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Fedora Cafe
Categories: Food Bakeries Restaurants Bakeries, Restaurants [Edit]
2633 Lawrenceville RdSte 101
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
(609) 895-0844
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Breakfast
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
25 reviews for Fedora Cafe
Review Highlights
"...friends enjoyed their french toast, waffles, and pancakes..."
(in 4 reviews)
"I love bringing people, who have never been, for brunch."
(in 5 reviews)
"They also have chocolate covered pretzels and marshmallows..."
(in 3 reviews)
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25 reviews in English
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Review from Molly C.
Lawrence, NJ
1/27/2012
I'm a long-time fan of Fedora Cafe. There was literally nowhere to hang out in sleepy Lawrenceville Village before they arrived. I have many happy memories of brunches, get-togethers, dates, and coffee clutches with good friends. The service has always been better than adequate, and recently, utterly charming.
As for the dining experience, there really isn't anywhere quite like this place. As you can tell by the name, its the lovechild of a true creative. The seating options ring true. You can select a conventional table, but there are also a variety dramatically upholstered chairs, benches, sofas to try out.
The menu reflects the same wide spectrum of choices and always has plenty of vegetarian and sea-food options. I have definitely had top notch meals here, ones that were surprisingly well balanced and mild in flavor. When you get a meal like that, leftovers are always a pleasure and there's no doubt you will have them with such large portions.
For some people, the dessert case is the main event. Even those who choose to bypass a confection will find themselves gazing for a bit at the sparkling array of over-sized indulgences. (Some of us might be too embarrassed to buy one in fact)
In response to some of the low grades Fedora has gotten; skimping on ingredients, snarky staff and over-rich flavors; I do think there's room for improvement and suspect the owners, who are constantly trying new things, have already begun to address those issues.
I admire their creativity and spontaneity (meatball salad? really? that's just funny). My advice to the diner is that the soups, paninis, and wraps always live up to descriptions, whereas the menu items are generally unconventional if you don't want to be surprised - but then, I have always been pleased by surprises! -
Review from Tom K.
Lawrenceville, NJ
1/23/2012
I had the meatball salad (the menu description sounded good) which was four meatballs in marinara over a bed of lettuce with a few cucumber slices and some sliced grape tomatoes. The meatballs and Italian dressing tasted store-bought and there was way too much lettuce. Could have used some other veggies, carrots, onions, olives whatever to make it more interesting.
Wife had the pizza which was seriously undercooked with raw dough in the middle.
Step-daughter had bow tie pasta with chicken and pesto. Pasta was mushy and over cooked, pesto tasted old and chicken had no flavor.
No desire to return. -
Review from Susan P.
LAWRENCE TWP, NJ
12/12/2011
Ugh - that's it. I've had it with this place. We moved to Lawrenceville a year ago from Philadelphia, where we had our pick of really great breakfast and lunch places. While good spots are few and far between in Central Jersey, we were at least excited that Fedora seemed like a cute, community-oriented cafe, and seemed to have decent food.
What it really has, though, are owners/staff who project this bizarre mix of disdain and snark-infested attitude toward their clientele. Though they are friendly to local insiders who have been going there forever, apparently. The bearded jerk who works in the kitchen (as opposed to the bearded jerk who works behind the counter out front) had a Fedora t-shirt on that says "I may have just licked your food" which would be funny ha-ha, except his attitude makes you fearful that he actually would go there.
Their breakfast food is either drowning in grease or buried in whipped cream to hide the fact that it really is just mediocre, though they try to advertise it as something better on their menu descriptions. And they're pricey on top of it. I've left Fedora for the last time irritated that I just gave them my money. If they had ANY real competition, this place would be screwed. -
Review from cindy c.
Pennington, NJ
1/7/2012
Very disappointed in quality of baked goods--no way they are baked from scratch as advertised. My guess is they buy premixed stuff and bake them on the premises--but no way are these from scratch cookies and brownies.
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Review from Connie S.
