Bad experience from the moment we walked in to the moment we left. Came in for brunch. Place was busy but there were tables. Stood at the entrance not knowing if we should seat ourselves or wait to be seated. We stood for 10 minutes. Waitresses, waiters all over the place. At least 6 different employees walked by us. No one even LOOKED at us. Finally, I flagged someone down who was working a register 5 feet from us and asked if we could sit. Immediately, upon sitting a waiter came over and took our hot sauce off of our table to give to another table. I use hot sauce on my eggs so I knew I was going to have to track down a hot sauce eventually. My wife ordered a muffin. Out of muffins. We had long already ordered but no food yet, then a single diner sits down next to us. He orders french toast. 10 minutes later he has french toast. I still don't have my eggs and my wife doesn't have her oatmeal. I ordered the mixed scrambled egg dish which comes with bell peppers, onions, etc mixed in and comes with a side of hash browns. Dish arrives, looks fine enough. Took a bite of hash browns - TOTALLY inedible. Can't put my finger on it but it tasted of some kind of chemical, perhaps a cleaning solution plus harsh preservatives. I tried to eat it, doused it in hot sauce, but it gagged me. I'm not a picky eater and griddle potatoes are hard to screw up. I can safely assume they are pre-shredded, bagged, frozen potatoes given the dryness and strange taste and were possibly cooked on a griddle that had just been cleaned but not properly. Tasted nothing of potato. Even my toast had a similar chemical taste. My eggs were totally overloaded with not raw bell peppers as the menu would allude to, but jarred, brined roasted red peppers. Almost an equal amount of them to the egg and completely overpowered the dish because of the strong manufactured flavor and large quantity. Had to flag a random waitress down to refill our coffees. This place just confounds me. 20-25 table restaurant, some empty with 6-7 waiters and all of them running around with their heads cut off frantically. It wasn't THAT busy. Considering the size of the staff, one would think there would be a bit more attentive service. And considering the size of the restaurant, it shouldn't be that challenging to prepare fresh ingredients...i.e. potatoes, peppers. Get your sous's in there an hour earlier every morning and do some food prep!!!!! Jarred and frozen ingredients are unacceptable especially given the local competition that puts out excellent, fresh food with attentive service. I don't need to go to a restaurant to eat heated up, pre-made crap I can buy in a supermarket. I explained the problems with the dish to the waitress in the hopes that they will correct it for the future. The explanation was that she hasn't heard that complaint about the potatoes before and it was probably a build up on the griddle. Wrong response and gross. Bring the dish to the kitchen, have the chef taste the potatoes and course correct. Place is not going to last long like this. The live music is the obvious draw and tourism and vacationers keep business up because there are limited eating options in town, but have to fix this. read more

4th time and I'm done. Every time I go, I wait an hour for cold food. I don't need a band playing, I need a hot meal and the check delivered to me on time. This Doesn't happen here read more

SUNDAY BRUNCH REVIEW I don't know what it is about CT but it seems to attract a lot of hard to please critics. After reading all of the reviews you would be hard pressed not to think twice about this place. I was with a group of 8 people and they were able to seat us within 15 minutes, which is usually unheard of at most decent brunch places in Boston. They had a fantastic jazz band playing the old standards to perfection. The food was tasty and reasonably priced. The service was fine (nothing to write home about but nothing to want either) and the environment was great with the music playing the whole time. I don't think anyone at our table unhappy with their food (wife did send omelet back to be reheated...) and I enjoyed my omelet and short stack of blueberry pancakes. read more

My wife and I had lunch here yesterday, as she had been here once before. The atmosphere was quaint, and what you would expect for the kind of community that it was in (which was nice). The food here was fairly good. My wife had the barbecue avocado burger and I had an omelette with cheese, bacon, sausage and ham. My wife thought her meal was great, and was particularly impressed by the baked fries. My meal was okay, the actual on itself was fine; but overall it was kind of small for a restaurant omelette. The service was up and down. When we first arrived, we were seated immediately and our waiter took our drink order right away. However after bringing the drinks, and we weren't ready to order right at that stage, it took quite a while for him to come back to take our order. It also took quite a bit for our food to come out; and then for our plates to be taken and bill to be delivered at the end of the meal. Overall, this was an average dining out experience. read more

