We've been coming to Mabels since they were the little ice cream shop down the street. Can't remember the name. It's always been a charming little place to grab a sandwich or speciality coffee and sit back and chill. (Check out my earlier review) Since the inception of the Crazy Milkshakes it's turned into a mad house. I'm happy for their success but sad at the same time. Mabels as we knew it no longer exists. Gone are the days of stopping in for a nice meal or even a coffee. It's almost always packed to overflowing. The wait time just to be seated can be 30 minutes to an hour. Once your seated,it can take another 20 minutes just to be acknowledged by a server. As if that's not bad enough...how about a 30 minute to 1 hour wait for food? The final straw for us was this past weekend. We had out of town guests who wanted to try the "cute little place in the village" for a milkshake. Not a Crazy Milkshake,just a regular milkshake. We explained to them that since it was a Friday night we would more than likely have a long wait. They still wanted to go. When we arrived it was packed to the gills. No problem. Here's where the problems start. There was no one to direct the customers coming in the door. No hostess. People were coming in and had no idea where to go or what to do. We went to the counter to order our milkshakes. There was a young girl behind the counter making the Crazy Shakes and she was beyond overwhelmed. Another young lady took our order than walked away for about 5 minutes,took our order again,started to make our (regular)shakes,walked away again for another 5 minutes, came back and finished making 2 shakes. We realized that she was also a server and was waiting on tables in addition to working the front counter. Poor thing!! We felt bad for her. As we stood at the counter during this time we observed 3 beautiful cakes sitting totally uncovered on a dirty countertop.There were So many people in there that I'm sure the cakes were "breathed" on quite a bit. Who knows, maybe even sneezed on. In addition, behind the counter was filthy. The trash can was overflowing,the area where the crazy shakes were being prepared looked like an explosion had taken place. My friend remarked that if this is what the front of the restaurant looks like,she can only imagine what the kitchen looks like. Now, this is what really made my stomach turn. The young girl who was making the shakes had long hair and it was partially pulled back but lots of it hanging down. She grabbed a pole (sort of like a shortened broom stick ) off the milkshake prep area(where the candy and fixing for the milkshakes are) and used it to knock a box off of the top shelf into her hands. No problem...until I saw a bunch of long hairs stuck to the end of the broomstick thing. She than laid the broomstick down on top of the milkshake fixins... GAG!!! No doubt that somebody that night got a hairy milkshake. Fortunately,our milkshakes were made at the other end of the counter...or we would have surely walked out. 2 of us got our milkshakes but the other 2 had to wait another 15 minutes. There did not appear to be a Mgr. in sight. It was totally chaotic. It saddens me to see this lovely little eatery turn into such a disorganized and unclean establishment. It's heartbreaking. It appears they need to re evaluate what they want to be. A restaurant or an ice cream shop. I know they are making money hand over fist with these milkshakes,and good for them..but PLEASE hire more staff,including servers,mgrs, cleaners and a hostess. I'm hoping Mabels stays around for a long time but I know if things continue as they are....well,I will say no more. read more

A definite "NO" for Mabel's Cafe. Two weeks ago my seven year old grandson asked to celebrate his birthday with a Crazy Shake in Mabel's Cafe. My other three grandchildren wanted to join him in enjoying Crazy Shakes as well. We waited in vain for forty minutes for our shakes. No Shakes arrived. Assistant Manager Brittany promised that if we returned the following day at 2 PM, she would make them herself. We returned and forty-five minutes later we left again without shakes and no sighting of Brittany. Requesting some resolution, messages to both Brittany and then to Jennifer Roberts, the owner of Mabel's Cafe have gone unanswered. This business is sorely lacking in customer service. read more

Went there this past Saturday with my wife. Food was good enough. Burger was overcooked but I was extremely hungry so I ate it. Not the worst but not the best. We ordered a milk shake and split it. A bit underwhelming. Mostly whipped cream and some other toppings. We got the cookies and cream. 6 hours later I'm having the worst stomach cramps and the following 24 hours was pure hell because I got food poisoning. I've read others reviews and apparently the food safety is inconsistent at best. Probably got cross food contamination due to people not changing their gloves. Will not be returning. I just wish I could get my money back. Still feeling the effects of this food poisoning, and it's bad. read more

Ice cream was awesome! Definitely a wow factor! If I would make a suggestion, it would be to have a more upbeat atmosphere. We will come back because the shakes were awesome! read more

See all

Had a GREAT experience thanks to Lilah's service at mabels!!!! Will be coming back ASAP.