5/23/2011
A mom-and-pop coffee shop/restaurant serving up American comfort food. It's a colorful and homey space, with knick-knacks lining the walls and hanging from the ceilings. Food was average in quality, but the massive quantities and good service make this a reliable bet for a satisfying dining experience.
Our super-hungry party of six came for Sunday brunch around 11:30am, and though the place was full we didn't have to wait more than 10 minutes for a table.
As I mentioned, the food was pretty standard in taste... and I was a bit disappointed at the canned fruit instead of fresh fruit:
- French Toast (from the regular menu, as opposed to the specials menu): comes with canned peaches and topped with creme fraiche, cinnamon butter, and maple syrup on the side; it was fine, but nothing phenomenal, and I wasn't a fan of the toast being laden with canned peach syrup
- Pancakes (from the regular menu): the flapjacks were fluffy and huge (it would be a feat for one person to finish the entire plate), but again it was topped canned apples and berry compote, which can get saccharine in taste after a while
- Viva Italiano: egg scramble with sausage, cheese, peppers atop a toasted white bread roll, served with a side of home fries - your expected ingredients, but no complaints
We couldn't help but notice the impressive dessert case with cookies, cakes, pies, and tarts, and chocolate-covered you-name-it's. We were much too full to entertain the idea of trying some after brunch, but I'd certainly want to try some (see below for the best time to go).
I get the impression that Fedora is known for its brunches, but I was enticed by the Recession Menu specials advertised on signs:
- $1 desserts on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with purchase of any $10.99 entree
- "Gravy Night" on Fridays and Saturdays: salad, pasta, meatballs, and garlic bread for $10.99
- Live entertainment - with no cover charge - on Wednesdays
Overall, I think Fedora is a good value for reasonable prices, and our server was (and, from what I could tell, all the other servers were) friendly and attentive. Cute place for a decent and hearty meal. It'll definitely fill up an empty stomach.
Tip: it's BYO.. at least, I think it is. We brought a wine cooler bottle (don't judge) and asked for extra cups, and it wasn't a problem. -
Review from Lauren B.
Princeton, NJ
10/30/2011
I love Fedora's for brunch and lunch, and their desserts are incredible! The atmosphere is adorable, and while there have been other reviewers complaining about the service I have always had good experiences. I love bringing people, who have never been, for brunch. I maybe wish they had fresh-squeezed orange juice instead of a bottle, but that's not a huge deal. The food makes up for it. I went a few weeks ago and had pumpkin bread chocolate chip pancakes and they were amazing!
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Review from Hilary G.
4/7/2011
Ooooobssesssssseeeeeeed.
I take every person I know here at some point or another. This is one of my all time favorite places in the area - be it for coffee, desert, lunch, or dinner, Fedoras never disappoints.
Their menu is truly exceptional and different from any of restaurant around. Lunch is casual - you walk in, grab a table, order from the counter, and wait on yourself. They have an amazing sandwich menu, complete with a make-your-own selection, where you can pretty much get whatever you want for about 7 dollars.
Dinner is more formal - their is table service, and you wait to be seated. Their menu is different for dinner, but you can order anything from the lunch menu as well. Their fondue is absolutely exceptional, as are their fish and chips, and each and every salad is just great and fresh.
The best part about Fedoras? The dessert case. Not only do they serve Thomas Sweet ice cream (which, if you are a Princeton resident or live in any of the surrounding towns, you know how amazing their ice cream is), but the sheer amount of cakes and pastries and brownies is simply overwhelming, and each one is better than the next. The chocolate meltdown (which comes with an optional side of ice cream) is phenominal. They also have chocolate covered pretzels and marshmallows, fruit tarts, sorbet, the works. Not to mention, one of the owners (it's a brother-sister ownership) is a cake artist, and you can watch her making her masterpieces (we're talking Ace-of-Cakes type stuff) through the kitchen window. So cool.
Ther service is great, the food is amazing, you can take out, eat in, eat outside in the summer, or just grab coffee, and the decor is stinkin' adorable (dragonfly and coffee cup lights and decorations for every season). Truly a gem. -
Review from Julie H.
