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Comment Archives: Locations: Restaurants: Cafés

Re: “Alluette's Café”

After reading the great reviews for Alluette's, we were looking forward to a wonderful meal when we stopped in for dinner on a Saturday afternoon. Only only one other table was occupied, but the service was slow. The food was was a disappointment --- small, uninspired servings at a fairly steep price. The items displayed in the glass-fronted refrigerator sure didn't look organic. We left hungry, and later we ended up at Bon Banh Mi, where we had a terrific sandwich.

I don't think we'll be back. I can't believe this is the place about which we heard such good things.

1 of 3 people like this.
Posted by changemonger on January 9, 2013 at 7:39 PM

Re: “Alluette's Café”

I had the worst experience I’ve ever had at a restaurant, and I eat out quite a bit. I’ve lived in Charleston for almost 7 years and have gone to just about every restaurant in the city. We went to Alluette’s tonight with a Groupon that was expiring tomorrow, so we expected the place to be crowded, even though it was a Tuesday night. We had also read about the restaurant and knew the food was prepared from scratch, so we expected to wait for a bit. We were seated right away when we arrived. It took about 15 minutes for us to get our drinks and place our orders. We were ok with this, since the place was busy, and the owner/waitress was nice about it. Things proceed to go very much downhill from there. We both ordered entrees, and I ordered soup, since I was hungry and figured that would be served quickly. I was very wrong. After waiting about an hour and 45 minutes and seeing 4 other tables who arrived after us receive their salads, I finally got the salad that came with the meal, only because my husband mentioned it to the owner, who only made excuses for the bad service stating that they mostly took reservations on Mon, Tues, and Wed and had a lot of walk-ins tonight. At that point, we had had empty iced tea glasses for about 30 minutes, and it took another 15 minutes plus asking multiple times/people to get a refill. We also mentioned the service to our waitress who also had multiple excuses, and asked us if we had researched the place, stating that if we had, we would have known that everything was made fresh, which means it would not be served quickly. I actually had researched the place and expected the service to be slower, but not receiving a salad for one hour and 45 minutes and not receiving our entrees for 2 hours and 30 minutes still seemed excessive to me. When my husband asked the waitress if they had researched how Groupon works , in that most people use it at the last minute, she replied that that was “retarded,” since they gave six months to use the Groupon. It wasn’t until well after we expressed our dissatisfaction to both the owner and waitress and had our entrees that the waitress asked if we would like a piece of cake or a cookie on the house. We declined, and when we paid our bill, we were charged the full amount of our meal. We had hoped that they would do something to make up for our awful experience, but no luck there. While we were there for 2 hours and 45 minutes, we saw multiple groups leave before receiving their dinners, and we talked to multiple tables who were also having the same bad experience we were. I almost can forgive most of what happened, since they seemed to be short staffed and not prepared for having Groupon customers, but the way we were treated by the owner and waitress was not acceptable. We were only given a half-hearted apology after speaking with them multiple times, and nothing was done to make up for the wait and bad service. Not to mention the food was not very impressive. The fried chicken was good but nothing exceptional. The lima bean soup was probably the best thing we had. The fried shrimp had no flavor at all. There are so many wonderful restaurants in Charleston. Don’t waste your time here.

6 of 10 people like this.
Posted by Colleen on January 8, 2013 at 9:45 PM

Re: “Black Bean Co.”

The yogurt & granola are the best!

Posted by MN on December 31, 2012 at 11:46 PM

Re: “Gathering Café”

I have had lunch and dinner at “The Gathering Café” several times…. Nice cozy restaurant… love the Tandoori rotisserie chicken, the meatloaf and the surprise specials like the Mahi Mahi with cauliflower mash and local sauté greens....in summary, yummy food, great atmosphere, friendly staff….what more can I ask?

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by Maria Falangola on December 19, 2012 at 7:33 PM

Re: “Ladles Homemade Soups”

Very dissapointing. We went to the Mt P location, and we had take out. The soup was SO bad that we actually went back with it instead of throwing it away and planning something else for dinner. There is no way a cook/chef made this soup as it had zero taste, way too much flour and the texture was appaling. Will never go back.

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by eatingout on November 29, 2012 at 1:12 PM

Re: “Ladles Homemade Soups”

Used to love Ladles (W. Ashley)... went yesterday and the soup was room temperature and very bland ("loaded" potato -- though they left off the "loaded" part, and lemon greek chicken). The staff was friendly, but very confused and were messing up everyone's orders (it's just soup and sandwiches!).

Disappointing.

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by sbb on November 26, 2012 at 8:51 AM

Re: “Ladles Homemade Soups”

In a word... Disappointing. The good. Friendly staff, Greek salad, sandwich. The bad. Dirty tables, food on the floor, room temperature soup, plastic bowls and utinsels, one third of their soup selections not available. On the soups we had... Loaded potato was bland. She crab was floury (yes, that's a real word). One can only deduct that the soups that weren't available on an early Satuday evening are the only ones worth trying. Won't bother visiting again. This was the Mt P location.