Ice cream great. Terrible service. Not enough workers. Need an adult in here to run things. Everyone leaving while we were waiting was complaining about how long everything took. read more

We have been to Mabel's twice now. While it is very cute and quaint, I'm sad to say, the service is the worst! Today was the second time we went, my friend and I met up at 2:30 pm. It was not until almost 3:30 when we were seated! And we didn't leave the place until almost 5 pm. We asked if we could order our ice cream while we waited to be seated, and they would not allow it, which only compounds the whole situation of hungry kids and knowing once we sit down, we have to wait even longer for the milkshakes to arrive!. And we also found out one cannot order a milkshake and take it outside. These were things my friend and I brainstormed as we were waiting an hour to be seated. We were told repeatedly there was a large group there, and would be leaving. They left and we still weren't seated. In fact every other person was seated that was in line before us. Because we were a large party, they kept telling us they had to clean the table. Finally I asked them if we could be broken up. So we all sat in different sections of the room. Our kids by this point were so hungry and grumpy, we couldn't wait a second longer. In fact the table that they said needed cleaning was not cleaned the entire time we sat there! So glad we asked to be seated elsewhere! When the milkshakes finally came out, which was another long wait, it looked beautiful of course, but the ice cream itself tasted freezer burn. My one daughter and my friend's son wouldn't drink it because the freezer burn taste overpowered the ice cream. I was extremely disappointed by the whole experience. I gave it a second chance, even referring a friend to the place, and both times I've been sorely disappointed by the lack of service and this time the signature item- the milkshakes themselves. The place has grown a lot, and that's great, but they need to hire more staff to keep up with the pace. And they need to have rich flavorful milkshakes with fresh ice cream. In our world of social media and yelp, word travels fast! It is in their best interest to pick up the pace and be more accommodating to their customers, or they will risk closing shop altogether. A little kindness and professionalism go a long way. This place lacks both. I really wanted this review to be much different, but that is the reality. read more

I guess this may not be a fair evaluation since I never got to eat the food. We waited nearly an hour after being served a bland roll. The waitress never came back to take our order. About a year later, I tried again. It was just as bad. Terrible. Once you sit down, they forget about you. I guess if your lucky enough to be seated in the back, they see you and treat you better. But never accept a seat in the front side room. From those that actually have the patience to wait over an hour, I hear the food is pretty good.....but I'll never know. read more

LOVE SAM SMITH!!! She the best ever!! She needs a raise!!! Such amazing and fun food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The shakes were fantastic and so was our server Samantha! I love mabels and I hope she is my server the next time I go! Love, Charlotte read more

I'm just getting to know the Powhatan area and Mabel's is right along my route. I was on my way to the Powhatan Y, noticed the charming building en route and resolved to come back and have lunch. That I did, and look forward to returning. It was a cold winter day so the soup du jour seemed a good idea. There was a choice: tomato-basil pesto or cream of potato. I chose the former and was very pleased. It was thick and hearty, just right for such a day. When I go to a place for the first time I stick to the basics so I had a cheeseburger - the brioche roll made it a bit upscale. There were a number of sides on offer but I stopped our server as soon as she said "fries" and was glad I did because they were perfect...but next time I will branch out in every way and try some other menu choices. The large mug of fresh coffee was great - I appreciated the prev. reviewer who was used to Starbuck's on every corner. That's not the Powhatan scene, but you can count on Mabel's for a good cuppa Joe. My companion and I did not have room for dessert but were tickled when we were presented with mini-cupcakes with our check. Two bites and done, thank you. The decor is shabby chic with a lick of fresh paint in eye-catching colors throughout. I understand there is a five-year anniversary coming up soon. Congrats to a delightful local "destination." read more

Burgers and sandwiches are good, but really not worth the wait or the really bad service. Really it was unapologetically bad!

