Gladstone House

A disappointing return to the "new" Gladstone cafe... I made a reservation for Mother's Day brunch for myself, my wife, and our toddler. I purposefully made the reservation early (9:30am) to avoid the late-morning brunch rush, and was happy that they were able to accommodate our need for a high chair. But from the moment we arrived, I could tell that something was off - the staff seem either very inexperienced or very disorganized. Any question we had about the menu or allergens, our waiter had to run to the kitchen to ask because he was clearly new and unfamiliar with the menu. I ordered the classic breakfast and my wife ordered the eggs benedict on gluten free toast. When the food was arrived, I was both perplexed and disappointed: my $18 breakfast came with a single piece of dry toast, my scrambled eggs were overcooked, the few home fries I got were room temperature, and the tiny bowl of minced fruit was barely enough to satisfy my daughter. My wife's meal was a little better than mine at least, and her home fries were actually hot and fresh (though one could nitpick that the eggs were not poached long enough). During our meal, no one came around to ask how our food was, to offer any butter/jam/ketchup/salt/pepper, or even to offer to refill our water and coffees (the latter of which has taken a noticeable decline in taste and quality since the hotel switched from Rufino to Propellor coffee). The same inexperienced waitstaff also kept coming around to try and clear our plates before we were finished, as if they were trying to rush us out of there. Then when it came time to pay, our waiter tried to take the machine from me before I even had a chance to look at the bill. Thankfully it was overall not an expensive meal, but coming from people who live in the area and ate at the cafe often before the renovations, there has definitely been a big change since the reopening - and not in a good way.

I had brunch at the Gladstone Cafe this past weekend. The actual dining area feels dated, but the staff were friendly and the service was great. The menu has a pretty wide assortment, so if you're a picky eater you're likely to find an option for you. There are also a lot of options for Gluten Free, Vegan, etc. I split the burger and the fried chicken + donuts with my partner. The burger was great, even if it was a little bit greasy. I wasn't a huge fan of the other meal, as I found the donuts to be rather dry and not to my taste. Otherwise, their coffee was good and the staff were very attentive.