5/22/2011
Fedora's is a brunch lover's dream - the portions are gigantic and the food is delicious. On this occasion I had the Viva Italiano, which was loaded with all the eggs, cheese, sausage, and peppers that one could ever ask for in one meal. The sweet options were similarly loaded with fantastic toppings (the cinnamon butter is to die for!) and my friends enjoyed their french toast, waffles, and pancakes thoroughly.
The quirky decor and the friendly (and speedy) service rounded out this fantastic experience. I will definitely be back again! -
Review from Elena C.
4/8/2011
I haven't been to Fedora Cafe in years. I went to dinner with two of my favorite people (the two from the awful Arirang incident which I've totally forgiven them for). I'm happy to say, this dinner went much better.
We were seated right away at a cute table for four. We admired the tea cup and dragonfly lights while waiting for menus from the (very cute!) waiter. I totally dig the vibe here. Mismatched plates, lots of colors, funky art. And a big window into the kitchen so you can watch delicious pastries take shape.
They have a really extensive menu with so many choices. I started to panic toward the end but finally decided on some sort of pizza crust with a salad on top. I don't remember the exact name and there's no website/menu online! It was a crust smeared with goat cheese and a salad with crispy bacon and grilled chicken and a side of balsamic vinaigrette. Oh. My. God. First of all, the dish caused a stir as it was being brought over because it was so big (a little embarrassing). Luckily, I could eat the salad off the top and just eat some of the crusts off the pizza without making a piggie out of myself. It was delish. The chicken was really flavorful and the creamy goat cheese was absolutely delicious. They might do better serving this on a flatbread but no matter. You had to get a little chicken, some bacon, some lettuce and some goat cheese in every bite (at least I did). Perfection.
My two compadres both got a sandwich with steak and grilled onions that was served with two sides, one ranch and the other some sort of horseradish sauce. They also got a mountain of sweet potato fries with their order. The sandwich was enormous and I managed to snag a bite. A little well done for me but still tender and really good with the horseradish sauce slathered on there.
AND because it was Thursday, we each got a dessert for $1 from the case. Any. Dessert. $1. Best deal of life. I got the chocolate peanut butter cup brownie. I only managed a couple bites before requesting a to-go box. The brownie was dense and chocolatey, smeared with real peanut butter with cut up peanut butter cups on top drizzled with even more chocolate. Heaven on a plate.
I will go back any time. They had so many things I wanted to try and so many desserts that didn't make the first round cut. Maybe we can make this a weekly Thursday date ... -
Review from Atilla B.
Princeton, NJ
9/25/2010
Been here twice, and not disappointed so far. They seem to have a good selection of sandwiches and drinks. Their iced tea was the best iced black tea I remember ordering at a restaurant.
We also tried the serendipity which is a giant frozen hot choc for two - but this one's overly sweet. I suggest hitting up grover's mill coffee for an out-of-this-world :) frozen hot chocolate instead.
As for food, their sandwiches taste decent - I really liked the smoked salmon sandwich with roasted red peppers and tarragon mayo. Think of this place like a local panera's.
The desserts looked good in the glass window; however our chocolate covered brownie was way undercooked. They are also on the far side of sweet.
Good place to stop for lunch during weekdays, was busy when I stopped in. It was quieter during the weekend. I also think the yelpers are exaggerating the dirtiness, but now I'll have to take a closer look next time... -
Review from Brian J.
Lawrenceville, NJ
6/1/2010
I gave this place more than their fair share of chances, and as a last resort I'll *still* occasionally drop in, but I'm at the point where I'll sooner drive a few extra miles out of the way to avoid the place.
I've had a number of bad experiences at this place, both with the food and with the service. The menu that some have described as 'eclectic' is actually completely schizophrenic, and the food quality is *consistently* not very good. I'm not someone who orders the same thing every time I go somewhere, I've hopped around their menus, and none of the food is of very good quality, and it's not prepared well either.