Drove an hour to Mabels to get the peanut butter insanity crafted milkshake and didn't even get it! When ordering I even asked my waitress "the one with the pie" and said the name and was brought the regular peanut butter sundae. With having not ever been there before I didn't think anything of the appearance. I kept eating thinking the pie was somewhere inside. I got half way through and to my surprise a waitress brings out two of the peanut butter insanity's to another table and I had them realized that I was given the wrong thing. I told my waitress and all she said was she was sorry and that I could get the pie but would have to pay for it....WHAT! I am so unbelievably disappointed. I literally almost cried at my table but had my children with me so I didn't. I should've been comped or given what I actually ordered at no EXTRA charge. So dissatisfied and so disappointed. If I could give a zero star I would but 1 is the lowest it goes. We will not be back to this establishment. I will be telling everyone I know! read more

This restaurant has become locally famous for their Crazy Shakes (which are awesome), but there is more to Mabel's than shakes! Our family loves to go on Wednesdays for Dollar Burger Night. If you buy a drink, you can get a burger for a dollar! Ketchup and mustard are free, but you pay a little for cheese and some other toppings. The burgers are great, and we usually buy 1 or 2 orders of fries to go with our burgers. If you aren't into burgers, the other food is great as well. Our family always looks forward to a trip to Mabel's. read more

This got one star because of the poor service we received. My sister in law and I came after dinner to get a couple milkshakes around 730pm. Was a little busy but looked to be dying down. We were seated and the first girl took our drink order. 10 min go by and she never came back with them. The other waitress ended up re taking our drink order. Then we ordered the shakes. We waited over an hour and never got an update and no one checked on us. Finally after an hr and 10 min we decided to just leave. It really upset me because I am from out of state and had heard this was a really good place, so I'm very disappointed to have gotten such poor service for my first time here. Probably won't be back... read more

The food is good and the people are friendly enough, but it takes way too long if you're getting food AND a shake. Sure, the milkshakes were good but other than how Insta worthy they are not really worth spending 3 hours to get one. Not to mention everything is just so expensive! TL/ DR if you have ample amounts of time and money, I'd recommend it, if not, don't go. read more

Ordered a grilled chicken panini. The basil pesto was excellent. The toasted bread was very greasy and I chose not to eat some of the bread because of the sogginess caused either by the pesto or the butter. I would not get that again, but I would be interested in trying a different sandwich. I loved the homemade chips! I liked the small town feel of this restauarnt read more

Burgers are really good. I've cream just meh for the price. Service okay but could be delivered with a smile.

I recently moved to Powhatan from Southern California, and was not at all prepared not to have my choice of Starbucks on every street corner (apparently the nearest Starbucks is 30 minutes away)! So I ran into Mabel's on my way to run some errands in town hoping for a refreshing tea and maybe a yummy croissant. What I got was a wonderful iced tea, and a freshly made doughnut that was to die for! Seriously, I ended up a chocolaty mess after eating it and debated going back for a second. The two working at the counter were super nice and very helpful. I had such a good experience in the morning that I brought my sister back with me to have lunch in the afternoon. My expectations were high, and I was not disappointed. My burger was delicious, and the same two were still working and recognized me. My sister got ice cream and was thrilled to attempt to eat the dessert almost the size of her head. Service was friendly, our food came just as we ordered, and we even got some carry out to take back to our parents. I will definitely make Mabel's my morning tea stop, and I have a feeling lunch and dinner will become a pretty regular thing there as well! read more

Food is subpar. For a great burger go somewhere else. Ice cream way overpriced. Sign reads understaffed please have patients. We waited 30 min to get seated gave our drink and food order right then. Later they came to our table to ask if we ordered food about 45 mins later and informed us they lost our order. When asked for a discount we were completely ignored. Party of 9 behind us in line left before we did. Never again. read more

Well let me say that this place is not equipped to handle large crowds. My wife, child and I were here over 2.5 hours waiting on our food which were just sandwiches. My French dip was below average. It only had a small amount of meat on it, not nearly enough to satisfy and for the $13 price tag, a slap in the face. read more

We went for the Santa brunch. Never will we come here again. It was a disaster. The buffet was underwhelming and they charged $20 for a kids buffet. All of the food was cold and not fresh. Then, we went over to the bigger Santa location. We stood out in the cold for thirty minutes after coming over from the smaller location. Turns out the people eating at this bigger location got to just jump in line in front of those who had been waiting in the cold and the rain for no reason. The staff has no clue what is going on and refused to listen and resolve grievances. $80 and a disappointed, wasted morning later, we will never return to Mabel's. read more

I have to say that we were very disappointed. While the food was good and the shakes were outstanding, the service was terrible. A server spilled a tray of drinks on my husband and daughter then walked away without so much as an "I'm sorry". Our order for dinner was wrong and we had to ask for someone to bring us the drinks that had been spilled earlier. I usually do not write reviews, but the poor service at this restaurant has forced me to do so. Good customer service or even good manners are hard to find nowadays. And unfortunately we didn't find either of those here at Mabel's. read more

We have enjoyed burgers, sandwiches, etc. at Mabel's. We look forward to eating their "Crazy Shakes and Sundaes!" They are the best shakes/sundaes anywhere! Our waitress was Samantha. Samantha is outstanding, efficient, and very friendly, as is the entire staff. read more

Loved it here! The space is cute, and waitresses are sweet as can be! The food was good, as was the dessert. Can't wait to go back!

