My favorite place for lunch. My go to order is chicken cilantro lime salad and tomato bisque soup. Yumm! read more

Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

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This has been our go to for dinner almost daily and after so many management and staff changes, well it really needs to improve. The reason for my 3 stars is we were served bad bread pudding of which my wife and daughter already ate 30% and when I tasted it ! It had a moldy taste and I asked our lovely and favorite server to please have it checked. She did just that and the nice manager came back with apologies and a bag of 2 cookies. :)... Well, first of all that bread pudding should have been credited back and 2 cookies will not help our upset stomach and now we are all home dealing with this. All the while we never posted anything even when the food was really bad and even the preparation and how it was served were all sloppy but now I am speaking out to get our favorite restaurant back the way it was. Please please check the food and check the way it is cooked / made before serving them. The servers are all great hut the kutchen has to be supercised. Please check and advise the kitchen and improve the ways. We really love this place. :) read more

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Went here for Mother's Day. The service was incredible, and our waiter was very kind and attentive. They were able to seat us without a reservation, and as always, the food was great! I have no complaints. Everything was clean, quick, and thoughtful! read more

Nice casual cafe at Nordstrom. Ordered a club sandwich and a panini both were good. Side salad was fresh and tasty. You order at the counter and they bring everything out. Very friendly staff. read more

Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I have a soft spot for a Nordstrom Café because it was where my mom let us take a breath and a bite during childhood marathon shopping marathons. The Tyson's Corner location is where my moms' group used to meet weekly. They would push tables together to make room for 12-20 or however many we were that week with high chairs and strollers. Iced tea and water pitchers would be ready for us at the table and we would spend hours, sharing stories, treating ourselves to salads and desserts. We would leave the table in twos and threes to nurse and change in the Women's Lounge and check out the sales. The food always surprisingly delicious and innovative and the service always wonderful. These lunches were highlights of having a newborn and being catered to in a very small way, deepening friendships and I was so impressed with what a clever marketing tool these excellent cafes are- providing a superior level of food and service at a reasonable price point to shoppers. The Hillsdale café is a Marketplace, rather than Bazille which I visit more frequently these days. This afternoon I came in after school after processing a couple of returns. I ordered the chicken,lemon pesto gnocchi which was hearty, flavorful and quite the lemon and ricotta made it lighter than it sounds. The iced tea game at Nordstrom is particularly strong. The Nordstrom bland at the restaurant is spectacular, although I am quite partial to the ginger peach served at the Espresso Bar. I always have at least two glasses. The surprise this meal was the Icebox lemon ricotta cookie. I had wanted to take home the coconut cake that I had enjoyed in the past, but the cookie carried the theme of the lemon- ricotta in my pasta. I squeezed extra lemon wedges into my tea and even drizzled some onto the perfectly chilled, generously portioned cooke. $4 for this treat? Crumbl wishes it had this soft, light, fresh, less sweet recipe. Spectacular! read more

Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom - Whoops.. ate before I snapped - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Was nearby this morning and decided to have an early lunch. I arrived at 11:30ish, today is Monday. The restaurant was absolutely empty. Placed my order and got a great seat. The tables were ready for the lunch rush- very inviting set up. The servers were extremely helpful and friendly. I ordered an iced tea, a cup of clam chowder and the tomato burrata appetizer. My iced tea was unsweetened and very robust. Their clam chowder was the perfect consistency with a nice taste of meaty clams. I am a huge fan of tomatoes and burrata cheese. When this plate came out- my heart lit up!! A blend of ripe tomatoes, fresh cheese, perfectly toasted sourdough baguette slices drizzled with olive oil, homemade pesto and a balsamic reduction. Chef's kiss, all the way! read more

Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom - Iced tea, clam chowder and tomato burrata appetizer. - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

The food is always so yummy here and the customer service is amazing. It's small and quaint. I come here often for lunches alone to go over work in peace while I eat. I frequently order the salmon and couscous - so delicious but the tomato burrata salad is also really good. Honestly everything I've eaten here is great. Thank you! read more