Most things that can be greasy in this place *are* greasy. Amazingly, almost every single piece of meat I've ever had there has been overcooked. Nothing looks particularly fresh or gives the impression that it's made in-house except for the desserts, but I'm not one to go out of my way for good desserts.
A few reviews mention the cleanliness not being up to snuff, and I have to agree, the place is pretty filthy, but I guess I just never cared. I never went in there looking to impress anyone.
Finally, the service and general demeanor of the staff and management is generally putrid. There are *some* folks there that are genuinely pleasant. They deserve to go work somewhere else. The one owner I've ever spoken to has no business interacting with customers, and I really just don't want to do business with people like that.
Sadly, this place makes a living off of the Lawrenceville Prep School, which is full of teeny-boppers for whom the most important determining factor in their choice of cuisine is whether or not it is within walking distance. It will probably be taking up space there forever, which means a really good place cannot eventually move in.
Not every place in that town center depends on a captive audience for their business, by the way, I do as much business as I can with the local business owners, and regularly patronize a number of those businesses. As far as I can tell, they're all great places. Maidenhead Bagel, a couple of doors down is far better food for a good bit less money, for example. But this place is a bit of a sore thumb, and doesn't seem to care. -
Review from Joanne K.
Princeton, NJ
8/8/2009
I wish I liked this place. It'd be so nice not to have to go all the way into Princeton to hang out at a coffee shop. But, I don't. The coffee is OK, but none of the other food really appeals to me. And the staff is unbelievably rude.
I went for breakfast and it was GROSS. I can't remember the last time I had such awful food. I got the french toast. It was completely covered in some kind of ridiculously sweet and seriously gloppy "strawberry" pie filling that I seriously doubt actually had any strawberries in it. I did my best to scrape the nastiness off the toast, but the toast was just as nasty. Soggy, oily, gross bread.
My friend's breakfast looked better. Apparently eggs and toast = the way to go at this place.
It was crowded and noisy. The open kitchen was kind of fun, but definitely made me reek of grease. Meg is right on about the "omg" factor with the servers. But even worse than pouty too-cool-for-school servers are the unbelievably rude management and baker.
I saw a cute family walk up to the kitchen counter to inquire about ordering a cake for their son's 3rd birthday. The baker asked when the party was, and the family said it was the next day. The baker laughed in their face and told them she was way too busy to make them a cake. Then she snidely suggested they "go pick up a sheetcake from the grocery store." So rude!
I went back a few weeks ago, thinking I'd give it another shot and just get coffee and read a book on their comfy chairs on a weekday I had off. Again, the coffee was pretty good. But soon after I settled in with my reading, the guy working there started shouting at at someone on the phone. He continued laying into whomever he was talking to for at least 5 minutes. It was completely distracting to hear this guy shouting obscenities at one of his vendors. Would he have done the same thing if I'd been there with a child? Yikes. I felt uncomfortable and left without finishing the coffee. Will not go back. -
Review from C S.
Princeton, NJ
8/15/2009 2 photos
We stopped here for a late breakfast en route to the CSA. It was ok, but nothing like the coffee/doughnut shop with the flat top we miss from Bay Ridge. And certainly pricier.
The decor is more like one of the comfy used furniture coffee shops that started becoming popular in the early 90's. There's a huge array of desserts, 8 flavours of ice cream (Breyer's), soups, salads, and 50 or so beverage choices.
We went for our standards: eggs over easy with bacon extra crispy or sausage and home fries (6.99). Eggs were standard--runny yolk and crisp edges. The sausage was good, but made my heart hurt; for some reason, sausage makes my heart feel as though it's going to stop; I don't get this from eggs or bacon. But it was real sausage in natural casings. The bacon was a thick cut smoked varietal. The home fries were not good--overcooked and burnt, not fluffy and crisp.
Not a bad place, but not great either. The service was actually really friendly. Why not a 3? I doubt we'll be back. -
Review from Dave I.
