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4th of May Cafe & Deli Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Breakfast & Brunch Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
444 Ocean BlvdSaint Simons Island, GA 31522
(912) 638-5444
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 7 am - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
22 reviews for 4th of May Cafe & Deli Restaurant
Review Highlights
-
"A peanut butter and baked apple french toast sandwich." In 2 reviews -
"I had a seafood omelet and my boyfriend had the "Best..." In 1 review -
"...ever tasted before - perfectly cooked, fresh crab meat, etc." In 4 reviews
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22 reviews in English
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Review from Patrick H.
Atlanta, GA
4/21/2012
Two experiences that K and I had at 4th of May Cafe:
On Friday evening we had dinner, choosing to eat at one of the four tables outside. It was a soft evening, so al fresco dining was great. It also is a great location for people-watching if that is your thing. Pedestrian and traffic noise was minimal, so no worries about your dining experience being interrupted.
Karen ordered the crab cake (locally sourced) and I had the jambalaya. The crab cake was wider and thinner than the traditional Baltimore crab cake, but the flavor was good and the crispiness of the exterior was a nice treat. Not to oversell it, but the cup of jambalaya I had was very good, probably the best jambalaya I have had outside New Orleans.
The sweet potato fries were slap-yo-mama good. They are fresh cut and individually cooked per order, piping hot and so tasty. K highly recommended the pumpkin muffins that accompanied the meal.
Our server was wonderful; she was timely, personable without inserting herself too far into our experience, and knowledgeable of the menu.
Great experience.
On Saturday morning we returned for brunch (breakfast is served from 8AM-1PM, perfect for a late-rising tourist clientele). We were seated inside, but it was unpleasantly stuffy and warm inside, so we grabbed an outside table as soon as one was available. The interior decor is nothing special at all, so you will miss nothing if you sit outside. However, 4th of May is about the food, not the decor.
I custom-ordered a breakfast burrito, as did K. Having lived in Austin, I have fairly lofty expectations for a breakfast burrito, and 4th of May came as close as anyone ever has to meeting it.
My burrito was chorizo, scrambled eggs, peppers, and bacon. Though the server warned us that the kitchen was in the weeds with two new cooks (the table next to us had their omelets made three times and were comped for the hoo-ha), they executed nicely. My burrito was 'yuge', so I attacked the interior more than the shell. They included American cheese (my bad for not saying 'no cheese'), but other than that it was well-made. They also (to my surprise) poured salsa verde atop it.
That was fine for me, but they did it to K's as well much to her dismay. A few swipes of her fork removed most of it, but lesson learned for tomorrow morning. K had ordered eggs, chorizo, and spinach. She enjoyed it, but regretted not including bacon. The chorizo in both had a mild zing, but it certainly was not a central-Texas grade of chorizo. No crime that, but something to factor in when ordering.
Our server at brunch was clearly thrown by the kitchen fiasco and was distracted and short with us, though not rude. In addition, she took her time with two locals seated next to us with whom she held extended conversations that were social and not related to her task at hand.
Summary:
*Nice atmosphere if you can be seated outside; if you don't care about ambiance, you can take a table inside.
*Service staff is uneven; some attentive and professional, others concerned with personal connections over that of less-regular customers.
*The food was consistently good at two different meal services.
K and I will have most of our meals here while on St. Simons Island. You should consider that too if you are based near Neptune Park. -
Review from Andy M.
Brunswick, GA
3/27/2012
The 4th of May offers a generally good experience with generally good food. Not outstanding most of the time, but good.
The staff is attentive and friendly. Prices are reasonable(ish). It's southern food done right, though it has moments of blandness. -
Review from Danielle P.
Atlanta, GA
3/18/2012 1 Check-in Here
First impression: A cute mama & pops brunch spot!! I loved it!!
For brunch I ordered the bruschetta omelet & my significant other ordered the San Juan breakfast burrito. Both were delicious.
Staff was very attentive, customer service was awesome. As we were adding cream to our coffee (we hadn't even taken our first sip yet) the owner (who reminds me of Paula Deen in a good way) came over to our table, asked us how we were doing & said, "I am glad you are here today." She was not cheesy. She was truly genuine.
I also got a "chocolate gooey bar" to go. It was chunks of chocolate & yellow cake topped with coconut, chocolate chips & other yummy sweet ingredients!! It was delicious. The owner described her lovely desserts to me & told me they were homemade.
