Reviews & Ratings for Cafe Lago

AVOID AT ALL COST

by lgaskey at Citysearch

All I can say is WOW. I just moved into the area and I love it. I was excited about having a nice place I could walk to for a cappuccino, or breakfast before work. But regardless of location, I will NEVER be back to Cafe Lago. I had heard some stories and thought, well I'm not going to be rude so there is no reason for them to be rude to me. Well, when I ordered something that I could not take two bites of, I didn't ask for my money back, just something to replace it. This is when Satan's daughter (the actual owner) came out on a rampage. No class, no couth, definitely not wanting repeat business. I am baffled how someone can be so rude because I changed my order.... YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

cutest patio in dallas

by dallasfoodie914 at Citysearch

If you want a relaxing lunch, brunch, or dinner this is your joint! I love it! Pretty fountain and they even have an outdoor fireplace for colder evenings!

Their food is great! I love the Lago omelet and the cuban sandwich. Wednesday night is tapa night which is fun to get to try new things, I suggest the eggplant rings or the corn pudding. They also have killer sangria and they are very reasonably priced. They can cater too. Great local treasure.

• Pros: best patio & dog friendly
• Cons: none :)

best soup in town!

by justindodge at Citysearch

OK, so I'm a soup lover and I have yet to find a better homemade soup spot. They change daily and there are 2 or 3 to choose from. I particularly like the gazpacho and the spinach soup. They aren't cream based so the are good for the waistline :)

They have a really nice patio and killer sangria. Oh, and they are dog friendly!

• Pros: fresh food, not a chain, healthy
• Cons: no liquor

Great Food, Great Service, Engaging

by Carolyn J at Citysearch

I go to Cafe Lago usually weekly and at least several times per month. Several of the staff members and Gaby, the owner know me by name. Having this personal type of service is important to me.

The food is outstanding. I have never had a bad dish. My favorites are the Lago Omelet, the Cuban Sandwich, the Chilaqules and the Yogurt Muesli. The sangria is to die for....best in the city. The patio is so relaxing. I can sit out there for hours. In short Cafe Lago is more than just a place to get a meal, it is an absolutely engaging experience.

Others have mentioned slow service and the rudeness of the owner. The service can be slow if super busy but the staff will always acknowledge you and work hard to assist as soon as possible. And yes, when I first started going to Cafe Lago I thought that Gaby was a little hard on the employees and maybe slightly rude. However, she hires young people and what I came to realize is that she is trying to teach them skills that will take them beyond Cafe Lago. She has a high standard and sometines young people just don't understand how to fulfill the expectations without specific coaching/teaching. I think she does an outstanding job.

I am also impressed that Gaby strives to be a good community citizen and uses the restaurant in that regard. She serves on the board of an organization in Dallas that helps abused women and their children.

I love Cafe Lago and I think you will too. In fact, I have to get off now because Sunday brunch is calling me!

• Pros: Excellent sangria, healthy dishes, serene patio
• Cons: Service can be slow if busy

Great food, fine service

by ralphyboy1974 at Citysearch

I find myself at Cafe Lago about once or twice a month for brunch on Sunday. The smoked salmon omelette is always great - probably my favorite - but everything I've had there has been great. I've never had anything but good service here - and the owner is always pleasant and helpful. I recommend this place if you're looking for a great Sunday brunch - with the added bonus that it's almost never packed.

Rude Staff, Fraudulent Credit Card Charges

by deejaye1775 at Citysearch

The service was inattentive and the waitress was VERY RUDE. My 2 friends and I split the check evenly and the waitress charged us each $.50 over what we should have paid. But we were so uncomfortable there we didn't complain about that, or the fact the woman didn't give us copies of our receipts. I marked through the tip area and wrote the total without any tip as her "service" did not deserve it. (I found out later, my friends did the same.) Our credit card statements all came up 20% more than what we'd signed!

I called the restaurant twice (as they never called me back) and was informed by another rude woman that they added on their own tip and 20% was standard. She also told me the $.50 split charge was listed on their menu (it's not, I didn't see it in person and it's not on their online lunch menu). I told her the service was terrible and the waitress was horribly rude, and I intentionally did not tip. She told me I should've complained while I was there, and she refused to refund the 20% to my credit card. I've had to file a dispute with my credit card company.

