Review: Lavomatic Cafe

I have heard a lot of mixed reviews about Lavomatic Cafe in the past year or two, so I’ve been anxious to try it myself and form my own opinion. Most of the positive reviews I’ve heard have been about brunch (versus dinner), so Kate and I decided to go there for brunch one Saturday morning.  

The eclectic atmosphere of Lavomatic is cute and inviting. Throughout the restaurant, there is exposed brick, unique, modern chandeliers and bright artwork of Cincinnati landmarks. Unfortunately, the atmosphere was deceiving and the food did not stand up to it.

I ordered The Whistling Dixie, which consists of two biscuits topped with poached eggs (not cooked properly), chorizo goetta, hollandaise sauce, asparagus and tomatoes. I was really disappointed that the food came out cold. It really ruined the whole meal for me. The chorizo goetta was without a doubt the best thing on the plate. It was very crispy, which is the only way to eat goetta in my opinion. The asparagus and goetta gave the dish a nice crunch, but overall I was not impressed. It may have been better if it was served hot.

Kate ordered the Eggs Lavo – poached eggs and bacon served over toast with hollandaise sauce. Unfortunately, Kate was even more disappointed by her meal than I was by mine. Her dish was served cold as well. On top of that, the toast was burnt, there was little to no hollandaise sauce on the plate, and there were two different types of eggs. One was a poached egg (which was what it was supposed to come with) and the other one, well we aren't even sure exactly, it was like a hard-boiled egg.  We were both very confused by this. Kate ordered a side of hollandaise sauce after tasting how dry it was, and that helped it a little but didn’t make up for all the other things that were wrong with it.

Kate and I also split a side of potatoes. These were a letdown as well. They were undercooked and hard. I think they may have tasted okay if they were cooked properly, but it was hard to tell.

I rarely treat myself to brunch, so this was a major letdown and turned out not to be a treat at all. At least I was with good company! That was the only saving grace for this meal.

~Kris