I've been to the one in the city and figured I'd give this place a try and have a nice quiet lunch to myself. Upon entering, it said, "Please wait to be seated." A few minutes passed by, and I saw employees walking around but wasn't acknowledged. I noticed the cashiers to my left and walked up. The lady was nice and took my order and told me to have a seat anywhere and that someone would be bringing me my drink. I was low-key annoyed. Why can't they make a sign that says place order with cashier? I looked around for a place to sit. The vibe seemed pretty chill. Decor was simple neutral colors. I took a seat, and a waitress grabbed my ticket. She was super nice and attentive. She was constantly refilling my Arnold Palmer, which was a huge plus. I ordered: 1. Clam chowder - I'm not a huge soup fan, but this was surprisingly tasty and paired well with the cheese toast they provided. 2. Chef's featured steak - This dish came with potatoes and spinach, I believe. I kind of wished it came with a roll. This was delicious, it definitely satisfied my craving. 3. Crème Brûlée - I didn't think I had room for dessert, but this was Aaaammmaaazzzing. To be honest, I was surprised for once I finished all my food all by myself. This is rare lol but speaks volumes to how good the food and service was. I'll definitely be back. read more

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So this is a consistent place to eat, the place is very clean, consistent tasty food. We started with ordering at the counter. Payment and taking seats. Water and refreshments where served. Bread and butter. Our food came out rather fast. All where hot and beautiful looking. All where tasty as Nordstrom food is. All filling. The place even offers delicious cookies and desserts. I just have to remember to save room for dessert. Value for food 10 / 10 . Taste 10/10 Thanks read more

Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom - Special pizza - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I love the "marketplace" /nordstrom cafe so much! I wish I had one closer to home (San Lorenzo) I would go more often! My favorite dish, that I get almost always is the chipotle sandwich and tomato soup! I also recently got a tomato soup to go! Service is always quick and nice! read more

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Tiernan Espinoza goes above and beyond for all customers. He is professional, kind, and courteous. His dedication to doing a great job is much appreciated. read more

I come here consistently and anything I order is pretty good. I came more often when my kids were younger because I could corner them in the seating area quite easily and the waitstaff was very patient with them. The kids could share a plate - often the club sandwich, and I could order anything I liked and have enough food for me and for their inquiring mouths. Consistent and good food and waitstaff means repeat customer in me. Nice calm place for lunch that is great with kids especially, vs the HUGE food court that can get noisy and quite busy. read more

I visited your Cafe Sunday the 3rd of November I ordered pizza and your clam chower soup..later after I ate the soup I became ill dirrea gas..it was horrible thinking of calling the health department. read more

This rating is on their desserts only. I got 4 desserts- lemon coconut cake, Boston cream, carrot cake and creme brûlée. They were all amazing. My favorite was the Boston cream which is a cake not a pie :). I couldn't believe it because their food wasn't very good. I mean just don't do it. Well unless you're staaaarving then go for their clam chowder or tomato basil soup and their meatball bolognese. So if you happen to stumble upon marketplace at Nordstrom's or while shopping, you get a sudden craving for some coffee and dessert. Definitely stop by here or take some home for a late afternoon treat. You won't be disappointed. Sadly now everytime I'm at hillsdale, I knowwww I'll have to come here. I don't have any self control. Byeeeee. read more

Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom - Boston cream, coconut lemon and Carrot cake. I also got a creme brûlée but it went in my stomach before it could make the picture. - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

This is a very nice place any time of day if you are shopping at Hillsdale. Three of us had cilantro lime salad, Chinese chicken salad and roast chicken. The salads came out first. And the roast chicken was about 10 minutes later. Since we had 3 people, and 3 dishes, it was odd timing. If you want bread, you need to request it. This seems to be the new normal at many restaurants. I happen to like bread, and haven't gotten into the habit of asking for it. Portions were smaller than I recall, possibly because we were having dinner, not lunch. Flavors were good and we were satisfied, but not full. read more

