Chef Rob's Cafe & Bar — Restaurant in Sandy Springs

My visit last night 10/4/2024 left me less than impressed. Upon arrival I notice the nice atmosphere and was promptly seated. As I reviewed the menu, my server arrived asking of my food order. I am a sincere water drinker (room temp. preferably).

Having been out all day, my first ask was for water no ice. At this point my dining experience is approx. 10 minutes in with out being provided a glas of water. My server (young lady, wears glasses, and working the take out register as well) quickly informed, "We don't have water. We have bottled water for sale of $3.00 per bottle. I questioned how this could even be, and was quickly advised "A lot of the resturants in Atlanta are doing that, charging for water." I placed an appetizer order for crab cakes and cocktail drink named something "hustler", jerk chicken & salmon pasta w/ mushrooms & spinch entree' and a side of sautéed spinach.

Now approx. 25 minutes into my visit I realized Im dining alone and needed to wash my hand. Thinking how much I dislike my food and drink sitting unattended in public, I got up and advised my server, "I'm going to wash mu hands". She acknowledged having heard me directly me to the restroom. Upon returning to my table, I find my crab cakes & cocktail unattended at my table.

The cocktail "? Hustler" was pretty good but still not the drink of water I craved. The crab cakes (2) themselves were good but they were served on a bed of sweetly glazed sauteed onions and pepper mix which was good but maybe not paired together.

While figuring out my appetizer, I flagged my server down and ordered a bottle of room temperature water. My food entree arrived and yes it looked delicious and I noticed it was a nice size portion. I started on the spinach and immediately noticed it was sweet like the onion/pepper mix on the crab cakes, not really how I want my spinach to taste.

I realized the much needed water still had not arrived then I understood why the long wait for water. The guy who had served my food & cleared dishes from the table also had to get the water from top of the refrigerator.

The jerk chicken & salmon pasta, entree wasn't really good. Island food is seasoned with mixtures of plants and herbs. This food was seasoned the American way with spices. The "cream" sauce was watery and as the dish cooled it took on a "curdled" appearance.

My server finally made her way back after not having done much of anything for me brought a to go box for my full plate of uneaten jerk pasta entree.

After waiting a good bit of time and watching my server bouncing from working takeout & tables, I approached the takeout to pay for my meal. I was a bit shocked to find a $94 tab waiting for me but then I recalled the 18% gratuity added to every bill.

No I did not leave a tip, after feeling the service was lacking (except for the guy with locks, he was very attentive). The food dishes didn't deliver in the spirit of Island food I expect and having to buy a $3 bottle of water - I was done. The cocktail drink "hustler" was good. Normally I always order a dessert item but passed, 1) I would have needed another bottle of $3 water and 2) the desire for something "sweet" was answered while eating the crab cakes and side of sautéed spinach.

I will say maybe they charge for water because the 16oz bottles have Chef Rob labels, idk. But to be in any resturant and needing to pay for water is a darn same. If you are going to automatically take 18% gratuity then don't expect an additional tip.

I'm tired of feeling nickled & dimed charged for everything in these establishments then you wonder why we...

This weekend my cousin came in town, he’s Beres Hammond’s saxophone player. There was a concert this weekend with three of Jamaica’s Iconic reggae artists. Beres Hammond, Luciano, and Inner Circle. I went and picked my cousin up to take him out to eat. He wanted Jamaican food so we went to the infamous Chef Rob’s Jamaican Cafe. Nice Ambiance and good food. Well guess what, as we walked in the first point of contact was the hostess (Chef Rob’s wife). Immediately she gave us the up and down stare and sorta screwed up her face a bit. She seated us and immediately we all sensed a attitude. My cousin went to the bar to take a picture of the menu, why? Because she didn’t seat us with one and his intention was to send it to the Artist to come to the restaurant and give them a free promo/marketing/advertisement. I was asked where to go and I recommended to them about chef Rob’s cafe. They told us to go check it out and send back the menu so they can see it and come up there. Well needless to say, the hostess/owners wife came running from the front and with much attitude asked why was he at the bar taking a picture of the menu? He said he didn’t have one at the table and he was sending it to Beres, inner circle and Luciano. She snatched it from him. He came back to the seat and said let’s go she’s a horrible person. As we left, I turned around and had a real conversation with her. I said “Mam, you’re rude and you just missed a opportunity for some great marketing” as she started to respond with her hands on her hips I sensed she was not Jamaican and has no knowledge of who he was talking about. One of the servers overheard me and she said Beres? Luciano? I turned to her said yes, he’s a band member. I turned to walk away and low and behold. The attitude went from witch to angel. I just laughed and said, your bad, and walked out. I’m sure once her husband found out what happened he probably wanted to unalive her at that moment. I went on his IG and told him what happened. He hasn’t responded yet but I’m sure he will. Well she got a real lesson on how to treat every people. It shouldn’t take a famous person for you to be a nice person. Be...

Table for 4 for Lunch I tried to make a reservation on OpenTable ahead of time, but this is only available for parties of 6 or more.  As I approached the restaurant, I noticed the ample parking lot. The parking lot is shared with other nearby shops and restaurants. Luckily, we found a spot not too far from the restaurant. As soon as we entered, the hostess scooped up a group ahead of us, and we were standing there for a few minutes, but another staff member greeted us to let us know that someone would be with us shortly (Thumbs up for the acknowledgement).  The hostess returned, seating us at a high top table.  We all quickly reviewed the drink menu. Wifey and I went for 2 authentic Jamaican Red Stripe beers, while my daughters opted for the Jamaican fruit punch.  For the main course, Wifey chose the Jamaican lobster rolls, which were really a special appetizer, but the server advised that you get 2 rolls, and she decided to make them her entrée with a side of plantains. My oldest turned an appetizer of 2 crab cakes into an entrée by adding rice and peas and sweet plantains. The youngest ordered the Blackened Mango Chicken with sweet potato fries and an extra side of plantains.   As for me, I went for the Curry Chicken meal, which came with 2 sides—Rice and Peas and Mac and Cheese. I also added a warm coco bread. Wifey's lobster roll arrived first, and there was a delay for the rest of the food. Our server apologized, explaining a mix-up where all the food was entered as an appetizer. Nevertheless, when the food arrived, it looked and tasted incredible.  Everything, and I mean everything, was delicious and well seasoned.  Although we considered dessert, everyone was just too stuffed, so we opted to pass. We requested three boxes for our leftovers and the check. The bill brought a little sticker shock as I learned that an 18% gratuity was already included. Despite the unexpected high cost, it didn't overshadow the visit. The food and hospitality/service were outstanding. For the record, our reheated leftovers tasted just as good a day or two...