It's embarrassing for me to have to leave such a negative review for this place, but I honestly feel obligated to - The food, the service, and the prices are just that horrendous. I wanted to enjoy my experience here, but that was made utterly impossible by the staff's and owner's seemingly active efforts to consistently insult and disappoint me.
The Food
My girlfriend and I went here on Tuesday, May 8, 2018. I ordered a basic hamburger, with nothing but a slice of cheddar cheese and added bacon. The burger was a little over half the size you'd get at your typical diner (and almost twice as expensive.) I was charged $1.50 to add a slice of cheddar cheese, and another $2.00 to add bacon (which ended up being half a slice of 90% fat bacon cut in half, that I just ended up taking off the burger). The 8-12 fries that came with my entree had no salt on them.
For dessert, I ordered one of their mega shakes, which were advertised to be gigantic, and stuffed with fun garnishes. My choice was the red velvet kiss, which is a strawberry shake with red velvet cookies/cake decorating the sides/rim. The foamy shake that I received could not have even been 12 oz, and the only difference between it and one of the regular milkshakes from the menu was the $8.00 price difference - They're the same exact size! So, in essence, I was paying an extra $8.00 for two Entenmann's red velvet cookies and a (TINY, TINY) slice of Entenmann's red velvet cake, which is a joke. The taste of the shake itself was average and acceptable, which I'm completely fine with (average food for an average price makes for a perfectly enjoyable experience,) but the deceitful presentation and insulting price more than offset that.
The Service
My girlfriend wanted a couple sauces along with her entree. The waitress forgot them, which is totally understandable. We reminded her when she checked on us 10 minutes later. She said okay. Another 10 minutes later we have to flag her down again, and remind her again. She said sorry, okay again. Another 5 minutes go by, we ask her again. She acts surprised that someone else hadn't brought our sauce out. Weren't you our waitress? I'm not entirely sure, since you were having a conversation with a table on the other side of the restaurant for the majority of our stay. Of course I didn't tip; I wasn't served. Socializing on the job and neglecting us several times over does not earn you gratuity, sorry. My girlfriend's food was cold before she could start to eat it.
The Prices
It was $16.45 (before tax) for the micro-burger, and $15.00 (before tax) for the 'mega' shake. After all was said and done, my bill was $34.16, for two substandard, undersized items. That's not even including what my girlfriend ordered. Where is my money going? Certainly not toward higher quality food or harder working staff. For the same two items, I'd have paid less than $20.00 at any diner, and I'd have had a fuller plate, tastier food, nicer waitstaff, and an overall much more enjoyable experience without any regret.
The Verdict
I'm not one to feel entitled to an excellent, royal experience everywhere I go. I'm an understanding person. This place, however, clearly thinks it's earned a 5-star restaurant reputation simply by moving into a building on the corner of Main Street and Deer Park Ave. The owner seems very, very eager to overcharge, and very, very quick to justify the prices with the location, rather than earn them through excellent food and service. You are NOT paying for quality, you are paying for location. I felt unsatisfied, ripped off, and preyed upon. Having your business situated on the corner of two main streets does not justify the ridiculous gouging that takes place here. The 3 star average rating tells me others feel similarly; I'm more than happy to go to Atlantis down the road until this place goes under, and something better hopefully replaces it. Avoid Babylon Burger Bar like the plague. read more