Culture Cafe

I was really looking forward to visiting this cozy café in Williamsburg after reading the reviews. Upon arrival, we were greeted warmly by a young lady who was very kind. She offered us a table near the door, but since it was quite chilly outside, we requested to sit somewhere away from the draft, which she gladly accommodated by taking us to a table at the back, near the pastries. However, my experience took a turn that led me to give a two-star rating. First, I noticed that the plate on our table was dirty when we were seated, which I set aside without making a fuss. I also observed that the open water jugs on the tables could be better protected, as bugs or dirt might get in them.Our waitress was quick to take our drink orders, and my sister chose a coffee. We ordered the 'Mom tart' to start with, but when it arrived, there was a hair on it. I pointed it out to our waitress, who looked at the plate and, without apologizing, took it away and returned with a new one. The Mom tart was very sweet, specifically a cinnamon flavor, which was a bit too sugary for our taste, but that's just personal preference.Most of the pastries were displayed openly on the counter, which made me uneasy as staff and patrons continuously walked by without any barriers to prevent contamination. Things worsened when I observed the cook preparing food. I noticed a pan of premade sausage and bacon under a heat lamp, and the cook was handling it without gloves. Each time he plated for a meal. When we ordered the 'bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich', our order came out missing the tots. Our waitress went back to the cooks prep station and grabbed a few tots with her bare hands, but after a comment from the cook, she had to return them to the bowl. The sandwich itself was a letdown; the cheese was mostly on the plate rather than melted on the sandwich, and the egg was half off the bread, and with the bacon having been handled without gloves. (Pictures included)When another waitress came to check on us, we asked for the check and requested to remove the sandwich from our bill, as we couldn't eat it. Our original waitress approached, seeming confused and a bit defensive when we explained our concerns, insisting that others enjoyed their bread. We clarified that it wasn't the bread; it was everything else on the plate. In a surprising turn, she told us not to pay for anything. We insisted on paying for the 'Mom tart' and coffee, but she insisted we leave without paying.The café has a charming atmosphere and could benefit from some cleaning, especially with dust on the lamps and windows. Overall, while our waitress was pleasant at first, the food handling and cleanliness issues left a bad impression. I won't be returning, but I understand that some locals may enjoy this place. This was simply our experience.

When we stumbled upon Culture Cafe, we expected a whimsical experience straight out of Wonderland. Instead, we found ourselves saying, "We're all quite mad here--and not in a good way!" Upon arrival, we were greeted faster than the White Rabbit could say, "I'm late!" But that was where the excitement ended. We ordered a breakfast sandwich, a mom tart, and a "cinnamazing" coffee, ready to dive into a feast fit for the Queen of Hearts. First up was the mom tart, which arrived with a surprise garnish--a lovely strand of hair! Talk about an unexpected "hare" raising experience! The waitress whisked it away faster than the Cheshire Cat could disappear, but it was a sign of the madness to come. Most pastries were left exposed, making it clear that in this cafe, hair wasn't just a "mad" hatter's problem!The coffee was decent--nothing to make your head spin, yet still good enough for a sip. As for the breakfast sandwich? It was barely hanging on for dear life, with cold shredded cheese that seemed to have lost its way in Wonderland. The meat? Oh, it was pulled from a silver bin of mystery meat, lounging under a heat lamp like it was on a permanent holiday. And the tater tots we ordered? They were mysteriously absent, leading to a scene straight out of a surreal tea party, with our waitress diving into the meat bin's sidekick bowl to retrieve the last few tots--sans gloves, might I add! Our level of uncleanliness peaked, and we decided to make a hasty exit. After a quick chat with the waitress, who seemed to think our sandwich was perfectly fine, we managed to escape paying for it--thank you, but no thanks!In the end, Culture Cafe has potential, but it left us with more questions than answers. As we tiptoed away, we couldn't help but think: "We'd be mad to ever go back!" If you're craving a taste of Wonderland, you might want to hop along to a different tea party. Madness may be fun, but not when it comes to food!

