Driftwood Cafe — Restaurant in South Lake Tahoe

Addendum:

I was recently contacted by ownership via the review, where they offered me an opportunity to contact them directly. They also made a point to explain the importance of their kitchen cooking with allergies in mind. I was EXTREMELY grateful for this, and I believe it showed a caring above and beyond normal service. For this reason I have upgraded my review. Thank You Driftwood, I wish you the best and will see you during our next visit. Original Review

When we visit Lake Tahoe, Specifically, anywhere near our place of Marriage, we try to always go to the village cafe for breakfast or brunch. This visit will not sway that decision. This time, here were a couple of small issues. One, it took some time for the waiter to greet us at the table after seated. BTW, we were seated quickly, as it wasn't busy for a table of 5. Once the waiter arrived, no apology or concern was given for the time we waited. While not long, it was longer than normal and I thought warranted a small apology. The waiter went straight in to asking what we would like to drink without any cordiality. Almost robotic. While not rude, it did seem disconnected. Maybe they had a bad day, not sure. We were then asked for our normal order, which we gave.

As usual, with my sons allergy to dairy and eggs, my wife and I were diligent in requesting that the order be watched over to make sure no dairy made it into the meal, or close to it. We can't see in the kitchen, and having worked in the serving industry, I know how a kitchen can get when it comes to modifications. I am always concerned it will either not be expressed as important enough, or just simply over looked.

When the food first arrived, it was overlooked. But the waiter did catch it in time before placing it on the table. He returned quickly with the correct non-dairy order. Still made me a bit concerned about the preparation, but my sons seemed fine.

I want to use this as a moment for servers to understand, if there is an allergy, restaurants from the server to the chef must be focused, or the consequences can be dire. This can affect everyone from the child or person to the business itself. So please, make something as small as an allergy request an important priority.

The food was good, I thought I had better a time before, the omelette was a bit flaky and seemed to not have the egg amount needed. Paper thin in a way as it surrounded the inner ingredients. The ambiance is always nice, but the booth I was in had a cushion that kept coming off when I would get up to let someone out for the bathroom.

As I said, we will come back, it was good. But I am not one to sugar coat. I try to be honest so others know that when I prop something up, I...

Do not waste your time on this high rated restaurant unless you want bland food and a long wait for no reason. The only shining star at this restaurant is the fact that their waitresses are Beyond nice and super Pleasant. I've been wanting to try this place on multiple visits to Heavenly however the wait was always way longer than we had time for. However with my husband this weekend on our honeymoon given that it was off season we had a little bit more cushion and timing and the weight was not nearly as long as it had been in the past but it was still 40 minutes. Usually that is a tale sign that people are willing to wait for great food however that was not the case at driftwood. Upon entry I saw the potentially the weight is because the inside of the diner is on the smaller side and they can't turn over tables fast enough. I repeat the food is not worth the wait. Upon sitting down as I said before the waitress was super Pleasant they were very sweet and quick to the table. However my Bloody Mary that I ordered tasted like watered down tomato juice with zero alcohol in it and absolutely no other mixers in it at all this normally would bother me in general but given the competition around the area with specialty Bloody Marys they really should be stepping up their game. On top of that I ordered the lox Benedict special. Well I know Seafood is a gamble at any diner salmon is usually fairly safe however within the first two bites I've been in to not one but two different pin bones and the fish itself tasted like it was going bad. My eggs were not poached they were over easy there was absolutely no run to them and the hollandaise was separated. The waitress asked us how we wanted our hash browns cooked and we asked for crispy mine and my husband's both came out soggy and cold. Again my food could have been a fluke given the fact that it was a special and something they don't cook often however my husband got their standard biscuits and gravy and scrambled eggs. Which in a diner should be something that you nail. The gravy literally tasted like flour and milk there was absolutely no flavor whatsoever no pepper or spices in any way the pieces of sausage in their sausage gravy was missing completely. And the sausage patties he got on the side tasted Frozen and we're overcooked and crunchy. I was so disappointed in this quite little diner again given the fact that it has amazing reviews. The pricing is decent but definitely not great quality food there are better options in Southlake for diner style food at a...

My family and I came here early morning on Mother's Day. We were seated quickly as it wasn't busy yet and our drinks and orders were taken promptly as well. That's where the positive experience ended. The coffee was burnt tasting, very dark roast.

The kids mickey mouse pancakes were brought out with the side of fruit we ordered first. We weren't given silverware though and couldn't find a server so my husband used his coffee spoon to butter them. The pancakes were slightly over cooked, a little tough and the ears were an after thought. (pictures included) The fruit was not fresh at all, it was either defrosted from frozen or a day+ old.

The rest of the food came out while we were taking the kids to the bathroom, again we were still without silverware. My husband had to get up and go find a server (they were clustered around the coffee bar chatting) to get us forks, knives, and napkins.

I ordered the high sierra omelet with home fries. The omelet outside was dry with overcooked eggs but then was totally undercooked in the middle with raw spinach and unmelted cheese. (picture included) The home fries were greasy and soggy, the toast was either unbuttered or burnt.

The worst part, no one came back by for a full 20 minutes. My husband's omelet was also overcooked but he was starving so he ate it. I didn't touch mine. My kids got unruly (not the restaurants fault) and my husband flagged down a server and asked for our check (we still had not been checked on or spoken to, no drink refills either). She offered me a box, I told her it was terrible (I could have been more polite, I feel bad now) and gave her the plate (as pictured, untouched other than the first bite).

I hauled my kids out and my husband stayed back to pay. They still charged us for the omelet, my husband had to speak to the manager (definitely not the owners that I see were in a recent review) and he said we should have said something before we got our check. My husband then told him we were never given the opportunity, and the server and the manager spoke to each other in a language other than English in front of my husband. The manager said okay then that is on us and he comped the omelet.

The total with the comp was $56. We left a 22% tip (we've both worked in restaurants and can't stomach not tipping). What a waste. Would not recommend and will...