Hopewell, NJ
4/1/2008
Great food. Amazing desserts! The place is run by a brother-sister pair. The sister is a patissier and makes a multitude of fantastic confections - Try the 7-layer bar and bread pudding!
There is counter service, but the table service kind-of sucks, mostly high school students as waiters. I also started to get take-out because it gets crowded and the service gets worse. It is right across the street from Lawrenceville prep. so check the time before you go or it will be packed, loud, and you will have to wait a long time for your food.
The food is definitely 5 stars but the table service is 2 and the company is anywhere from 1-4 depending on the time you go. I gave it 4 because i switched to take-out and learned when to avoid going. -
Review from Jessica L.
New York, NY
11/16/2009
3 for the cakes, 1.5 for everything else.
This place has sadly gone downhill. Their brunch used to be delicious, now it's greasy butter water. What is greasy butter water? Think oil, melted butter, and water and mix it together. Voilà butter water. Don't know about you but I prefer my eggs sans butter water. The home fries they speak of are merely roasted potatoes burnt to a crisp. Not home fries. Their once melt in your mouth pancakes are now dry as a board and taste like imitation Bisquick. Bisquick is good, no reason to try to make something else.
The service is eh. Not the best but to be expected in a coffee house type of joint. Also, do they ever dust or clean? It was nauseating.
They have OK salads and sandwiches and again the only reason I am giving 3 instead of 1.5 is because their desserts, specifically their custom cakes, are delicious and beautiful. -
Review from Stephanie S.
Philadelphia, PA
8/31/2009
I liked Fedora! I went for lunch, not breakfast and it seems most of the other reviewers went in the AM. I got there around 4pm and my friends and I (large group of 8 or so) were the only ones there. We also got a variety of salads, soups, sandwiches and all enjoyed them.
My bf and I chose the make-your-own-sandwich-or-panini option. I chose a turkey with cheese and lettuce. He chose an Italian-style panini. Both were good. I loved their multi-color tortilla chips. The arnold palmer (half lemonade/half iced-tea) wasn't that great, but that was only thing I disliked.
We were too full for dessert, but their cupcakes did look good. It's important to note that there's no waiter service, you order at the counter. -
Review from Meg L.
Burlington, NJ
1/2/2009
Its hard for me to say how I feel about this place. Let's start with those things that I was wooed by when I first visited - the decor is fun, with dragonfly and coffee cup shaped lights, experimental artsy hues on the walls and eclectic unmatching seating comprised of couches, hand panted tables, etc. The dessert offerings will absolutely blow away even the biggest truffle shuffle fan - seriously, its that good, and I don't even like desserts all that much. Unless its after a night of partying, in which case...steer clear!
Anyway...they have a pretty ridiculously fun menu with all sorts of paninis and a "create your own" pasta menu where you can add all sorts of things, some standard, some not, and its all you can eat for, I think, about $12. Good coffee, although no soy milk which is surprising, and fun hot ciders, etc. So all good, right?
Not so fast - here is the downside: The waiters wear shirts that bear little sayings on the back like "I might have licked your spoon" or "If you don't like it go to McDonalds" or some shit like that - at first funny, but then when you see the quality of service, you're more like, damn, that shitty waiter just licked my spoon. They like to ignore you, probably because its all 16-18 yr olds serving you and they don't like to ignore the other 16-18 yr old patrons so you find yourself wondering when you can break up their "omg" conversation in order to ask for an extra napkin. Another drawback - an open kitchen. While some people think this attests to the cleanliness of a place (its an open book!), I find that I always walk out smelling greasy, and I can smell it for the rest of the night, which is kind of a deal breaker unless you find the smell of fried cheese and panini sexy, in which case, uh, its all you.
Anyway, good food, bad service, cramped-though-creative seating area. -
Review from Georgianne V.