4 of 4 people like this.
Posted by OnTheMark on November 25, 2012 at 9:00 AM

Re: “Leaf Café and Bar”

Leaf is a great place to eat and drink with excellent service. Contrary to popular belief, there are not that many "great" restaurants in Charleston, just a lot of them that would like you to think they are.

1 of 12 people like this.
Posted by Los Super Saturn on November 8, 2012 at 11:04 AM

Re: “Five Loaves Cafe”

From all standpoints: excellent!

Downtown cafe last Wed: great, fresh food for good value ie ultimate BLT, light potato cakes over spinach; soups are awesome....a varied menu; half/full portions available; dedicated wait staff, cool interior and location.

Really, a joy to discover! Order enough to take some home...

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by Mollie Katsen on November 4, 2012 at 2:59 PM

Re: “Purée Café”

I love Puree and I am not a vegetarian. Granted, my husband hesitated to go in when he saw the baby items for sale in the window, but they have changed it up a bit and added more seating and the food cannot be beat. We have been back many times since that first visit and we are never disappointed by the food. The Tempeh Burger is devine!

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by Suzie Q on September 28, 2012 at 2:19 PM

Re: “Purée Café”

I disagree that that this is a baby centered restaurant. Not the case at all!! This is one of my favorite places to eat! Everything I have tried is fresh and full of flavor! They even have adult beverages made from scratch that will blow you away! Whether you are a vegetarian or not, this is not a restaurant you want to pass by!

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by maryannstisher on September 28, 2012 at 8:33 AM

Re: “Black Bean Co.”

visiting from north Indiana, we were very pleased with the bb co. !!! we had eaten several local rest. and were staying on folly beach and ate almost all to their rest. and we would have gone back several times to bb co. it was that awesome! the cleanliness, to taste, to service, my husband didnt want to try it, because it was "healthy alternative" but after eating a breakfast wrap, the best yogurt/granola on earth, we wish we would have found it sooner in our vaca!!! we left the next morning! we have been home for 2 weeks, and we are still missing our best breakfast ever!!! thanks for the hospitality!!!

2 of 2 people like this.
Posted by Tereasa Cox on September 27, 2012 at 8:58 PM

Re: “Black Bean Co.”

Pretty darn good. And they deliver! The sides are inconsistant but the wraps are good. They use some sort of cubed up deli meat as their protiens and at first it can be a little off putting if you're expecting fresher meat but I have grown to like it. The dif kinds of tofu are what I normally go for anyway and they are great.
Could be a little less pricey but I'll deal.

0 of 2 people like this.
Posted by EaterMe on September 26, 2012 at 9:16 AM

Re: “Village Bakery”

I live in the neighborhood .. Staff service is uneven & at times the Mgr is haughty as if she is doing you a favor by serving you .. Don't go here at busy time .. Food is fresh & tasty but expensive ..

2 of 2 people like this.
Posted by OlinMac on September 1, 2012 at 4:55 AM

Re: “Baguette Magic”

Was introduced to this place a couple of weeks ago by a friend. Didn't even know it was there. I bought a chocolate croissant that was to die for. Had to get the apricot for later. Wonderful! The baguette we took home for dinner was the best I've had in a very long time. My French mother, bless her soul, would have loved this place. Also, the customer service is lovely and refreshing.

0 of 1 people like this.
Posted by michaelarpin on August 30, 2012 at 2:40 PM

Re: “Black Bean Co.”

Really tasty. I mean it, I enjoy their food. My problem is it is overpriced. I wish they could cut their prices by $2 across the board. As-is I almost never eat there

2 of 3 people like this.
Posted by Foodmancing on August 14, 2012 at 8:41 PM

Re: “Black Bean Co.”

Never consistent with food or service. Service is always rude. Always leaving something off especially on the salads. Gives a lot of greens but never enough toppings and for $10.80 let's get real. Would love to eat there again but being let down time and again I not worth getting angry every time!

4 of 5 people like this.
Posted by Tammy C Smith on August 14, 2012 at 8:46 AM

Re: “Ted's Butcherblock”

Ted's is off the meat rack. Excellent offerings from the butcher counter along with wines and cheeses. A sandwich never disappoints but am looking forward to a dinner there soon.

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by cssc87 on August 6, 2012 at 7:12 PM

Re: “Black Bean Co.”

While the food is good, they are extremely inconsistent. For example, on more than one occasion, I have ordered a spinach wrap and received it with no spinach. Also on more than one occasion I've ordered a Strawberry Fields salad and received it with no strawberries! When I order kids meals for my kids, they give me the drink that goes with it less than half the time. It just seems to me that there is an extreme lack of training that affects the quality of the food and service.

Posted by j.iwia on August 6, 2012 at 9:50 AM

Re: “Leaf Café and Bar”

I agree with the other review. This is my favorite "go to" place now. Whether it is with out of town company or an after work dinner with the sweetie, it is perfect. The selection of wines by the glass is outstanding, the decor/setting are stunning and the staff, cheerful. The only thing I would ever add would be some fans on the courtyard to keep the pesky little flying critters at bay. My sister, who has been traveling here for years said that her meal might have been her favorite ever in Charleston. Keep up the good work guys!

1 of 7 people like this.
Posted by nessa on July 2, 2012 at 2:13 PM
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