I look forward to visiting again when I venture out to St Simons Island again. -
Review from Justin C.
Darien, GA
3/15/2012
Major management problem. If the waiter cant get a simple special order right, twice, then why wouldnt the manager come over!? As we are leaving did the manager ask how the meal was? Nope. I ordered the baked chicken plate and got a tiny thigh and wing after the waiter asked if I wanted white meat. I felt ripped off by the tiny portion for the inflated price! The restaurant was empty! Now I know why.
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Review from Michael B.
Atlanta, GA
7/25/2011
I really hate not giving the 4th of May a great review. While it is a very cute little cafe on the corner in the village and the staff is so friendly, it is just that the food really leaves a lot to be desired.
I went in for breakfast one morning wanting a good home-style southern breakfast. What I got was an overly dry (heat lamp) sausage patty, instant grits, a (frozen) biscuit and ok eggs.
The service here was great, they were very attentive. The food really let me down that morning, and one of the servers accidentally bumped our table and my coffee spilled into my eggs. I was surprised they didn't offer to take back the eggs and get me a new order after that. -
Review from Greg G.
5/16/2011
Average little greasy-spoon type diner. Food and value were OK, nothing to write home about. Anytime I'm at the beach, I always get she-crab soup, crab stew, or oyster stew anytime a place serves it...I will get all three if they are on the menu...I pretty much judge a restaurant this close to the beach by the quality of their seafood concoctions that can be served in bowls. It lets me know if I should even worry about a main course. Again, this she-crab soup was nothing that knocked my socks off....what is it with places that think Crab Base (read: chicken bullion of the sea) is a decent replacement for real CRAB? The "seafood" omelette was pretty tasteless, and lacked a real presence it's namesake ingredient.... seafood.
Service by the waitress was quick and attentive, she was new, and trying very hard during a busy lunch crunch...service at the register was met by a less than cordial manager who seemed unconcerned about whether or not we had a good experience at his establishment. Just gimme your money and get the **** out!
All in all, a decent enough place for a quick bite, but nothing memorable. -
Review from robin t.
Asheville, NC
6/14/2011
I ordered eggs benedict from this place. This was not a good idea. I expect most so-so restaurants to use a mix for their hollandaise sauce- since the real stuff doesn't keep for very long and is somewhat labor intensive. Whoever was working the prep line this day did not add butter to the mix. For that matter, there was no detectable lemon either.. or any flavor for that matter. It was, essentially, flavorless yellow goo. Water, starch, and yellow coloring- all of which are ingredients that actual hollandaise does not contain. Absolutely disgusting. If I were a more honest person, I would have sent it back. Instead I decided to take my punishment and get out of there as fast as reasonably possible.
Service was another low point. There seemed to be as many waitresses milling about as there were diners, however, none noticed that we were all out of coffee- as several cups were brought to the table half-full (or half-empty, depending on your perspective). Normally I wouldn't make a big deal out of something like this, but... We finished the coffee before the meal arrived, and didn't get served again until we were nearly done.
The horrible part, for my girlfriend and friends who were also my dining partners, is that they really wanted to go to waffle house. Being a food snob, I turned up my nose at the idea, and talked them into going somewhere local. At least then there would be a chance for decent food.. Given the choice again, I'd eat at Waffle House, McDonalds, or from the trash cans behind either of those before I'd go back to 4th of May.
The only good part about the experience was that the 4th of may didn't give me food poisoning or steal my credit card number.. And yes, they do have a very nice location, hopefully a deserving restaurant will fill it one day. -
Review from Tim C.
Alexandria, VA
8/7/2011
Great little diner a block from the pier. We were seated right away and ordered coffee. Two of the biggest coffee mugs I've ever seen showed up, and was very satisfying. My wife had some very moist blueberry pancakes that were filled with blueberries, and I had heard of a dish that isn't on there menu anymore, but I asked and they made it for me. A peanut butter and baked apple french toast sandwich. Ask for it. Be warned, it is obscenely warm inside.
-
Review from Teresa L.
Atlanta, GA
9/4/2011
This place was packed, but we were seated pretty quickly. Service was excellent. Our waitress was great. I had a seafood omelet and my boyfriend had the "Best" omelet. We both really enjoyed our food. Grits, biscuits and coffee were great. I'm taking away one star for the tables. The chairs are uncomfortable and the tables are jammed together.
