I’m giving this place two stars only because the food was fairly decent. Keep your expectations low, Backstage Café definitely doesn’t deserve the 4.5 star average. Eating here is a 2.5 hour commitment at a bare minimum. The server was fine, albeit a little awkward. The cooks were the slowest I’ve ever encountered in food service — it took an hour for the salads to come out, and I could’ve produced a restaurant quality salad at my house in 10 minutes. It is now 8pm as we leave and we arrived there at 5:30. Do with that what you will. The owner came and said hi, and didn’t seem concerned that we were clearly displeased. My cousin ordered the Italian sausage sandwich and the server ordered the Italian club for some reason. He didn’t offer to comp the sandwich, he only brought a cannoli as a consolation. Just an underwhelming restaurant all around, I don’t think they’ll be in business much longer.
Rebecca F.
Classificação do local: 5 VANCOUVER, OR
WOW! What a surprise! The food was fantastic and reasonable. The stuffed mushrooms were so good, I didn’t want to share. The French onion soup was delicious and the Chicken Marsala was so yummy! Don’t miss this hidden gem! The wait staff was very friendly and attentive without being pushy. Great beer and wine choices as well as cider. Our group of 4 was very impressed and we will definately be back!
Rebecca M.
Classificação do local: 5 Tiller, OR
What a charming little find. Best burger I’ve had in years. Bring your logger-size appetite. Care is taken on every order. And Cassy was a hoot.
Sara R.
Classificação do local: 5 Vader, WA
Cant say enough good things about how awesome the food is. We recently moved here from NYC and was missing some good Italian food. We can here and was wowed by food and the chief. The meatball appetizer or the cheese bread with sauce marinara is so flavorful. Love the pesto sauce. What some great Italian food, this is the place to go, so happy we found this
Katherine S.
Classificação do local: 5 Longview, WA
We went here for our Valentines dinner~ absolutely superb! They had wonderful specials. The nice to find the local Roland wine there. We started with a wonderful olive appitzer, I had an excellent bay shrimp stuffed manacatti and my husband loved his prime rib. Loved the atmosphere and the whole staff. Great Valentines and great restaurant!
Steve W.
Classificação do local: 5 Portland, OR
Kelso, Washington, conjures up many images: the Amtrak station… well, OK, mainly the Amtrak station. But add Backstage Café to your list. Backstage turns out to be to be the last thing you’d expect in quiet Kelso: a terrific venue for sophisticated palates. I exited I-5 looking for something a cut above fast food and found the Backstage, connected to a movie theater about two blocks away from the Amtrak station. Instead of an iceberg wedge with French dressing, the Backstage delivered a plate of mixed greens, crumbled blue cheese, fruit and vinaigrette that could have been a meal in itself. Instead of a frozen mystery patty on a generic bun, they presented a handcrafted burger so thick and juicy that I managed to make two meals out of it. They are moving to a more Italian menu, and I certainly hope to check in on their progress whenever my tummy says I should be making a stop between Portland and Seattle.
Heidi V.
Classificação do local: 1 Centralia, WA
Sat for 45 minutes waiting for someone to even acknowledge us and nothing. But two tables that walked in after us got their orders taken. Sad considering we spent almost 200 $ the night before. Horrible service. Horrible attitudes of staff and they were not even busy.
Jay W.
Classificação do local: 4 Vancouver, WA
We stumbled upon this café by accident. Sometimes by stumbling we find the best ones. Such was the case here. I’m actually surprised there aren’t more reviews for this place since its been in business for many years. It’s also attached to a theater where not-so-current movies are shown along with food served from the café. There are two separate services. One is for lunch and finishes by 2:00. The dinner service is entirely different with butcher paper table cloths and a special full dinner menu. Both menus are great with something definitely for everyone. Lunch menu includes sandwiches, salads, soups, hamburgers, pizza and even Italian food. There definitely is something for everyone. The chef to this location is fairly new to this establishment and his food was fantastic. It was obvious you weren’t just in a back street diner. Food was several steps above and you knew there was a good chef in the kitchen and not just a line cook. It was lunch and we just ordered the pizza combo special which included an amazing salad, small pizza and iced tea. Food and service was great. I would recommend stopping here. It’s not the normal diner. The debate was whether this should be a 4* or a 5*. It really should be a 4 ½* but if we try the dinner service, maybe it’ll get an upgrade.
Keath H.
Classificação do local: 5 Longview, WA
Luch is always great and the staff is courteous and attentive. The combination of the café and theater is great and the owners are dedicated to the community.
