Cool Cafe

Don't bother! As much as it pains me to do so, I'm done with this restaurant. It is close to home, and the food and service has been pretty consistently good. Until yesterday. I've been a VIP member for years, sometimes going in twice a week, usually bringing at least one friend and my husband. Once, when I had a bad experience about a year ago, the owner was quick to recognize that I was a frequent customer and offered me a free meal to get me to agree to come back. Well, that type of caring is now ancient history with Cool Cafe.\r \r Last night, I went there with husband and a friend. The first thing that hubby asked the waiter was whether or not the sabzi came with radishes. Nine times out of ten, the restaurant is out of them (even though the menu says that it comes with them), and he will order something else. He was assured that they did, indeed have radishes. When it came out, lo and behold, no radishes. When we asked the waiter to get them, he came back and said they were out, and that the owner had offered a 20% discount. After being lied to, a 20% discount was not going to appease hubby, so he took off to H.E.B. and bought some radishes (a whopping .83 cents!) and brought them back and added them to his appetizer.\r \r I then received the Veneziani dish that I ordered. I had ordered it with shrimp, and it had none. In the menu, it claimed to have artichoke hearts in it. I found not one single heart or even quarter of one. I found 3 little leaves. Really, no exaggeration! I asked about them, and was told that if I wanted them, it would be an extra charge. I wanted them, since I had my taste buds set on them, and sent my meal back for them and the shrimp. If the owner can't afford them, he should raise the price-I wanted the meal I saw on the menu, and didn't want or deserve the attitude of the owner. This chintzy, uncaring and greedy attitude lost them a VERY loyal customer, and this review will be shared on my FB page for all of my friends. The poor waiter had only been there 2 days, and did a fantastic job. I tipped him a well-deserved 30%, along with paying extra for something I should have received in the first place. The money was beside the point! It was the owner's attitude that sucked. No wonder this restaurant can't seem to keep waitstaff. They are probably too busy fielding complaints about the bad attitude of the owner to make decent tips. So, for a couple of bucks of chintziness and bad attitude, this restaurant lost a whole bunch of money, and a loyal family of customers. When you think about Mediterranean food, go to Pasha instead! more

Service: The Bartender says ""Sit anywhere you like"", so we do, but after 20 minutes and not even a nod from the waitress we flag her over. She says ""Well, I GUESS I can take your order"". The place wasn't that busy, a quarter of their tables were occupied, but it still took another 25 minutes for the food to arrive. Two other tables actually got up (twice) to go and ask about their food.\r \r Food: Was okay, but didn't meet my expectations of fabulous, like some of the reviews here. We ordered the saffron shrimp, they were almost cold, overcooked and bland. The eggplant dip with tomatoes was disappointing as the tomatoes had absolutely no flavor what-so-ever. Entrees were better. The crepe we ordered was delicious and perfectly cooked and the side of potatoes were even better, tender but with a great crisp sear on the outside. The lamb gyro was huge and flavorful but the salad alongside was not. Instead of Kalamata olives, it was dressed with tasteless, bland canned olives. Crazy.\r \r I think this place has potential one they work out their kinks. Awesome decor though, they really went all out on that -- feels like you are on the patio of a mediterranean villa -- loved it. more

I am the manager of Cool Cafe I have been there for a long time. I am a female not a male (we have never had a male manager ever since Cool Cafe has been open) and I would never allow any of my servers to treat people in this manner we pride ourselves on making sure that ALL of our customer receive excellent service. If and when I get a complaint about any of my servers I always handle it immediately the customer is ALWAYS right is our motto. The owners number is not meant to be given out because he is the owner your first point of contact should be to the manager(always at any restaurant) through via email ( which can be found online) if you have any complaints and you are guaranteed that I will personally get back to you. You being charged for gratuity is wrong and I apologize for that, we don't grat people unless it is 6 or more and even then our servers will sometimes not grat unless it is a really large table/party. We are a family owned and operated business and have been in business for many years. We serve excellent food and provide good service to all that walk into the door. We offer a variety of different styles of food including vegetarian and vegan menu items. We support our local schools, churches, hospitals, the troops, cops and firemen. more