-
Review from Rebecca H.
San Diego, CA
6/8/2010
I came here early Sunday evening and ordered one crab cake appetizer, a cup of shrimp gumbo and a piece of cornbread.
The crab cake was really good but I wish it had some sort of sauce on it. I am a sucker for chipotle mayo. it was moist inside and toasty on the outside. I did not like the shrimp gumbo. It tasted like strongly tomato veggie stew with overcooked shrimp. The cornbread was OK.
My husband ordered the corn, lima beans, mashed potatoes and some other veggie. He said they were fine.
It looked like they had some giant desserts but the big crab cake filled me up.
I was not expensive for what we ordered and I think the soup was a lower price on Sunday. Our waitress was really pleasant. -
Review from Jessica M.
San Francisco, CA
9/15/2008
Our waitress was really nice - but she seemed a little overextended. We came in for brunch on a Saturday - and around 12noon - they forgot to give us the breakfast menu - so we had to ask. I got the eggs benedict - which they accidentally "threw out"? and they had to remake it - but she did bring out homefries for me to nosh on while I waited (which was a nice touch.) My eggs weren't that delayed - but the hollendaise sauce was a strange consistency - I ended up scraping most of it off.
The location is good (right near the Pier) and the parking was easy (living in a northern city - this always amazes me.) I wouldn't necessarily go back - as I had had a better brunch at Dressner's Village Cafe a few doors down the next day. -
Review from Angellica Y.
San Francisco, CA
1/13/2009
One of the best cafe/deli restaurants I've ever been to. This cafe is so close to the beach and the food is absolutely amazing!!! I tried their crab cakes appetizer dish, and OMG....SOOOO GOOD!!!! It was nothing I've ever tasted before - perfectly cooked, fresh crab meat, etc...it was divine. For dessert, I tried the chocolate cheesecake and my goodness, it was fantastic. Moistest and most amazing cheesecake yet to be tasted. It gets kind of crowded, but definitely worth it for the food. Our waitress was nice. My co-workers recommended me to try the french toast for breakfast, but I didn't get to because I was flying back home to the west coast by the next morning. I was so bummed. If you're in town, you have to try this place! Yummmmy!!! :)
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Review from Trish D.
DeLand, FL
12/15/2010
I didn't see any other reviews that mentioned the 5-cheese grilled cheese - yum! And the she-crab soup and brunswick stew were fabulous! Just what we needed on a cold rainy-ish day. Our service was excellent and everything was brought out just as we ordered it. Sister #3 ordered just chicken salad (didn't want the sandwich or the bed of greens) and the pickles - an arrangement that was not on the menu but gladly served anyway. Friendly, down-home place with lots of comfort food options. You've just got to love a cafe & deli that has a full bar.
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Review from Eric G.
West Point, NY
7/30/2009
I have been coming to this island for years now, and typically 4th of May is a decent enough place to go. But, I don't think I will waste my money there again at breakfast...
First of all, they dont even open until 8 am. What kind of place serving breakfast doesn't open until 8 am?? I was up there around 7:15 and not only did I have to turn around and go home, so did about three other people looking to get something to eat, at, what do you know, breakfast time!!
So, I went back. Unfortunately we were greeted by a less than cordial host, who I know for a fact is an owner or at least a manager, because I have seen him there a number of times.
Once we were seated, we tried to order our food. After we found out that they were OUT OF SAUSAGE and BAGELS, we ordered for a second time. (Out of sausage, please!!! Someone get in their car and go to WInn Dixie!!) The food came quick, but it was just completely insulting. One omelette was brown--completely overdone, our biscuits were also brown and hard as rocks. The grits were just plain soup. They did bring back some biscuits that looked a little better, but all of us had lost our appetites. This is Georgia...If you get your biscuits and grits wrong, then maybe you should think about starting a restaurant in Maine instead.
Get your act together 4th of May. Do you think in this economy you can continue to serve food this poor, and survive? Word of mouth in this town can kill!!
DISCLAIMER: My wife wrote this review and I know everyone could tell it wasn't me. I wasn't even with her during this visit, but I will stand by her review. I thought the "word of mouth...kill" comment was pretty harsh, but she likes her grits to be cooked a certain way and although she really tried to hold back what she really thought in her review, I don't think they cooked them right. -
Review from Brian T.
Mt Upton, NY
1/23/2011
Ok food diner style, cheap ingredients, dinning room and bathrooms dirty, long wait times
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Review from Squirrel L.