This place is great, we love their food. Try the Turkey & Cranberry Panini. The deserts look awesome but I'm watching my weight, so I just watch longingly when I see them go to other tables. My friends and I meet for lunch once a week. I highly recommend!! read more

Had lunch today with my family at Mabel's. It was a nice day so we sat outside. The service was excellent and the burger I had (The Bleu Bessie) was outstanding! My son had the Monster which was huge. Our grandkids had chicken tenders and got to sample some delicious ice cream. We are definitely adding Mabel's to our list of favorite restaurants! BTW, Yelp has Mabel's at the wrong spot on the map so go by the address, not the map. read more

Love this place! Good is superb but the crazyshakes are legendary!! This place is awesome and worth the waits! I really can't recommend this place enough! read more

My kids, sister and I love this place. The food is always amazing and the ice cream is our favorite! Price a little high for us to visit more frequently, but when we do eat here our experience is always pleasant. read more

MABELS - This was my niece and daughter sitting outside at mabels. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Powhatan, Virginia

See all

The milkshakes were subpar, it was essentially just milk and loads of candy, service was non-existent, and the wait was definitely not worth it, I don't recommend taking the drive out there, you can find better milkshakes and service closer to home. There was a 30 minute wait for a table which was fine but they didn't mention it would be another hour after that for milkshakes. The entire visit was a disaster. After we were seated we were promptly met with our server who after bringing our beverages was never seen again. The staff behind the counter delivered our milkshakes. I can't stress enough how awful of am experience this had been and will never be returning not recommending any friends or family. read more

They are great, have a few minor flaws but everything else more than makes up for it. Every so often they are understaffed and you will have quite a wait, but not too often and we have been going once or twice a month since it opened. If this happens when you're there, keep in mind it is not often, give 'em another shot. The only other small issue is the hush puppies are often overcooked. Everything else is awesome. read more

Cute hometown feel. Great lunch! Friendly staff. Off the beaten path but worth the stop. Hand made home quality sandwiches, Nice size servings. They have inside and outside seating and is pet friendly. read more

45 minute wait at 2:00 in the afternoon. We finally had to approach a waitress to take our order as it became apparent that nobody was coming. Our lunch arrived timely but no silverware. We placed our shake order when we ordered our food, but the shake took almost an hour. When you charge $12.00 for a milkshake, you can afford to hire more waitstaff. The food and shake were good and the shakes are a piece of art, but the service definitely needs to improve. read more

Heard great things about the crazy shakes and they are very good! BUT not worth almost 2 hour wait. I got there at 4:30 one day and was told I'd have to wait 30-35 minutes. However I had to wait over an hour for two people. Not sure if they didn't have enough staff but after sitting down there were three empty tables in the room I was in and they were telling people over an hour wait. My boyfriend and I only came for milkshakes and it took 30 minutes to get our shakes. Really wish I had a better experience but the milkshakes are great if you don't mind waiting that long! read more

Went to this place for the first time with some friends. It was Friday night and the place was packed. Hostess said it would be a 45 minutes to an hour wait for a table for 5. No problem. It was a nice warm evening. Got a beer and sat down outside and chatted with some folks. About 10-15 minutes later I was informed our table was ready. That was fast!! After everyone in my party arrived we ordered food. Couple folks got the Chicken and waffles special and the rest of us got burgers and fries or onion rings. Basically it took almost an hour and a half to get our meals. The server kept apologizing and we just asked what's going on. We thought he might not have remembered to put the order in. So we got our food. My burger and onion rings we're good. My friends who got the chicken and waffles said it was okay but underwhelming. So then we ordered the signature milkshakes. I got the peanut butter one. Another waitress took the order and then that took another 30-40 minutes!! I had to get up to find her and ask if they were making our shakes and she said yes. They were really creative but the flavor really wasn't there. It's great for a pic to put on social media, but it wasn't all that good. After 3 hours we finally got out of there. Don't think I'll be going there again anytime soon. read more