Arrived early for weekend getaway so we went here for breakfast. The bacon and cheddar omelette was delicious and the hash browns were tender and crunchy in the perfect ratio. He had a sausage and egg sandwich that had just the right amount of spice. The staff is fast and polite. The total with drinks was under $20. Very clean , seriously the knickknacks and plants were dust free and the floor looks to maintained as well, the chairs look great too. If you ever went to a place where the front end made you pause and re consider you'll understand why this place stands out for being spotless. read more

Paperback Cafe - American Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

Paleo special! Nice surprise. Ordered paleo banana pancakes with turkey sausage. Both were really tasty. There was a side of agave for syrup. Perfect. The side of fresh fruit however was super SAD. Sliced chunks of orange: runs and all with canned pineapple and cantaloupe. read more

Rude and unwelcoming. Went in to purchase coffee and to request my child use the restroom. They were about to close and rudely refused service, despite having many customers still in the place. When asked if my child could at least use the restroom as she had a severe bladder issue and was turned away "because they already sanitized." Seriously? A child with a medical problem was turned away with a nasty attitude. Shame on you. read more

The people who run this place were having an argument in the kitchen. I stood there for a while abd a cook came out and told me he would get someone to help me. The woman who came was so rude and nasty insisted that we sit inside. I said I wasn't comfortable with that and her husband (?) came out and also insisted that I would sit in the window table. I said that I wanted to sit outside and was there an ETA on when any of the tables would be available. I would wait in my car. NO. I was TOLD. You will sit here now. Really? I walked and went to Mirsina a few doors down the street. Ugh. What an awful couple. read more

Long wait for food and when food finally came out , it was cold ! Also when ask if they can substitute something they said no we don't do it , I said I will pay extra - they still said no. read more

Rude staff. Waitress walked away before even getting everyone's beverage order. Seemed to busy to do her job. Didn't stay to eat so I can't comment on the quality of the food. read more

We were on a quick trip and decided to stop at the Paperback Cafe for breakfast. There were a lot of menu options and seating outside. Everything was clean and hand sanitizer was visible. We enjoyed our food and will go back again! read more

ABSOLUTELY AWFUL. I had breakfast there on Sunday. Scrambled eggs were inedible, not fresh, but a commercially prepared mixture. Waffles were also not fresh and largely inedible. Bacon tasted like an old kitchen in which the griddle has not been cleaned in years. Service was marginal at best. For $17.00 for Eggs, bacon waffle and coffee..........look elsewhere. Unfortunately this restaurant has seen better days..........there are other better alternatives in town (JAMMS) .......time to move on. read more

We've tried and tried to like the Paperback but were disappointed each time. A few weeks ago my egg special was soggy and bland. This weekend the egg sandwich was fine but hubby's bagel was so lightly toasted he couldn't tell while the muffin was grilled until it was black and bitter. The chef doesn't seem to take pride in the food that he puts out. Even the coffee is weak and tasteless. To top it off, service was very slow and we were charged for extras (tomatoes and capers) that weren't ordered. We don't plan to be back. Is there any wonder there are so many open tables on a beautiful morning? read more

Never a bad meal at Paperback. We went in on a very busy Sunday around 12, meeding a table of 9 (4 were kids), and we only waited a maximum of 5 minutes to sit. The waitress quickly took all of our orders and brought over some crayons and paper to keep the kids busy. Atmosphere was great, everyone enjoying the live music and food. I ordered a special this time, a Winter Omlette, it was delicious, egg perfectly cooked, fresh veggies, and spicy sausage! Coffee was delicious and my husband enjoyed one of their specialty protein smoothies. We will definitely be back! Thanks Paperback! read more

While the food, when it eventually came out, was delicious, the rude and condescending attitude of the waitstaff was shocking and negatively impacted the dining experience. When we politely mentioned how long it took for the food to come out the manager, dripping with sarcasm, said "It is busy in here. You can see that, can't you?" I overheard her talking to our server who replied "I'm done. I will just walk away from the table." As a former waitress who worked for tips, I was shocked by the cavalier attitude and shoddy service. As my father-in-law used to say, I have been there twice-the first time and the last time. read more

I'm surprised this restaurant only has 3 stars! I'm a foodie and the breakfast is always on point. I've been there for breakfast many times and our meals have never been anything less than perfect. I love the variety including creative, healthy options. Outdoor seating is a bonus. Coffee is always hot and plentiful. (Never been there for lunch.) read more

