Cafe La Renaissance

Sweet little local business with great coffee and great values--they've been paying a living wage far longer than our minimum wage laws have required it and owner and neighborhood resident Christine is as kind as they come. If you live in the neighborhood, I encourage you to become a regular. Hang out and work on wifi or stop by for to go coffee and snacks. Their food is also great--made fresh when you order--egg sandwich on a bagel is always delicious, although my current favorite is the locally made breakfast burritos in the to go case. Stop by and check them out.

Terrible service. Skimpy, poorly made food. No idea how to handle food safely. One day I ordered a bagel w/cream cheese + a gourmet (deviled) egg. Got the bagel & ate that, then waited 30 MINUTES before I finally asked about the egg. The owner (pretty sure that's her) was nice enough about it, saying she just forgot... but then she took the egg plate out of the display case and gave me that! She couldn't even be bothered to make a fresh egg? Instead she gave me one that had been sitting around at least 45-min, possibly hours. I've also experienced a lot of the problems you read about in Yelp reviews, incl. awkward social interactions, ridiculously small portions (paid $4 for an egg bagel with so little egg on it I literally took the bagel apart to see if any egg was in it), and absurdly long waits (several minutes w/no one in front of me). I keep trying to like this place, but I give up.

The thing that troubles me most about this place is that you almost never see the same employee twice in a row or for longer than a week or two. Must be a horrible place to work. They used to sell fresh Acme bread but they stopped that long ago. You used to get a little side salad with your sandwich but no more. Apparently the owner, who must be a terror to work for, doesn't think quality matters. And yes, the service has always been awful but that's because only one person is trying to make & serve coffee while scrambling your eggs and cleaning up. It can't be done and of course when it isn't, the person probably gets fired if she or he doesn't quit first in disgust. I never go there anymore.

Pros: Free parking, wifi and power outlets. Cons: The food and drinks price, portions and quality. I came for the free wifi and power outlets. I ordered a ham sandwich for $6 and it consisted of bread, 2 thin slices of store bought ham and a small piece of lettuce. Conclusion: I'm here all the time using their wifi and power so I guess I can't complain much...