Fraîche Brunch Bar is a newish brunch concept in South Euclid. I imagined it to be an airy cafe. It's not a cafe but rather a loud R&B brunch bar. I wanted to visit for a while, but the location was always closed despite stating it's open. Finally I visited for weekday brunch.
AMBIANCE: The bar is very small and space is maximized. During my visit the bar was packed. There is a long faux marble bar on your left. Booths lining the wall on the other side. One lounge area for a group with a neon sign "It's brunch time". This is the only place where you can fit a group. The layout is very uncomfortable because all guests going in and out walk by you, it's just high traffic. But you'll find this layout at a lot of bars. There are nods to various music artists on faux brick wall. The decor is very minimal.
If you consider that the restaurant is brand new, it's pretty dirty. Bar faux marble is bubbling and the counters are not the cleanest. The kitchen visible from the bar has very old and burned pans, burned kitchen walls. I've been to a lot of restaurant kitchens during my hospitality days and have not seen such burned pans before. There seems to be just lack of care. With that being said, one of the guests during my visit remarked that the previous bar in this space, Bill's, was in much worse condition, and this is an upgrade.
If you want to vibe in a bar atmosphere, listen to loud music, watch nostalgic TV shows, and socialize, this is your place. Many people celebrated their birthdays here (11 birthdays!), and the staff was screaming out birthdays every few minutes. It was very loud. I can especially see going out for breakfast with a hangover on a weekend. It's very lively.
FOOD: The menu is brunch-centered. You can get sweet and savory options. Some fun options include potato bowls, grit bowls, pancakes, waffles, and omelettes.
I ordered Lamb Chop Brunch ($24.99) that was served with 2 eggs (scrambled with cheese), potatoes, and toast. My order was missing toast. The size of it was not worth the price. I had a view of the kitchen and was very surprised that the lamb shrunk so much during cooking. The lamb meat was very good though (but too salty), the best out of the other choices on the plate. The entire meal was seasoned with Cajun spices that they dispensed generously on everything. It really overpowered taste of each item. The dish was unavailable at first but then the meat was delivered. They apparently don't stock enough meat. Eating lamb with plastic utensils was a strange adventure. Would I order this again? I'd order the meat again, not the whole thing. The over-spicing ruined this dish.
I also ordered Biscoff Cookie Crumble Waffle ($13.99). This waffle is served with meat that doesn't make any sense in my mind. Good thing because I never received any meat. The waffle was alright. Waffle was big but seemed not fully done. It was very doughy. Caramel atop was good. Usually waffles dissatisfy me with their sweetness. This one was well balanced. It's a maybe in terms of repeated ordering.
I also ordered some drinks - coffee and fresher. Coffee was very bitter, probably something like Folgers. I couldn't drink more than a few sips. Fresher ($4.99) is a mix of lemonade and flavoring with rotating flavors. The ratio of lemonade and flavoring was uneven, lemonade was overpowering.
It was challenging to enjoy food. The plates slide on the faux marble bar. Same plastic utensils are provided for both dishes. It just wasn't an enjoyable setup.
UBEREATS ORDER: I observed Uber Eats driver pick up the food during my visit. I give him props for patience. The wait was long, the order was short of items, and he had to verify fresher flavors with the customer. It was a very lengthy pickup.
SERVICE: The service was painfully slow. The initial greeting and menu delivery, food preparation, the checkout, and the in between. The servers were friendly but a bit disorganized. I didn't plan to stay at this cafe long, but it was at least an hour experience.
BATHROOM: The ceiling in the bathroom was partially missing. It wasn't updated or clean.
PARKING: Parking lot is available in the back, some street parking in the front. Getting in and out of the parking lot to the main street is not the easiest.
While an interest concept - R&B brunch bar, this place is not my vibe. It is too divey, loud, and subpar. The food is just alright, not worth the price. The disorganization and lack of efficiency is what won't keep me coming back. Cleanliness was also a huge miss for me. read more