Absolutely enjoy this place, great food and nice staff. They do a great job with Gluten Free. I highly recommend eating here. Plenty of outdoor seating right now, and staff using precautions. Breakfast and Lunch are delicious. read more

I've been here 2 times. Just a warning to people: on Sunday's they have a band playing inside so it get's pretty cramped. However the GF paleo waffles are amazing! The staff is friendly and patient as well. I would highly recommend this place to anyone! read more

Stopped in yesterday about 1 PM for the first time. Waited at the counter while server when in and out of the kitchen. He never even acknowledged we were there. Last time I'll stop in. read more

This place used to be great, but not anymore after the ownership changed last year. We used to go about once a week. We've been back 4x since the new owners took over, which I think is enough to call it--Paperback is dead. Every visit something has been very wrong with our food, from the merely irritating (cold eggs, warm salad greens), to the genuinely concerning (funky-tasting, off-smelling smoked salmon), to the blindingly stupid (bacon/egg/cheese/hard roll sandwich served on a wonderbread-like hamburger bun--you know, the type that costs $.99 for an 8 pack at the grocery store.) That was the last straw for us. Did they think we wouldn't notice the difference? Did they run out? If so, why not come out and tell us? I know I must sound very fussy, but this place used to be GREAT. It is really sad to see it go to the dogs. Bring back the competence and quality please. I gave it two stars because the barista and the bakery are still good. read more

I always enjoyed eating breakfast at this restaurant over the years. But this year I was disappointed, Apparently there was a change in ownership. You can see and feel the change and it is not good. I ordered an egg white cheese omelet and it lacked taste. Those serving seemed to have no personality. You did not get any feeling that your eating at this cafe was appreciated, This cafe was just not friendly. This Seems to be an example when new ownership/ management do not live up to the previous ownership/ management's quality and service. There are many other restaurants in the area serving breakfast so I probably won't come back. I always enjoy eating breakfast out. TRAVEL KAL read more

I have been here three times and each time had a completely different experience. The first time was with my husband and we had expensive lousy coffee and some pastry and thought, forget it- nothing good about it. Months later I went back for lunch because my friend said they are serving some good Paleo items. We both ordered a plate from this section of the menu and I was very un-impressed. I had something called a hot mess which should have been named a complete mess. It was described as a salad topped with cooked chicken and vegetables and it came as an overly oily, glop of thickly cut steamed zucchini over your typical mixed greens and dry overcooked chunks of chicken. All very tasteless and under seasoned. My friend had their bowl of vegetables with sausage and a fried egg on top and she said it was good but it looked very gloppy and un-appetizing to me. Then the other day two friends and I were at the gym next door and went in again. I was reluctant but because it was right there I went for it. I ordered there "famous" cranberry chicken salad on top of a plate of greens ( steering clear of the dreaded Paleo stuff!) and was pleasantly surprised. The greens were fresh, the chicken salad was decent and the portion was twice the size of the hot mess. I liked it and have returned once or twice for this same salad. read more

I guess I shall be the odd man out and give this place a perfect review. Why you ask? he he he, like you're gonna stop reading now. I had a chance to eat there yesterday, with a couple of friends of mine and had a wonderful meal. I ordered chicken salad sandwich which came on a croissant and the mixture was full of walnuts and cranberries. The sandwich was simply wonderful. Delicate balance of all ingredients let you taste each individual item in the sandwich and the croissant was fluffy with the crispy taste of a buttered french bread. I also had a chance to sample my friends blueberry toast which was rich in blueberry taste and tried my other friends hashbrowns. The hashbrowns were cooked simply and done right. Not heavy on oily tastes and were seasoned just enough to bring out the taste of the potato out. Overall for $10 a meal it was a perfect lunch. I got plenty for my money and on top of that I got a fantastic sandwich that was done to perfection. I've only been there once but I will definitely come back again. If you're looking to spend around $10 a person and get a delicious meal then check this place out. read more

The cafe was okay.... But to pay $3 for a medium cup of black regular perked coffee is insane!!! I can go to Starbucks for a latté for a few quarters more! read more

