I came to Federal because a friend recommended the cafe to me as a study spot with good food. The place is nicely decorated, and was very crowded when I walked in with a friend. There were two people in front of us in line who tried to seat themselves, but then were told in not the nicest way to wait until someone came and helped them, and so they left. I then was unsure about how my experience would be. A waitress walked up to us and said there were no seats in the working area open, but we could eat first, and then move tables. She made it very clear we could not take out our laptops, which I found to be kind of annoying. We were seated and got our menus, which has has an extensive range of brunch items, hamburgers, salads, sandwiches, and drinks. I settled on the free-range grilled chicken sandwich and a mocha. My friend ordered the pancakes and a cafe con leche.
The drink came our first, and were a bit smaller than expected. I took one sip of my mocha, and did not like it at all. It was so bitter, it did not even taste like coffee. The chocolate was too powdery, so it made the drink taste grainy and I was disappointed. I think my friend liked her coffee, as she had no complaints about it.
Our food came out in a timely matter, which was nice. The sandwich was huge, which I did not expect. At first glance the bread slices and chicken pieces look small, but when put together, amount to a large sandwich. They also were very generous with the avocado, which was also much appreciated. I could not eat it in sandwich form because it was so big, so I use a fork and knife instead. The chicken was seasoned well, tasted fresh, and I really like the mustard-mayo type sauce that accompanied it. It matched well with the lettuce and lettuce, and the toasted bread that also tasted fresh and not dried out. The sliced almonds on the side were also a nice crunch that i personally ate separately. I surprisingly finished the whole sandwich, and was satisfied after. It was delicious and healthy. As for the pancakes, they were also a large portion size, and my friend really liked them. The only comment she had was that they were really sweet for her.
My friend and I then moved to the working area, and logged on to the wifi, which was only free for one hour. As much as I loved the sandwich and would want to try the other food items on the menu, I am not I would return to Federal cafe, primarily because the customer service is lacking and not attentive. It is not worth it in my opinion to come to a place for good food, but not be able to stay and work for as long as I want or be treated nicely. read more