Avoid this place like the plague. The food was mediocre, the attitude was unprofessional, and the aggravation afterward is inexcusable.

• Pros: none
• Cons: Rude wait staff, fraudulent charges

Cafe Lago = Illegal charges on credit cards and rude service

by mindypaine at Citysearch

I'm easy going, but when someone overcharges my credit card with a 22% tip and then expects me not to notice, I get a little upset. Is this part of the new Obama plan to take money from people unneccesarily because they think they've EARNED it?!! The service was beyond horrible.....not just NOT checking in on you, but insulting me for my choice of food and acting put out when I asked for an explanation of the food. I was there with guests and was very embarrased.

Watch your back if you eat at this place. And watch out if they don't give you a receipt, because I was sick of her attitude and didn't want to ask for it (I used my credit card), but now I know why she didn't give me one. ...because she was going to overcharge me and she knew it and now I have no way of proving it unless I call up the IRS and get them to investigate, which I have better things to do...but I do have time to write a review on her to protect everyone else. And I know it wasn't a mistake because the same thing was done to the other people at my table who also used credit cards. Someone smart enough to be a smart a_ _ is also smart enough to know that they are overcharging 3 people. One person at our table also called the restaurant to inquire and was given lame excuses and not called back (as of yet), which raises further doubt.

• Pros: Good food
• Cons: unethical service and rude management

Owner is the rudest person I've ever met

by erneew at Citysearch

I will NEVER dine here. I've never seen an owner be such a B! I didn't even have the chance to dine. After talking to the owner and seeing her attitude I chose to not support her restaurant and left. I don't believe in belittling people. The negative energy is so thick there, I'm really sad for them.

Good concept/Failed delivery

by preraph at Citysearch

I like Cafe Lago's menu and was delighted when I walked in and found a delectable selections of desserts just inside the door in a glass case. My first meal was an acceptable but not outstanding sandwich, chips and dessert, but somehow the bill totalled well over $20.

I returned to carry home dessert, Boston Creme Pie, but when I got it home I discovered that it was so old that the cake was dry and, worse, the chocolate ganache was as hard as peanut brittle and inedible entirely.

I then went for breakfast, finding their breakfast menu intriguing. I had just ordered and received my drink and was trying to concentrate on the menu when a party came in with a young infant. The mother immediately trying to get everyone's attention on her and her baby by crackling a "crackly toy" at the baby, trying to incite him to riot. When this failed, she whipped out a squeaky toy -- yes, you heard me right - a squeaky toy at what professes to be a nice upscale cafe - and finally managed to get the child screaming so that all heads turned her way. As soon as the squeaky toy came out, I got up and moved to the other side of the counter and asked the waitress to move my drink, etc., telling her why I was moving (it should have been obvious! And it isn't ME who should have had to move!) No apologies from management or discount on my bill. I noticed the cafe seemed to clear out soon after I moved, though new people came in behind them. You know "manage" is a verb. If you manage a restaurant, that doesn't mean ignore obvious rudeness. It means cater to your more considerate clientele.

Besides this debacle, I had to finally observe this last trip that their service is slow and you're always having to flag someone down for something. It looks so good on paper and is close to my home, but I'm afraid I'm taking my business elsewhere.

• Pros: Location
• Cons: Service, old desserts, lack of management

Cafe Lago

by shirleychambliss at Citysearch

Lovely setting, incredibly stilted to the point of rude service. Servers won't leave any cream for coffee, they pour it themselves. Requests for anything (brown sugar, more coffee, whatever) are met with cold stares and the owner has no concept of courtesy. The breakfast prices are midrange to high, particularly since you get what she wants to give you, versus what you believe you're ordering!

Stingy with extras, waitstaff that is terrified of their boss, it's a lovely place with too many rules to go for ease and comfort. Really sad. I will not be going there again.

• Pros: Lovely setting
• Cons: Rude owner, timid and nervous waitstaff