Typically busy during the morning/noon time, this little coffee shop is more than just coffee. Popular with locals and tourists alike for good, inexpensive coffee, and tasty eats. However, service can be shaky from time to time. There are times where you can go in and be out in less than 30 minutes, whereas sometimes it takes that long just to get your meal. Regardless, it's good food, inexpensive, and a great setting. From time to time they have live music which adds to the atmosphere. 3/5 read more

Went there this morning. Terrible service! Needed to ask twice for more coffee. I ordered a veggie egg wrap and got a different one than I asked for. Finally got the correct meal and it was cold. Eggs were not real eggs. My boyfriend found a piece of metal in his hash browns. Overall terrible, would not recommend to anyone!!! read more

Exceptional slow service, cramped seating, and expect to wait for your check with a table full of cluttered dirty plates. In the upside, food is pretty good and priced well with a pleasant staff:) read more

Haven't been here in a while. Won't be back. Couldn't deliver a pair of over easy eggs. Sent uncooked eggs back to get it right. They came back browned. Sent again to get it right again and no deal! Over cooked eggs came back with original sides nice and cold. They could care less. We were treated like an inconvenience. Perhaps under new and worse management. I'd opt in for JAMMs going forward. Way better food there and nicer folks. read more

I have been told (by the new owner) that this place has new ownership since I wrote my review 5 years ago. So it is unclear if my review still applies but perhaps it does not. read more

Service much improved from last visit. Overall, food was very good. Not overly impressed with french toast- but omelets were decent. Very convenient location on Main Street with outdoor service available in warmer weather. read more

Good food, particularly like the soup. Service is spotty, but friendly.

Don't really know how to start with this review. I guess I will start by saying that there is nothing redeeming about this place except for the fact that my food was free. We started by waiting twenty mins to be seated. There is no designated hostess or anywhere to be greeted so multiple employees tell you to wait to be seated and push you out of the way to get to the out door seating area. Half the people do not speak english and it's all very confusing. We figured the place was packed so it must be good. Once we were finally seated we realized it was packed because once you enter this place your in for at least an hour and a half to two hours..... FOR BREAKFAST!!!!!! It took us twenty more minutes to get water and coffee which we ordered from one waitress and another waitress brought it after we asked her for it. We thought she was just helping out but this would be an ongoing theme for this meal. As the second non english speaking waitress took our order I knew she was going to screw up the order because she repeated it back to me wrong three times. After another 25 mins we received our food from our third waitress of the day and as I anticipated the order was wrong. They brought my food out with no homefries and no cheese. After waiting another ten minutes I sent the food back with another waitress who gave me an attitude about the fact that my order was screwed up. They brought it back out with the cheese and homefries that were not well done. Oh and again it was a different waitress. I was ready to let that go but then I cut into the omelette which was cooling off by now and there were mushrooms on it. I asked for well done home fries and an omelette that had a name on the menu which I ordered with no mushrooms because it was significantly cheaper to get the predetermined omelette with four toppings than to get the omelette I wanted with 3. After waiting for the waitress to come check on us I found another waitress to take the food back and told her to take it off the bill. She also did not speak English and did not understand what I was saying. After 15 mins another waitress (If this is confusing at this point I totally understand. My head was spinning the whole time I was in this place) came over and appeared to be one of the two people who spoke clear english out of the 20 people working. She asked me what the issue was and I explained it to her what happened and that I was just going to wait for everyone to finish and wanted the food off my bill. She begged me to allow them to remake the food the right way. I finally agreed and the food was ready in 5 mins (why did i and probably everyone else in the restaurant wait an hour to get food the first time around the first time we ordered?) This time the food appeared fine so I accepted it and they said it was free of charge. This time there was no cheese. I just ate the bland food that was free of any kind of seasoning or salt for those of you who don't have taste buds. After I was done (everyone else had been done for 15 mins) the waitress brought the bill and of course......... My food was still on the bill. We just left the right amount on the table and left. Throughout the whole process there was no manager who came to speak with us, everyone had a bad attitude, and the place is a total disaster. This place was the most poorly managed, poorly organized, and hectic place I have ever eaten. Everyone around us was dealing with the same issues and I felt like telling the people waiting to turn around and leave. This may sound exaggerated but that is what I thought when I read reviews. Of course that was before I experienced this place. I cannot tell you how many times we all looked at each other and just could not believe what was going on around us. It is scary this place is in business. No one had any clue what was going on and every waitress helped every table. After writing this I am confused and frustrated again. You have been warned.........DO NOT EAT AT THE PAPERBACK CAFE!!!!!!!!!!! ONCE YOU ENTER YOU MAY NEVER GET OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Feeling sad about the negative reviews here because I've never had a bad experience at Paperback! They have great healthier breakfast options. Their hot coffee is great, but skip the iced coffee (it's watery!). Try the paleo menu--the waffles are unbelievable and don't taste any different than a "normal" Belgian waffle, and the pancakes are delicious too! read more