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Loved this location! Same great quality food and service just never dined at this location until this evening. It's great! This location at Hillsdale is a little smaller than the other locations I've been, like SF Westfield and SF Stonestown malls. Just an observation but I'm guessing the new Nordstrom construction across the street will have a larger cafe. Super comfortable booths and tables! Service is really accommodating, very friendly. I ordered the special of the day with soup. White cheddar asparagus grilled cheese sammie with a cup of Roma tomato soup! Delicious and really hearty! On a personal note, Nordstrom Cafe always brings back fond memories when I was a tween and my Mom would take me to lunch or dinner there when we were out shopping, loved it! Still do! read more

Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

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The people working at the registers aren't the friendliest, that's off-putting. The food is ok. Their cookies taste different from other Nordie's cafes, they're not as good. The Asian waiter is super sweet! read more

We've eaten dinner here a few times and every time it has been very good. We've always been impressed with how everything taste and the service is always great. They treat us well and the quality food and service is well above anything else near by there. read more

My sister and hubby mentioned this place to me many times before, but really never expected that a cafe in a department store was really all that good, up until now! It was a Saturday afternoon and we were in the San Mateo area doing our taxes. By the time our appointment was over, our stomachs were growling. We didn't exactly want to have a huge meal and figured a soup/sandwich/salad lunch sounded good. Hillsdale Mall was just a few miles away and after using my YELP app on my iphone, Nordstrom Cafe Express came up as places to dine nearby. My husband ordered the salmon sandwich and I ordered the California Grill. OMG...I absolutely loved it! The flavor and texture of the bread, combined with the applewood bacon, avocado, aioli, and turkey, was so YUMMY. I also ordered a side of house salad with my favorite basalmic vinegarette. And I couldn't resist trying their creamy tomato basil soup and that was good, but I wouldn't say the best I've tasted. Still worked great with sandwich and my taste buds though...So I'm happy! So the myth about this place has been true all along... I know where to go if I'm out shopping at the mall and get a little hungry, but don't want to eat at the food courts. Will definitely be back again! read more

Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom - California Grill - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Lots of potential for this restaurant; if the food and menu were tweaked a bit, it would be a primary destination instead of an "option B" for those that don't want to wait for Cheesecake Factory. I'm dating myself a bit here, but when I was a kid I spent lots of time with my beloved grandmother shopping in malls back in Cleveland. There were stores that no longer exist, such as Higbee's and May Co. that had these grand restaurants within the department store. Nostalgia aside, it was really a "thing" to shop in these huge stores then grab brunch afterward. So, when I recently stopped in Market Café, I had that same feeling. The ambiance was somewhat cafeteria-like but nice; booths and a large space. The menu was limited as far as big entrées but was notable for salads, pasta, pizza, and sandwiches. Somewhat pricey. We ordered the herb chicken with roasted vegetables & farro, mac n cheese, and chicken club with maple glazed bacon. I was a little bummed that the sandwich came with chips as the only option. The mac and cheese was very tasty but the herb chicken and sandwich weren't exciting or memorable. I'd like to see a few more options here and I'd probably visit more; after all, I'm in this area several times per week. I think Cheesecake factory needs some competition at Hillsdale. read more

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Came here for lunch with my mom. This place definitely does not compare to the one in Palo Alto. The Nordstrom in Palo Alto cafe is SO good! However, here is a different case. Food isn't bad, but not good, however it is a bit cheaper than the one in Stanford. I ordered the Chicken Lime Salad and my mom got the Swiss Turkey Cheese Panini. My salad was OK, chicken was very dry, I would pass. My mom's panini is pretty good, nice and hot and cheesy. Staff were super nice and food came very fast. Overall OK place, but not sure if I would come again unless I am desperate for somewhere quick! read more

Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I always find it interesting that all the Nordstroms have an eatery inside. Some have multiple. Was in the area and decided that the food court was not something I was looking forward to. Headed up the escalator and joined the parade of local mall workers for my mid day meal. Got a split pea soup and the Horseradish Roast Beef with caramelized onion, arugula, tomato, horseradish aïoli, on onion roll. It was pretty tasty though expensive for the portions. Sandwich also comes with some potato chips which went well with the soup. Service is pretty good though my server went on break mid way and there was a bit of a gap. People watching maybe the most interesting thing here as you see all sorts of shoppers and employees. So if the food court is no go, this is a decent alternative. 3.75 stars read more

