The Old House Cafe

I have never had such a disastrous meal in my life. Valentines day 2012. New owners and first big event. Worst event and poorly organized. Ordered a steak medium and came to me raw. Purely raw. Veges were poorly made. It took server 26 minutes take order and just all around the worst time ever. Would not ever return here. New owners need to get a clue.

Please don’t eat here unless you like to pay a considerable amount for mediocre to poor food quality and unprofessional service. Not a single member of our party was satisfied with our chosen entrée. The steak was undercooked and mainly gristle, the Chicken Alexander dry enough to choke on, the scallops «old» tasting, and the garlic prawns swimming in straight-​from-​the-​jar minced garlic. Our server was brusque and inappropriate. We ordered a bottle of red and when one from our party asked if there were red wine glasses, the server said they were all being used by other patrons and that «they aren’t one of those snobby places» that thinks wine-​specific glasses make a difference, taste-​wise. Odd considering they did have some red glasses, just not enough. Later during our meal, she told us she was going to bring us something «after [she] picked up some dirty plates.» Thanks for oversharing. I was just glad she didn’t say she had to go to the bathroom first, too.
Seriously. This place is amateur hour and it’s a rip off. A couple in our party selected it because it looks cute outside and they thought it would be affordable. It is not a good value. I wish we’d spent out money elsewhere.

The Chicken Alexander is AMAZING. The portions are a little on the small side, but everything was delicious. The dessert is also fantastic. I got the Dolce De Leche Cake… oh my gosh. Divine!

I loved the Old House! The boyfriend and I visited «The House» after a Sounders game on a Saturday a couple weeks back for an early dinner. There did not appear to be any parking lot, however there were a number of spots on the street in front of the restaurant (all but one were full when we arrived). The Old House is exactly what the name implies– an old house turned into a restaurant. The overall effect is really neat, with a greeting area downstairs and a dining area upstairs that includes a fireplace. Dining area is all tables, as you would expect. This is the kind of nice restaurant where you don’t have to dress up, so some of the folks you see are in formal wear, while others are in shorts.
The restaurant was almost empty when we arrived, but by 6 when we left about half the tables were full. Our server was the only one on staff for the night and a part time employee, but she was more than courteous and was very knowledgeable about the food and the restaurant’s chef. Our order included caesared prawns as an appetizer (wanted to try the bacon wrapped scallops but they were out), the sauteed seafood salad for the boyfriend and the pecan encrusted salmon for myself (suggestion from the server).
Our server brought us out a sample of the cheeseburger soup while we waited for our appetizer, which was great. The boyfriend wanted to get some to take home. The food was really good, and the service was prompt and attentive (the server frequently checked in, chatted, etc.). This restaurant is definitely one of those special occasion restaurants (pricey), but it makes it worth finding more things to celebrate. Also, they gave us a 15% off coupon for another dinner this month, which is even more motivation. I will definitely visit again.

Quickly: Service was slow at best, the food was all over seasoned, but the soup was fantastic!
I took my bride here, thinking it would be a very nice change of pace for the two of us. Change of pace (slow service) part was there, but very nice part wasn’t. Walking into the place we both thought how nice it looked, and really wanted to enjoy it. However, no go.
It seems they have one chef and one server. Both terribly over worked, and in over their heads.
Then, to add to the fun, the chef came out as we were preparing to leave and started talking loudly to one of the customers. It seems that a previous customer didn’t much care for their experience either and chose to let him know about via email. The chef didn’t care much for this method and proceeded to expound on this. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL!

Here is the reason I gave this restaurant 2 stars: their service was great, kudos to the staff, and the place was comfortable, nice décor.
The food, however, was not so great. I had the duck a la orange and it was dry as all get out. The sauce was nice though. But this was not a plate of $ 30.00 duck. My husband had the new york steak with balsamic, bacon, butter. It was cooked to order but the meat was not high quality, it was chewy and had a lot of gristle in it. It, also, was not a $ 30.00 steak. The only redeeming thing on our plates were the potatoes.

Great Sunday brunch spot to bring your mother or other female family/​friend for an excellent meal! I’m into the décor and the old feel — like the fiesta dishes (LOVE these!!). Have been here twice and have come away totally satisfied. The bread and muffins… to die for… they are! You won’t be dissapointed with your meal — I guarantee it!

this is one of my favorite restaurants. i went to college in tacoma and every time my parents came up i had them take me here.
the parmesan bruschetta with marinara is to DIE for. i could really go for some right now… and my favorite dish was the chicken marinara pasta.
this isn’t going to be a cheap meal, but the service and food quality are totally worth the price. they also have a mailing list that you can sign up for and you get half off on your birthday (pretty sure that was the deal).
if you are in tacoma and want a cute and delicious place to eat you MUST stop by the old house café.

The estrogen level is off the charts at this place. It’s like my grandma’s dining room exploded in to restaurant form. This is another place that’s totally not what you’d expect given the T-​Town location. Someone took this old farmhouse and renovated it with doilies, floral patters, and a bunch of little old ladies sitting around having tea. Much to my surprise, the food is fantastic. I had a blackened ceasar salad with a outstanding bruscetta and my friend had a yummy chicken thing. They serve Starbuck’s coffee too, which would go great with sumptuous dessert selections.