Luckily our first time here wasn't our last time. We thought to give it a second chance. We came in one day to get coffee and to ask about their menu when we were on vacation in Westbrook. The employee that spoke to us we had two issues with. One, she was rude and didn't care. Two, she didn't know anything. However, since the menu looked so good, we decided to come back another day. Second chance, way better! The waitress was very polite, and when they ran out of orange juice they instead of making me choose another option, went and got orange juice for us. They had 3 menus too, which was cool. One was your regular breakfast menu, another gluten free, and the 3rd was the fancy healthy diet menu. The meals were gourmet breakfasts, but not gourmet prices! I had a gluten-free french toast with almonds, berries and a brown sugar topping. They also offer gluten free eggs Benedict. It was delicious! Everybody in my family complimented the eggs Benedict, the omelettes and the french toasts from the regular menu too. We were just so happy to find a gluten free menu with so many carb options! We are usually stuck with eggs and fruit for breakfast, and it was a nice change to spoil ourselves! If we ever find ourselves down in Southern CT again, and I will definitely go here. It is so rare to find such a fabulous gluten free breakfast menu! read more

How many times do you go into a restaurant an idea of what you want. You will get it here! Good food, friendly staff, where even the owner gets involved in getting you seated. This morning they were very busy and the service was still excellent. And....they even have hash browns instead of those burnt home fries you get most other places! I will stop here again as this will be my go to place for breakfast! read more

One of the worst restaurant experiences I've ever had. I was waited on by an older woman with blond hair. If you see her coming, run for the hills. To start with, she came to the table with her mask under her nose--very reassuring when you are in a restaurant ordering food. Then I ordered an egg with cheese on toast. No silverware-- easy enough to forget, but when I finally went in to get some because the waitress was nowhere to be seen, she seemed annoyed with me for doing this. Then she brought me an egg without the cheese. Again she was nowhere around, so I went in to tell her (I was VERY polite) and she started to argue with me that that is not what I ordered (I had a witness to confirm that I did). She came back and handed me a plate with a piece of orange American cheese. Really?? When I complained about this, she argued for a while and then said "Fine. I'm not going to argue with you-- it's too hot for that". She came back a second time with the cheese crumbled on top and walked away-- not melted and the egg from waiting. Besides the horrible experience with the waitress, the food was terrible-- the toast wasn't toasted, the egg was overcooked. How do you mess up an egg and toast? I won't be going back there. There are too many good breakfast places in the area. read more

We were looking forward to eating here but unfortunately came in on a busy Saturday morning - and even though there were several tables available there didn't seem to be an organized system for seating patrons. No one even acknowledged us - and we left after waiting for 5 minutes without even so much as a "hello, we'll be with you in a minute." Several people who came in after us also left. We ended up going to Mirsina's where we were greeted - and seated - immediately despite the fact that they were also incredibly busy. read more

I like Paperpack cafe because it's a casual spot that I can bring my nieces to and we always have fun with their menus. I really just signed up though at YELP to let Amanda C know that she's a bit stuck up with her food reviews. Seriously, the way you review you would think you're accomplished... so you teach people how to cook? What a bloated self image - good for you Amanda - we are blessed to have you on the shoreline. What a crock and I would bet you find it difficult to get peopel to your cooking classes. I went to your website - LOL read more

I have only had coffee here, and it was very good - better than any chain could brew, and HOT.

I really enjoyed my visit to Paperback's today for breakfast. My omelette was great, and the home fries had a delicious crunch. The trio of musicians provided great atmosphere. I don't know if this is just for Sunday. We could still talk to each other even with the music. Paperbacks has a bit of a NYC feel without being stuffy. I'll be back. read more