When I was getting thirsty at the mall, always was running to places with high-calorie sodas, but today, leaving Nordstrom, I got acquainted with another, better way of spending my money on better food and drinks :) Although I didn't have too much time to fully enjoy it, I got my favorite sparkling pom lemonade and ran to the car not to be late for a meeting :) Love that place, love their customer service, love their variety :) read more

Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom - Sparkling PomLlemonaaaade! - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

Never thought a eatery inside a department store would be so good! I always try to try something new, but I can't stay away from the Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich when I come here - chicken, peppers and avocado between 2 slices of generously oiled bread. I admit. It's a big on the greasy side, but that's what makes it so good! And their fresh squeeze lemonade compliments it really well. They also give you a choice of salad or chips to go with your sandwich. I'm usually torn since I love the thick crunchy kettle chips and also the delicious spring salad with their awesome raspberry vinaigrette dressing! I also stole bites of the other sandwiches courtesy of my fam. The caprese sandwich is really good. A tad on the salty side but that's probably because of the prosciutto. Their California chicken sandwich is really good as well. Simple, but loaded with flavor. Overall, I love all the dishes here. A tad on the pricey side at almost $10 a sandwich, but well worth the taste! read more

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Even though I walk by this cafe when I am at the Nordstrom in Hillsdale Mall, I'd never eaten there until now. Wow! I can't believe what I've been missing. We had such an amazing meal there last night. The decor is casual and a bit dull, but the food is delicious and the service is wonderful. Highly recommend the soup, the pizza and the dessert. Will be making this my stop for food instead of the crowed food court from now on. read more

Though the menu is limited, they offer great salads, sandwiches, and hot entrees. Nicoise salad, tuna melt sandwich, and roast salmon are among my favorites. Great service and very convenient place to grab a bite. read more

The quality of foods is average, it is a nice place for taking a break during shopping .

Let me finish my drink first before writing this review... POSITIVES: Their cookie and cream drinks are like happiness in a plastic cup. It is just the right mixture of cream with Oreo tasting cookies. Plus their white chocolate mochas are to die for. Nordstrom's small coffees sizes are the same sizes as Starbucks grandee coffee. And they are cheaper too. Much more worth it to buy Nordstrom's coffee in my opinion. NEGATIVE: On this particular day...it was really hard to find a table and the right amount of seats. Normally it is not that hard to find a seat, but I guess today was just not my luck. read more

Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom - Bartistia's attempt at the "The Green Hornet's" leaf - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

Shopping can make one hungry. Where better to put a restaurant than right in the middle of my favorite store--Nordstroms! I love all of the Nordstrom cafes, and especially the ones that still have the EXPRESS cafes. You walk up, reading a paper menu as you do so. Order and pay at the register. Oh, and they will take your Nordstrom's credit card which gives you points towards rewards. The cafe will also redeem your reward dollars. Such a deal. The food is simple here--salads, soups, sandwiches. And cookies. If you are feeling like it, wine can be ordered, too. Everything tastes very good. Have a seat and a gracious server picks up the receipt and in short time returns with your food. There is a children's menu which is perfect when shopping with small people. The kid food is kid friendly. The dining room is spacious, on the third floor, near the children's shoes. read more

Great service Thalia room care of us and made our date night. She really went above and beyond with her services. Thank you Thalia for everything. read more

Super seedy establishment below the nordstrom wc standard with w. pittsburg punks running the place, sitting on counters cackling and checking their dirty phones then wiping from table to table with same dirty rag they dont spray and spreading viruses. Smart!!!! Watch the news, peeps. Sorry to see you dislike showing up to work. First, stood for 10 minutes without being acknowledged. shortchanged at the cashier. Said nothing but watched the scam unfold. Then, given a ridiculously tiny portion turning color due to storing too long and cutbacks and new hires that cant cook. Good thing I hate cake bc there is none. Your dressings are your crowning glory and they taste like oil and dirt. Something is wrong. Get employees who care. read more

when ever i come here i get the santa fe chicken sandwich with a side of salad and balsamic vinaigrette. the only problem that i have with this place is that sandwich is a bit too oily. the lemonade here are also freshly squeezed (okay i can't say that for sure but its not minute maid) great place to go in the mall for food. read more

