coming back time and time again. Don't miss out—make Haven Cafe your next...