L. A. Cafe — Restaurant in Waterford Township

My fiance decided to treat me to a relaxing night out and, while researching, she found that L.A. Cafe had vegan options (for me). I had commented on the location, in the past, mentioning that I had visited there back in the 90's and had enjoyed the atmosphere at the time. Unfortunately, upon our arrival (on a Friday evening), we were greeted by an establishment that no longer knew it's own identity.

The first thing you notice when you walk through the front door is the claustrophobic presence of thrift store merchandise. Yes, there are some pieces of artwork which caught my eye, but those were few-and-far-between and given among overpriced gift shop pieces.

There were two young women 'working', but they seemed to be more interested in standing/sitting at the front counter, playing on their cellphones. My fiance found a booth, while I used the restroom (the highlight of my visit --- it was clean). When I sat down by her, I noticed how dirty the windows were and how cluttered the area was around us, with little handwritten price tags on nearly everything (a bit overkill).

Our drinks -- Italian sodas -- came out in red cups, speckled with dried wash water. The drinks, themselves, were way overpriced for the quality and amount received. As for the food, I hoped for a good experience, but was disappointed: my 'wedgies' were WAY undercooked and served with a lazy-man's 'special sauce'. My nachos were stale and the vegan cheese was only partially melted (which was either melted under a broiler or in a microwave). Nothing seemed fresh. My fiance's dish looked like a mess slopped on her plate, with three slices of cheese 'melted' over chili and potato slices. She said the chili was good, but the appearance was not desirable.

After we received our meals, both girls (the cook and server) went back to playing on their phones.

I think an update to the decor, style, cooking staff and server is much needed, as well as a good deep-cleaning. This place just needs some life breathed back into it. A new sign out front might...

Their espresso is probably the best in town, and the customer service at the counter is always friendly. The three star rating is for their food. We tried the coneys and while the "meat" and chili were good, the buns tasted like mildew. On another trip, we bought a vegan brownie, and the first bite I took had to be spit out since it was full of that mildew taste. When I pointed this out in a chat on Facebook, asking if anyone else had reported the issue,, I got a one word response from the staff ("no"). After those two bad experiences,, we stopped eating there for a while, but we recently really wanted a good vegan brownie, and they look so delicious that we bought another one. We were desperate, and managed to eat most of it before that mildew taste crept in again. If you have ever smelled what water damaged particle board smells like, then just picture eating it and you'll be close. Espresso? Yes! (It is very good). Food? Probably never again, and that's sad because I want to support vegan restaurants. If you can identify the source of your mold problem, let me know and we'll gladly order food...

I do not believe in reviews and chose this restaurant based on a referral from someone I trust and had eaten there just last week. I ordered a patty melt. What I got almost 25 minutes later was a lukewarm, completely bland hamburger patty with a couple of pieces of raw red onion, and a slice of white cheese sitting between two pieces of white toast. It also came with a tiny little bowl of cole slaw that I tried but it had a strange taste. The best part was a bag of Better Made potato chips. When I did ask the very nice waiter what could possibly be taking so long he said there was only one cook and one grill back there. Since there was only one other occupied table, I just didn't get it. What would they do if more than five people showed up? Honest to God, after eating there, I just don't get the good reviews. And I didn't mention the gross meal my dining partner was served. I feel stupid that I stayed after waiting so long but I couldn't convince my guy to leave. Worst of all, why do you have to give any...