Teresa Caffe

It was a third year that we celebrated Mother’s Day having brunch at Teresa’s. So much has changed, unfortunately. It was 9:30am and not very crowded yet. But after being seated, we had to wait good ten minutes for the waiter to appear. Service was mediocre but then I noticed my daughter finding a hair in her dish. We did not have to wait a long time until she found a second one. At this point we decided to request a manager. It actually took two requests for him to eventually appear. Unfortunately he seemed to have “an attitude”. In general - most of the “old” waiters were nowhere to be seen. The new hires seemed to be uninterested in their jobs. Our resolution for the next year is to change the venue.

Usually can expect a good meal and decent service as long as they aren't packed and hurrying you along so they can flip tables faster. Our waiter ruined dinner by deciding to skip the appetizers we ordered and just slammed down two entrees five minutes after they were ordered. When we asked for something else instead, he forgot that too. May be a long time before we visit here again...

Nothing keeping this place from getting a 5 star rating EXCEPT the wait, and crowded dining area. They could go strictly by reservations and still make the same $$$, maybe even more since people could eat without someone else's butt in their faces. I know reservations for a diner such as this seems absurd, until you've been there ...

If this place wouldn't be plagued with sloppy/careless/just-after-your-money staff (though I can't say that about everyone) it would be a wonderful place. The food is always great! I can't complain about that. Although, the soup portions are fairly small for the price they ask. As a vegan, I always have to ask for a custom pizza (so I can have something to eat as well), and at least 5-6 times now I have encountered a few waiters (mostly men) who overcharged me. Overpricing something that shouldn't have been overpriced, or even charged extra for things that shouldn't have been charged extra. I REALLY DON'T APPRECIATE THAT!!!! My latest experience was tonight. And had the misfortune to experience (once again) this. For quite a while I actually avoided this place entirely, because of the above explained reasons. Tonight I hoped to have a different experience. It disappointed me once more...

I used to like this place. My daughter and I just took my wife there for Mother's Day...it was quite a disappointment. We had reservations for Mother's Day brunch - no acknowledgement for my wife when we arrived, even though the place was suspiciously half empty when we got there (almost noon) and they could have taken a moment to acknowledge her - they used to be super busy on Mother's Day. This should have been a sign for us. While the hostess was pleasant, the wait staff were suspiciously, in manner and dress, similar to the guys who mow lawns in the area: no discussion of specials, no "happy mother's day". Leaning on the back of another chair while talking to us - I'm generally not snooty, but this was not at all what I'd expect in Princeton, and at these prices. My daughter ordered a latte, and was told, "no soy or any other milk except 2%", and "no caramel!". For perspective, remember that this is only 2 blocks from both Starbucks and Small World Coffee (one of THE best coffee shops and roasters). She opted out. My wife and I chanced it, and the lattes that arrived were pretty bad: my wife was able to drink hers with sugar added - I couldn't drink mine. The food was just OK. The French toast was good. The egg with quinoa was bland - and there was no salt or pepper anywhere in sight, on our table or any other that we could see, and our waiter was nowhere to be found. The frittata was fair - somewhat bland, and too watery / runny. After serving us, our waiter never returned to ask if we liked our meal or if we needed anything. No further contact until it was time to pay. Even then, no curiosity about whether we enjoyed our meal - just, "can I get you anything else?". On our way out, the hostess, seemingly the only one there motivated to even pretend to care, wished my wife a happy Mother's Day. Truly a lackluster experience that cost us over $50, plus parking. Too many other good options available to go here again. Disappointed to see Teresa's having fallen so far from their former excellence. But I don't plan to return.