MABELS - Peanut Butter crazy milkshake. More fluff than flavor. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Powhatan, Virginia

See all

We went to Mabel's last night for the first time. Their burgers and fries are so good! Two stars for that part! Then the milkshakes. What we went for. First off, the server forgot to put our order in for the milkshakes, that's fine. I'm a server, I get it. But even after she told them, we watched, it took forever to get our shakes. They have one person making them. Short staffed? Fine, whatever. So we get our milkshakes. (If the milkshakes were good, I wouldn't have cared about anything I just said...it just added onto the fact that the milkshakes sucked). So, the milkshakes. The whole top half was just whipped cream. I felt like i was paying for whipped cream. I drink the milkshake, it was pretty bad. It wasn't thick. It was chocolate milk pretty much. My mom drank hers, made the worst face. I tasted it. It tasted like milk with creme de menthe. A lot of it. My girls got theirs. They of course liked it because they're 4 and 5 and got to eat candy and whipped cream. I tasted it though, they were pretty bad as well. All of them tasted like horribly flavored milk. We pretty much paid for the presentation of the milkshakes. They were absolutely beautiful, I was definitely impressed by that..they just did not taste good at all. It was such a let down. $18 a piece...4 of them...so much money for them all to suck. I don't like leaving bad reviews at all but I feel I need to share our experience. I'm hoping it was just an off day for the milkshake maker..if not, I'm sorry but I recommend to them to hire a new one. read more

Have visited MABELS a few times at the old location. We stopped going because of the service. We decided to try for burger night since they've moved to a new location and have heard better things. We arrived about 7pm. There was 2 parties of 6-7 one had already eaten and one table was waiting for food. There were 3 other tables all eating or finished, all 2-3 tops and 1 3 top sat as we were walking in. We were told we would have to wait 10 minutes to be seated to "allow staff to get caught up". There were many "open" tables covered in dirty dishes. We waited 15 minutes before being sat and another couple had walked in behind us. We were sat and the other couple was sat almost immediately after us. I wonder why we had to wait so long but they did not. We ordered an appetizer at the same time as our beverages, fried pickles, which we absolutely love every time we come! We never received these. We also ordered two burgers and 1 fry basket when the waitress returned with our beverages. The table who had sat down after us received their food and we had not. Our waitress who was Terri who is also the floor manager never returned to our table. The hostess came to fill my drink. The hostess then brought our food. We were waiting for the waitress return to discuss the appetizer. We finished our meal before she ever returned. When she came back we asked for our check ready to leave. She hadn't been to the table enough to even realize we never had our app. It came on the check and when we told her about it she did apologize and said she would figure out what had happened. In my opinion if she had been by the table to check on us this problem could've been resolved before we received the check and were already frustrated. My husband and I both have worked in the restaurant business for a long time. If you're going to have a "specialty" night like dollar burgers hire some more staff!!! It's a common problem looking at reviews. Seems like something would've been done by now. Also, the whole restaurant was filled with fruit flies. They had open cups of vinegar everywhere for this but it was not helping. We will not be returning again. We've given our fair share of chances and nothing has changed. I have been back and forth on posting this but while in the restaurant the manager on duty was our server. Very awkward to complain about service to the manager when they are the one you are discussing! read more

Got seated at 7:45pm ordered just ice cream didn't get ice cream till after 9pm while 3 others who came after us got their orders our waitress came out and said she had been crying and held things up a little and that a large shake order came in AFTER us and so it might be a while longer and brought us water as it was in the 90's and we were sitting outside. We didn't throw a fit as we weren't sure the reason behind the crying waitress who didn't get our order in but I was shocked that no manager came and talked to us and no adjustments were made to our bill. very disappointed in our first experience at mables. We will not be back. A shame because the ice cream was fun for the kids but not worth the experience. read more

This cute little spot has a great menu, and the most ridiculous milkshakes I've ever seen! Huge hit with the kids! The staff is all super friendly and inviting, and our food was delicious! The outdoor area was perfect for the short wait we had for our table. We will def be back! read more

Food was okay, but very pricey for lunch time. Not at all what I expected for visiting a small Powhatan cafe. The special milkshakes are $12.... we did not have one, but they looked very good. I did have the lemon cake and it was great, only disappointed to find out it was not made there. Service was slow and not very friendly for a slow Tuesday. read more