The Daily Planet Cafe — Restaurant in Raleigh

Ohhhhh Daily Planet. Where do I start?

First off, we stopped in on a Sunday afternoon for lunch. We were really impressed by the menu and everything sounded delicious while being locally sourced. After a while, we chose the Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich and the Angus burger. I had the burger, while my girlfriend had the chicken. I was quite excited about my burger, seeing as how it was only $8 and it was Angus with a brioche bun.

When our food was ready, we were surprised to find that both of our sandwiches were not served on brioche, but they were served on discount Food Lion hamburger buns that were barely toasted on one side and refrigerator cold and soggy on the other. My fries were cold and under seasoned. The burger itself was pretty lackluster. The patty was thin and overcooked, making it dry enough to start a wildfire. The only saving grace was the bacon that I had added to the burger for an additional $0.50, but seriously...who screws up bacon?

The chicken cordon blue sandwich is described as crispy chicken tenderloin, hickory ham, swiss cheese and roasted garlic aioli. Well, my girlfriend got two pieces of frozen pre-made chicken fingers (processed chicken, not real pieces of tenderloin) topped off with two slices of deli ham and swiss cheese on a hamburger bun no different from the ones used at Cook-Out. The roasted garlic aioli was nowhere to be found. She even sent her sandwich back because of a cold, soggy bun and received another sandwich of the same quality with slightly warmer bread.

Overall, I guess this quality of food is expected from a cafe in a museum. We were completely misled by the menu. I don't know if they were having an off day, their cooks just didn't feel like putting out quality food, or they over-embellished their menu with "fancy" words like brioche and aioli. At the end of the day, we were not impressed with the food at all. If we ever return, we'll stick to food that doesn't really require cooking, like a...

We strolled into what we thought would be a cozy café, only to realize we accidentally entered the annex of a museum daycare—lattes served with a complimentary soundtrack of squeals, stroller wheels, and juice-box negotiations.

Some sandwiches are delicate symphonies of flavor; but their vegetarian chicken sandwich was a percussion solo on a steel drum. It resisted, it pushed back, it dared to prove commitment to lunch. You don't eat it so much as survive it—and honestly, I think it will always win. The other sandwich claiming to be Chipotle chicken, unfortunately it's more like opening a novel titled The Spicy Adventure only to find 300 blank pages. It wasn’t bad, exactly—it was just aggressively un-chipotle. A culinary catfish, if you will. Oh and thank you, dear café, for not telling me my sandwich already came with fries, and then so graciously letting me order another pile. Now I have enough cold fries to start a side hustle. Exactly the dining experience I had in mind when I walked in.

Dining here is like a low-stakes adventure: you will not be disappointed, you will not be thrilled, and you may emerge slightly drier than when you arrived. Bring your expectations, leave them somewhere else, and enjoy the safe, lukewarm...

listen. this isn’t your run-of-the-mill museum dining experience, ok? I got a fried chicken sandwich that was delightfully crisp, paired with a tangy slaw and a bit of a kick. It was better than your average fast food chicken sandwich, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and size of the portion. Also, the environs are awesome with an airy vibe and large windows for views onto the street. The gift shop is just a stones throw from the dining area, and even when it’s busy it doesn’t feel crowded. The plates and cutlery add to the quality of the experience. Now, I will say the only person who spoke to me was the cashier and the employees don’t seem necessarily thrilled to be there, but it didn’t dampen my experience. Good spot for a bite either before or after a museum visit, definitely...