Café Pierrot — Restaurant in Sparta Township

4 1/2 stars

The last time I was at Cafe Pierrot was probably close to seven or eight years ago, and all I remember is that it involved nice weather and an excellent flavored latte. This visit was more dinner than brunch, but also luckily involved a pleasant sunny afternoon and still delivered some high quality shizzle - I don't say it lightly, but this is a Kingdom of Sussex staple.

We came here for a late lunch/early dinner (I'm trying to mainstream the term lunner but I just don't think it's happening) this past Saturday after my Number One Honorary Young Pup Chum's stage debut down the street, which unfortunately premiered over a week after the Tony nominations were announced so the timing just wasn't there this year. Even though we got there right at the transition to the dinner menu, you can definitely still hit up the pastry/bakery area located right at the main entrance. The Honorary Young Pup Chum happily ordered a Red Velvet macaron on our way out that didn't survive the trek out of the parking lot.

The interior of Cafe Pierrot has a ye olde vibe - lots of wooden floors and rustic decor - but after sitting inside for a few hours of stagecraft it felt very important to take advantage of the outdoor seating in front of the building. This is a weird, not weakness per se, but something that could definitely be improved: the outdoor seating is on top of unstable stones/pebbles, so by definition your table and chairs are uneven and there's a lot of shifting involved to minimize the buckling. I think the solution is to just replace the rocks with a different, more consistent material without waving the white flag and paving it (which feels extreme). You want to keep the natural vibes going, but not at the expense of your literal balance while you're eating.

We were planning to get a little naughty later on at Krogh's, so I unfortunately behaved throughout this endeavor. I got the Potato Sole entree, which was really good. It's been a while since I had a potato-crusted fish (literally over a decade during a fascinating Block Island excursion), and I remain surprised that the concept isn't on more menus. The portion was decent, and the mashed potatoes really hit. Everyone at the table was pleased with what they ordered.

The service was a LITTLE off. I mentioned that we showed up during the transition from lunch to dinner, and I think that may have played a part in this. It took a long time for the waitress to come out for our orders, to the point where the Young Pup brazenly declared that she was going to find the waitress during a bathroom visit to order her outside (that didn't happen, which was unquestionably a positive for all involved). She was nice though, and it ultimately wasn't the biggest deal in the world. Something for the restaurant to be aware of though during that awkward 10- or 20-minute period where the menu shifts.

A strong recommend for the Kingdom of Sussex; the only near-term downside is that it's not the easiest place to get to with the sinkhole drama....

If I could rate Café Pierrot 0 stars, I would.

I have gone to this establishment multiple times over the years and I must say I am far too disappointed to ever return again.

In terms of food, this place excels - I can give them that and the decor is quite cute; however, the treatment of employees and service is the worst. In one of my first visits to this café, a new employee was taking our order and was a bit confused on one of the buttons (which I had no issue with, as I understand there is a learning curve for new employees), however, the other employees clearly didn’t. They belittled this poor girl in front of a long line of people, the entitlement and sheer audacity to treat another employee as such was astounding.

To be frank, when this scene played out in front of me, I was shocked but wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt assuming they were stressed from work.

I was proven wrong today.

Today, I walked into the Café after this incident had occurred hoping for a better experience. When I walked in I went up to the counter to order with a big crowd of workers standing around (no problem here, I don’t know how the place works, and all workers deserve a break, as well as an enjoyable work environment). So I waited at the counter. A big group of people walked in (about 8 to 10 people) and joined the line behind me. The workers along with the manager, gave us an odd look. We waited. The workers look at us again, flashing a vague smile. I smile back, to be kind. Then we go back to waiting.

And waiting.

And more waiting.

And - you guessed it!! More waiting!!

The line had gotten pretty long at this point (it was getting close to lunch hour). The workers and manager still gave us an odd look wondering why anyone would ever want to eat here (I must say I agree).

UNTIL FINALLY - a glimmering beacon of light, our orders are taken (all it took were a couple if odd looks and awkward smiles).

This is where I become disappointed with the establishment. I don’t believe I can recall a single good experience from here, but there are more bad experiences than stars in the sky. I might consider going here again if the service can be fixed, until then...

Such a cute place and they have an AMAZING buttermilk chicken fried sandwich. I’ve gotten it twice just to make sure the first one wasn’t a random fluke of it being that good. Its so filling too, I went for lunch around 1pm, had the chicken sandwich and then skipped dinner that night because i was STILL full. And for $13?! Thats awesome. Their fries are good too! They came as a side the first time i went, with my chicken sandwich. Now it seems they restructured their menu - lowered their main prices for the meals, and have sides a la carte now. I think thats fine. As I said, the sandwich itself is plenty filling. And at least when they got rid of the sides attached to it, they also lowered the price for it. Some places wouldn’t do that these days. This sandwich may look extremely tall where you’d think “how would i even eat that?” but once you take the first bite, the chicken is so tender, with no ‘weird’ spots (if you know you know) and the whole thing almost melts in your mouth. Just so good, and I’m not easily impressed, as my husband makes really amazing sandwiches at home too. But this is my favorite sandwich to buy in the tri county area. Also the vanilla chai latte is sooo good! Also tried the creme brulee latte, which was fine, they really got the creme brulee flavor down, but i preferred the vanilla chai, and will always get that in the future. Just a heads up, the lemonade was a bite limey. But so many drink options, you’re bound to find one thats good/works for you. Their bakery section is also great, with the best macarons (that also melt in your mouth) i’ve tried, and so many flavors of them. Oh and the croissants are also the best in the area. I really don’t leave many five star reviews, but this place is such a green flag. Very cute and charming inside...