Loved Pat's Café for Years -- It's Not the Same Under New Owners…read more
Pat's Café was one of my absolute go-to spots for years -- I've been going since around 2005-2006. My mom, grandmother, and I all had our favorites there, especially the stir-fry beef dish and the classic corned beef hash the original owners served straight from the can (cooked just right). It felt like a reliable neighborhood restaurant with solid, consistent American-style dishes.
Since the new owners took over, the consistency and quality have slipped badly. Dishes now come out differently almost every time. The Pad Thai toppings are sometimes mixed on top, sometimes served on the side like an afterthought, and extras appear or disappear randomly. It was noticeable but not a deal-breaker on its own.
On one visit I ordered the country fried steak. There was a fairly large, hard piece of plastic in the meat. I bit down on it hard enough that it could have easily cut my gums or mouth if I hadn't noticed. I showed it to the server, and the only response I got was that they buy the country fried steaks from a vendor, so it wasn't something they made in-house. No apology, no offer to remake the dish, no discount -- nothing. I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and returned for another meal.
That next visit (or the one shortly after) became the final straw. I ordered the green curry. Eggplant is a major ingredient that adds essential flavor and texture to every bite -- right alongside your choice of protein (chicken, beef, etc.). I ate several bites before realizing there was none in the entire dish. When I mentioned it, the waitress simply said they had run out. They never disclosed the missing ingredient when I ordered or before serving the dish, and they didn't offer any adjustment, remake, discount, or comp. They just served an incomplete meal and charged full price.
The lack of basic customer service on both visits was shocking and felt disrespectful. Finding a foreign object in your food should at minimum get a sincere apology and an offer to make it right. When a key ingredient is missing, the restaurant should let you know upfront so you can decide whether to order something else.
On top of that, beloved items have disappeared or changed for the worse. The stir-fry beef my family loved is gone from the menu. The original corned beef hash was replaced with an in-house shredded version that just isn't as good. The place even seems to be going by a second name now (Phuket Thai) alongside Pat's Café, which adds to the confusion.
I'm really sad about this because I genuinely loved the old Pat's. The new version just doesn't feel like the same welcoming neighborhood spot anymore. If you never knew the original, you might still find some decent meals, but for longtime fans, the changes -- and especially how both of these situations were handled -- make it hard to recommend.
I've stopped going and am now looking for a new regular place. Hope the owners read this and consider bringing back more consistency, better food safety practices, and better communication when ingredients run out.