This cafe looked so eclectic and unique on the inside that I knew I had to visit! There was so much art and random decor on the walls, I loved it! The decor alone, is enough reason to stop in. Now for the food, it was mediocre. The waiter was so excited for me to try the waffle but when I expressed that it was just okay, me and my friend were instantly offered pastries to try. The customer service was excellent and I look forward to coming back to try a different dish!

Yum, Yum,Yum! Stopped in soon after they had opened on a Saturday morning to grab some baked goods for breakfast. All of them were delicious! We tried an almond croissant (flakey and light) a homemade blueberry poptart (if those packaged ones were anywhere close to this good, they would be a shortage) and crumb cake (nice strudel topping) Service was excellent and I believe the owner helped me. Since it was still sort of quiet we had a nice conversation before I checked out. Inside there are a good amount of tables to sit and enjoy breakfast or lunch. It is also has a high ceiling, so it feels nice and large inside.

such a cute and cozy cafe, it reminds me of my childhood. we did sit and wait around 8 minutes before we were greeted, it was a busy morning with one server in so i get it. When another server came in she greeted us and started us off with lychee and lime sodas, it was so tasty. we shared the poor man's charcuterie board and the tangy mustard jam was to die for, i wish we could've bought a jar of it! i got a ham and cheese frittata, it was decent i wish there was more ham. the culture burger was very good! everything about it paired so well together.

Unfortunately we had a bad experience here last Sunday. Took over an hour for food and server never came back to us once . I had to flag down another server with coffee who just checked her own table but went right past my empty mug. Table next to us was given an apology plate of pastries but went right past were ignored even though we sat down first. Plenty of other choices in CW, so this one is off my list.

VEGANS/VEGETARIANS DO NOT EAT HERE!!!!Last time I came here I ordered the vegan meatball sub.... The waiter came I noted that it tasted funny and asked what it was made of. He said it was some vegan mixture. After eating I went to the bathroom and on my way out the cook started talking to me. I then asked what the sub was made of and he said patea, and I asked what it was. He said MIXED ANIMAL PARTS. I then heard the lady behind him mutter it was supposed to be vegan and his face turned bright red. I immediately ran outside and cried. My mom paid the tab which they did not offer to get rid of. I didn't want to make a fuss because the guy seemed nice and I could tell it was genuine mistake and didn't want to get him fired. I spent a good 2/3 hours after pulling the trigger and chugging salt water, making myself throw up. I know to a lot of people this may not seem like a big deal but it felt like a HUGE violation. Eating an animal to me is the equivalent to eating a human, I just never ever want to do it and felt so gross knowing I had consumed a carcass. After this I didn't eat out for months. I will never be returning and I hope they take stuff like this more seriously. Herbivores please beware!!!!

Let's start with the positives... the staff was so kind and very attentive and we were seated immediately. There was water on the table - basically serve ourselves - no ice and it was room temp and we weren't offered any ice. I had no idea that we had arrived an hour before the restaurant was going to close earlier for a special event. Unfortunately because of this, it left us completely underwhelmed. Ordered the tomato soup... it was lukewarm. The meatballs were lukewarm. I was super excited about the beef tips and rice - it came on a hot, iron skillet - a tasty dish. Food was tasty, but it was served lukewarm and I even felt a bit queasy after the meal. The food just did not sit well with my husband and had ended up feeling very queasy after our meal. I had high hopes for this place especially because the reviews were so great. There are a lot of eats in the area and it's not often we dine out, so we will most likely not be coming back. Even though this place wasn't for us, I am not going to say it might not be for others. Sadly, I broke my own rule by going there too late (just before they closed)... that was probably part of the problem.

Pretty good food and lovely service. Seems strange for a place like this to close so early.

The Salmon bowl with roasted veggies was immaculate. Our waitress, Sarah, was also phenomenal.