Nostalgia Cafe

Tried this place last year for breakfast and it was tasty. Went back and it wasn’t as great.

Hmm. Ok, where to start.
Ok, my sister had come from out of town and she was leaving, so I wanted to treat her to breakfast before she hit the road. I was going to go to Sabrina’s, but then I decided that it would be nice to try something out in the neighborhood. The reviews seemed good enough so why not?
First impression– It didn’t look like a restaurant when I walked in. It didn’t even really look like a carryout except for the fact that there were a couple of chairs and tables and a blackboard with specials written partially illegibly on it. It kind of just looked like someone’s messy home. The cook came from the back and gave us two menus and we decided to look it over. The problem that other people mentioned about pricing was still there. The french toast was 8 bucks with no sides and it was an extra 3 bucks for sausage. The server came in and sat us upstairs in the dining room. The dining room was pretty much shabby chic without the chic. I see where they were going with the antiques, old photos and such, but it wasn’t working because the overall look was grimy and cluttered. Really, the place needs to be shut down, CLEANED and redecorated. Also, it was FREEZING in there! No heat.
The server though, was a shot of sunshine. You could tell that he was happy to have customers and he probably really cares about the place. He really was quite sweet.
Anyway, we ordered– french toast and eggs with sausage and grits.
The food was not great. I’m sorry. The grits were hard and salty, the french toast was VERY cold (and it looked like they made it with Sunbeam sandwich bread). The eggs were good, but I found a hair in it (that for me is not a dealbreaker because, hey, hair sheds. But the cook really ought to wear a hair net or something). The sausage tasted like a hamburger. I just found everything to be over-​seasoned and under-​whelming. A few sprinkles of parsely can’t makeup for an over-​indulgence in Lawry’s seasoned salt.
I want to support small local businesses and I’m especially drawn to this place because I like what the owner wrote in the last post. This neighborhood is a mix of working class families, working professionals, medical, graduate and undergraduate students and this place could really benefit from that sort of clientele. But being a person who knows her way around a stove, I do not feel inclined to spend my money to sit in a place that is colder and dirtier than my home to eat food that I could have prepared– better.
They need to totally revamp this spot from top to bottom. If they do, I’d be more than happy to give it another go.
ps– One good thing is that they do take credit cards. That was a bonus.

The food is a «plus up» for the neighborhood; much better than the fast-​food & Chinese food in the area.
The owner uses quality ingredients that give the customer great food.
I attended a reunion with a fixed menu. All of us enjoyed everything presented – from appetizer to dessert.
I see this as a stepping stone for the owner to move on to bigger & better things.
It’s important to support small businesses in our neighborhood!

Nostalgia Café is in the location of the old Urban Café, which moved somewhere in Roxborough. The space is largely unchanged aside from a very bright pink repainting and some tattered photos on the walls. The upstairs dining room is still a bit shabby, which could have charm, but comes off a bit dingy and dusty as it currently sits.
Upon seeing the menu I judged that the new owners seem to be suffering the same delusion as those of Urban Café… namely, they’re charging $ 8 and up for breakfast and about $ 15 and up for dinner in a location that just doesn’t support that. I mean, they’re wedged between a Chinese takeout, a carwash, and a Burger King, this isn’t exactly a restaurant row somewhere. Germantown is a lower/​middle-​class neighborhood, and those prices just don’t seem destined to catch on. For reference, an «eggs and two sides» breakfast was going for $ 8.
All of that said, our food was pretty good. They didn’t have the ingredients for the chef’s «special» stuffed french toast, so I paid 8 bucks for regular french toast with no sides. It was decent enough french toast. My wife got a breakfast sandwich with eggs, cheese, and bacon on a very good roll for about the same price. Hers came with a side of potatoes which were seasoned and crispy to perfection. My coffee was good, and the service was quick and cheerful (we were also the only people in the place).
The décor is a bit rough on the eyes (but color is obviously a personal taste that others won’t share). The walls are now a light pink with the door and window frames painted a rather bright pink. There are old photos pinned to the walls, and some in frames. Once again, that could be pulled off with charm, but the place generally looked like it needed a solid dusting and scrubbing.
I’m happy the owners are giving it a shot because Germantown needs all the good restaurants/​cafes it can get, but I can’t really say I’m planning on going back. It’s just too expensive and doesn’t offer much in the way of ambiance or any other intangibles. Maybe a serious reworking of the interior and some affordable specials would make it worth a return visit.