Marketplace Cafe at Nordstrom - Grilled Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich with side salad - New American Near Me - San Mateo, California

Great service and delicious food! I would come here any day over the mall's food court. It's quiet, kid-friendly, and calm. The food is reasonably priced. Kid meals start at $5. My kids love the mac n cheese here. $5 gets you the main dish, side of fruit, box of organic raisins, and a kids drink. They also get a pack of crayons and games to play on the menu. My wife and I love the salads here. Fresh, tasty, and under $10. I've also tried their turkey sandwiches here too. You order at the main counter and the server brings the food out to your table. read more

My Mom and Aunt love coming here and occasionally I get to tag along. I love their food here especially their club sandwich with avocado or linguine with shrimp or Niçoise salad. Located on the 3rd floor of Nordstrom, it is cafeteria style where you order and pay before you sit down. I personally love the Niçoise salad which comes with grilled mustard wild salmon and I asked for no potatoes and no red onion. It's enough for two meals so I usually ask for dressing on the side. I also like their Cesar salad dressing more than The vinaigrette it comes with but I also just love creamy dressings :) My mom always orders the club which comes with a healthy amount of avocado and you can have fries or a salad with it. If you order the spicy linguine and shrimp, the shrimp are large and plentiful and not the tiny cheap frozen shrimp you would expect. At the end of the meal, make sure to tip the staff and enjoy the complimentary chocolate they bring. Good value, easy parking and good service, what's not to like? read more

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Given the lack of anything particularly appetizing in the Hillsdale food court, I decided to take my chances and check out Nordstrom Cafe. I have memories of going to the Nordstrom Cafe at Stonestown back in the day- their coffee was 25 cents a cup, with unlimited refills, while they had a roll that you could eat said coffee with for another 50 cents. All in all, it was a very pleasant way to spend time with my grandmother, who was resting while everyone else shopped. The 25 cents coffee is long gone (I think its $1.25 a cup...still pretty good), but the gracious service still remains. I decided to get the Santa Fe chicken sandwich with a mixed green salad on the side for lunch. This was my attempt at a "healthier" lunch, though I sure the buttered, grilled sourdough bread probably didn't help my cause. But it sure was a tasty meal- the chicken was grilled, then shredded, with a nice, smokey flavor, while the avocado and grilled onions just made the whole thing come together. I didn't think I would enjoy my salad, but it was great- lots of cut peppers, greens, and some grape tomatoes. Best of all, the dressing (which eludes me at this time- some kind of vinaigrette?) automatically comes on the side, so you can put as much or as little as you'd like. The whole place could probably use some remodeling- the decor does seem rather tired and is showing its age, but the food and service are still good. Its actually quite affordable- I don't think anything on that menu was more than $9.95. I'd be back, especially considering the dearth of good eating to be had in the mall. read more

This cafe is on the third floor, by the BP/Juniors section. They don't have this cafe at the Stanford Shopping Center, nor at Valley Fair (both these places have new restaurants instead). The cashiers were friendly, as was my server. I ordered my food and beverage, paid at the front, and seated myself. Then my server showed up to pick up my receipt. She promptly returned with my bottled water and a glass of ice. The Nordstrom bottled water was really good - I almost wanted to ask if they sold it by the case. I ordered the Tuscan Roasted Chicken, which is a gluten-free item. It came with Yukon gold potatoes, bell peppers, carrots, corn on the cob, and zucchini. This dish arrived piping hot (It showed up about after almost half an hour; my server said that the Tuscan Roasted Chicken "always takes forever"). The chicken was well-seasoned with garlic and rosemary, and was cooked just right - it was tender and tasty. The potatoes and vegetables were also seasoned, but not overly so. My server went on a break before I was finished eating, so I didn't get a chocolate stick at the end of my meal. It wasn't a big deal to me, because then I had fewer calories to burn off. I will stop by every time that I'm in San Mateo. read more