Princeton, NJ
10/17/2009
I truly wish I could give this 5 stars but I had such a bad experience that I have to drop it down a star or two. We went with friends for desert and coffee one night after dinner and I really was amazed by the selection. My only complaint that night was that to me, the place could use a little deep cleaning. Enough said on that. The bad experience came a week later when my hubby and I stopped there to pick up some deserts on a Sunday to bring to a party that day. All the doors were open, there were people inside and so we went in to pick out some treats. As I was giving a young lady our order, another employee came over and told us that they were closed, that she had counted the register and could not sell us anything. I could not believe it. I was so shocked that I actually had to ask her if she was really unable to sell us anything. That was it. After looking at all those yummy deserts, we had to leave empty handed. A quick bit of math told us that we were about to purchase $50 worth of deserts.
I later found out that on Sundays their hours are only until 12:45 pm and it was about 1:30 pm, but if you are closed, then they need to close their doors and if we still walk in, just politely let us know before we start making a selection and you start boxing our order.
The whole experience was awkward. The experience will probably not keep me away in the future but it sure will make me think twice about stopping after 12:45 pm on a Sunday!! -
Review from Ryan G.
Kent, OH
9/2/2010
I only stopped by for a café Americano. I was pleasantly surprised to find that a large came with 5 shots of espresso and only rang up to be about $3. Also, the staff was extremely friendly and personable. I remember eating here years back and seem to recall a positive experience, but for sure, it's a good corner coffee shop.
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Review from Cara N.
Brooklyn, NY
2/20/2008
They cater for my office sometimes, and their food is great. They offer a wide variety of different salads (strawberry and goat cheese, mango walnut, etc). Their sandwiches are also great. I've actually eaten at the restaurant once, and they have lots of different, pretty pastries and desserts. The decor is whimsical and fun, and the location is cool - it's right off of 295.
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Review from Katie T.
Menlo Park, CA
5/31/2006
This place is way yummy! They have all sorts of fun dessert beverages and coffee. They even have "Serendipity's" famous frozen hot chocolate! Their salads and sandwiches are scrumptious and the portions are healthy! The ambiance is neighborhoody and non-pretentious. Definitely worth checking out.
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Review from Michael K.
Lawrence Township, NJ
2/2/2011
Nicole and Chris do a great job! Food is great, ambience is fun, staff are working hard and having a good time. Careful do not go near the desert case you will have to order choco dipped oreos. Look in the cake book near the back corner Nicole and her staff make these totally amazing cakes, like no where else!! I ordered a cake for my daughters Univ Of Del graduation the cake look like the entrance to the school!! omg is all everyone said
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Review from sam j.
Princeton, NJ
9/1/2008
i have only gone for sunday brunch, but it is the best brunch in the area i've had. their crabcake benedict is out of this world, and everything from their eggs to pancakes and french toast, to simple granola is really amazing.
the atmosphere is cute and artsy, a nice place to take friends. the chairs are funky and different, allowing you for many different choices with respect to your favorite body position (like a couch, a high seat by the window, or a regular chair with various cushions and back rests). there are many cute items around the place, like upside down coffee mugs (light fixtures), or decorative dragonflies hanging off the ceiling made of household items.
the waitstaff has been great (especially if you get tony) and the food comes quickly considering its complexity. all waiters wear shirts with amusing writing on the back so you can entertain yourself reading them while waiting for your amazing meal... this is definitely one of my favorite breakfast places on sunday mornings... get there early if you don't want to wait. -
Review from Brooke M.
Princeton, NJ
6/7/2010
Very cute atmosphere and amazing food. I went for lunch around 1 and it was great.
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Review from carrie w.
Princeton Junction, NJ
11/15/2009
I love this restaurant for what it is - a casual place for a tasty lunch where you can meet with friends or business associates and feel free to talk as long as you like. There is a great selection of sandwiches, salads and soups, and the food is prepared to order. The desserts are amazing. The decor is eclectic and comfortable, not designed to impress. Apart from the very rude baked goods review, which I agree is horrifying, the service complaints confuse me because in this restaurant there are no waiters -- you order your sandwich, pay for it at the counter and then pick it up and bring it to your table yourself. I've always found the personnel to be a bit in a rush, but courteous and efficient. And I think the t-shirts are funny...