San Francisco, CA
1/7/2009
I love visiting my home state because it always means one thing will be readily available to me - vegetable plates!!! 4th of May offers a fantastic vegetable plate, but don't look for the veggie list inside the menu. Because the veggies are all super fresh, they print a new list of each day's offerings, which will be standing on the table. Of course the veggies will include actual vegetables like yummy corn and scrumptious sweet potatoes, as well as "veggies" that are really just side dishes such as macaroni and cheese. The list is shockingly long and there is something to satisfy everyone. I was impressed by how many people around me were ordering vegetable plates. I know there aren't that many vegetarians down there! There are that many people who appreciate good home cooking though. It felt good to be home.
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Review from Bernard P.
Savannah, GA
12/24/2009
Best oyster po' boys in the South, sorry N'awlins! Their desserts are incredible. My faves: the peanut butter pie and the walnut pie. Yummy!
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Review from Andy P.
Knoxville, TN
5/22/2008
Pretty good little sandwich shop near the pier. Lots better than Subway or any of the chain delis.
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Review from Rappin' R.
Atlanta, GA
7/17/2011
Went to this place for lunch yesterday and I, and every on else in our party of four, ended up sorry we had. You know things are not going to go well when the drink orders cause problems. Two of the party could not get Diet Coke because "they were out". Remember that phrase; it came up repeatedly during the ordering process and, even more amazingly, during the serving process. One member of our party wanted breakfast for lunch; during her order, she was informed that "they were out" of bacon. Bacon! This was in the middle of a Saturday at a place supposedly famous for breakfast. How can you be out of bacon? Two other members ordered the Southwest chicken salad. The last member, me, ordered a veggie plate, as nothing else sounded all that good at that moment and I can always dig into a good veggie plate. We waited longer than we should have for our orders; when another server showed up to deliver our plates, she announced my Veggie 3 plate as she set it down. Problem was, there were only two veggies on it. She served two more in our party, then came back with the last plate and asked if we needed anything else. Ummm, yeah, my third veggie. Wait for it....you got it....."they were out" of the veggie I had ordered. The breakfast order also had come without home fries, which "they were out" of, as well.
Our replacement sides showed up, eventually, and every one agreed that the food, all of it, was ordinary, at best. The one lone highlight for me was the pumpkin muffin; it was delicious.
Checkout was desultory at the front, performed by some one who obviously was much more interested in discussing a friend's personal problems over a cell phone call than being bothered to ask us how our meal was.
Ordinary (at best) food, when you manage to order something they are NOT out of, way overpriced, middling service. Never, ever again.
A quick scan of the other reviews shows me that most of the good reviews are old. Be forewarned. They should rename this place Friday the 13th. -
Review from Tom P.
Rockmart, GA
5/4/2009
Eat desert first--in fact eat 2 or 3 desserts.
There was nothing wrong with any of the food here. I was influenced to try the place based on Angellica's review; I'd never heard of "Chocolate Cheesecake" but she sure made it sound good. Unfortunately, the folks at the 4th of May had never heard of chocolate cheesecake either. So I had the chocolate cream pie. It was truly fantastic--maybe that's what she had, too. Like I said you could just make a meal off the generously sized desserts. When you're here, forget about being on a diet, the food and the desserts are too good to pass up. -
Review from Guerry N.
Saint Simons Island, GA
The 4th of May Deli & Café which has been operating since 1985, is located in the Village which is the hub and heartbeat of St Simons Island. The name of this Island institution came from the three ladies that originally started it. One thing they all had in common was that they were all born on the fourth of May. The 4th of May has daily specials, home cooked vegetables, overstuffed sandwiches on home baked bread as well as delectable seafood specialties. They have a breakfast and lunch and dinner menu. They serve "Southern Style Potluck Specials" which include an entree that comes with 2 sides and Cornbread, Biscuit or Pumpkin Muffin. Their daily entrees are meatloaf, fried chicken, country fried steak. Pot roast, pork loin and beef tenderloin tips over rice. Every Wednesday is Spaghetti day at The 4th of May. They serve their spaghetti with a garden salad and garlic bread instead of usual two sides. The 4th of May also serves soups, salads and sandwiches.
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Review from Rich G.
Gainesville, GA
5/24/2010
Had the crab salad. It was ok, but for $12 it should have been really good.