I went to the mall to look at sunglasses, but everything I tried on made me look like either a cop or a psychopath or maybe a psychopathic cop. Smiling just made it worse. Sometimes you just can't win, but you can always eat!!! When I was a kid, my Mom used to take me to the Nordstrom Cafe in San Diego in the Fashion Valley mall. It was something I looked forward to because I love my Mom AND there was a Sega arcade downstairs on the other side of the mall! The San Mateo version is pretty much the same as I remember the San Diego location except it feels a little more confined. That's the reason I'm docking it a star. The San Diego cafe had nice big windows that looked out at the Mission Valley hills. This one is kind of a like a 1980's tomb if it had yummy food. Anyway, I digress. I got my food to go. A tuna salad and avocado sandwich on wheat with a side salad. I only had to wait about 4 or 5 minutes for my order, but the super friendly wait staff made sure to offer me water or anything else I might need while I waited. What a great bunch of lads and ladies! :) My sandwich was reasonably priced and completely delicious. There was a bunch of nicely seasoned tuna salad and big pieces of avocado on some crunch whole grain wheat. The side salad had a nice variety of lettuce, peppers, carrots, tomatoes, etc. It felt like a real salad and not just something thrown together like a school cafeteria iceberg lettuce style salad that most places serve on the side. The salad dressing was also really good. So good, I could've pounded it like a shot! Nordstrom Cafe has made it on to my short list of goto sandwich places in San Mateo for lunch. Forgive the somewhat dated look and just enjoy some great food! read more

Cheesecake Factory had an hour wait... what's new? Made our way here and hate to say it but this was my last resort. HOWEVER, I'm glad to report it was a great decision! There really isn't much to say because they do their job and they do it well. Food was awesome especially the pepperoni and mushroom pizza! Drool. The wait staff is excellent! Great customer service. More often than not I can forgive mediocre food if the service is amazing. Fortunately in this case, I didn't have to. I would definitely come back, and I promise not to make it a last resort. read more

First off, I think "nordstrom cafe express" might be referring to the little coffee counter on the floor level of the mall. I'm reviewing for the cafe up on the very top by BP. I used to pop into this place as a kid when out shopping with my mom. Later on, my dad and I became addicted to the lemon cream pasta with salmon and asparagus. After my parents moved to Oregon (6 years ago), I still go here now and then so that must say something about the food quality. I still love the salmon pasta dish, but after a few tries I can finally make it pretty much to the tee at home so I usually opt for some sort of sandwich or salad. The french dip sandwich is DELICIOUS. It has a garlic spread, some sort of white cheese I'm thinking provolone, and a thick stack of steak all piled onto a french roll. No, not those crappy hard rolls that cut your gums, a nice spongy fresh roll. The salads are good because they actually give you enough dressing (I've found this luxury to be extremely rare) and they usually have a delicious combo of snacks thrown in there. For example pears and candied walnuts. My friend and I went here a couple of days ago though and she got the special salad of the day. It was really good minus these dried cherries chucked in there that tasted exactly like Halls cherry flavor cough drops. I hate how you pay at the counter but then are expected to give a tip to someone who literally just brings your plate of food from the counter top (2-15 feet away depending on where you're sitting) to your table. I mean fine, it's a job, I get it, so I tip. Also, this one time I asked for a candied walnut salad basically just because I was craving the walnuts and they were out and didn't tell me so instead they sprinkled some cinnimon sugar flavored slivered almonds on top which was GROOOOOOSSSSSS in the salad. Oh, the lemonade is really good, I'm all about it. Sometimes I stop on by just to get a lemonade to go. The chefs and servers are all really friendly. Just an FYI: 84% of the people sitting around you will be 60+, 10% will be mothers with small children, 1% will be some scrub who looks out of place chowin' down a sandwich (me), and 5% will be obnoxious, entitled middle age humans on lunch dates. If you call in your order you can place it for pick up about 10-15 mins later. read more

I love the food here. It all has a fresh, flavorful, 'clean' taste. My go to is the Chinese chicken salad with its light, vibrant rice vinegar dressing. Such a nice switch up from mall food court food. I try very hard to ignore the dessert case. But from the looks, it's pretty yummy. I can't see it, I can't see it, I can't see it... read more