My first thought was excitement when I learned that this is a little hidden gem in Stone Oak that offered something other than burgers and the typical 145 Mexican places within a five mile radius. Real Mediterranean food in the Stone Oak area meant that I would no longer need to spend thousands of dollars and several days jet setting to my favorite Grecian island to have a bit of lamb and cucumber sauce. But wait - This place also wrapped my favorite flavors in one of my favorite wrappers: CREPES!!!! Breakfast crepes, savory crepes, desert crepes, crepes with lamb, crepes with spinach, garlic and pine nuts, crepes with about anything you can think of! I’m in heaven here, but they also do this stuff with home made pita and other delicious starches like basmati rice and various breads if you want a simple sandwich. \r \r Horary for the “Cool Café”! \r more

This is such nonsense. First of all, this appears to be someone who is not only a racist, but feels slighted somehow by the staff or owners. If any restaurant had such hygiene problems, said restaurant would be closed down by the health department. I eat here all the time and I have met the owner, who is an extremely nice man, who I cannot fathom saying such things. The food is excellent! I am a vegetarian living in SATX and it is really hard for me to find a good meal! I love their California and North Beach sandwiches, and their hummus is wonderful! Don't pay any mind to the rude person who wrote this. He/she obviously has an agenda. more

The food is phenomenal. I come to the cafe at least three times a week. There's no better food in town. The crepes and deserts are to die for. Its a cool and inviting atmosphere. Its a perfect place to go to for reverse happy hours. Pros: Breakfast all day! Cons: none! more

The very second you step out of your car at the Vance Jackson location, you know you are in for something a little different.A hip young group of people sitting around a hookah having intellectual conversations.Some with thier books open.A wonderfully crafted array of music that is sure to peek the curiosity of even the most reluctant mind just passing by, and you haven't even gone in yet!You walk in to a warm, inviting, artistic even romantic atmosphere, your eyes are completely entranced by the abundant art and array of colors on evry wall. Pros: friendly,knowledgable staff.good food,great atmosphere Cons: None!!!!! more

From a current employee this restaurant is great and if someone is bitter over getting fired that is his problem there are no infestation problems and our food is Fresh. I eat at the restaurant 6 days a week and never had an issue with freshness. This is a great restaurant and I would recommend it to every friends and family alike!!! more

There were 6 of us who went to the downtown location for Sunday Brunch. We couldn't get a hot cup of coffee to save our lives, despite being the only people in the whole place. Our food came to our tables cold - though we were still the only customers in the whole place. It would have been tasty, were it not cold. The waitress was scared for us to complain because she would have to pay the bill. When we talked to the owner he was awful and mean and very very rude- had no room to just discuss what went wrong with the meal. He probably made that poor waitress pay for it all. I will NEVER go there again - and I work downtown and actively discourage tourists and visitors from going there. He was just that mean. Pros: the food is good - but it was served cold - Owner is mean Cons: Very mean and rude owner - didn't care about bad food more

This Cafe is like the bomb! the menu has an abudance of selection on it. and the wines are great!! and the service is good!! but not at this one. Go to the one downtown 123 auditorium circle san antonio tx\r \r The service at the downtown location is Nicer and the male servers are very attractive and very considerate Pros: great service with male servers Cons: needs perfecting more

I have been to the ""Cool Cafe"" a few times, its of the few decent privately owned spots amongst the many big box slop houses thronging 10 and dezavala and a nice place to take my wife for a quiet dinner. The dining room is warm, intimate and clean, and the prices are very reasonable. They have the hummus down and the other appetizers i've had were generally very good as well. I hardly order entrees here any more because they are always disappointingly under seasoned as are the wonderfully creamy roasted potatoes that accompany them. I've tried them for breakfast as well and was disappointed with a thin omelet resembling a crepe filled with, again, under seasoned veggies, coffee that tasted like it had sat on the warmer until it was bitterly burnt, and a side of salsa straight a jar, a veritable crime in this city. Really great potential here, execution could be better. Pros: ambience price quality more

This place has a great atmosphere, great food that's a good change from all the Usual Mexican food ALL over this city. Its a fun place to go and the owners are great people! more

So I walked into the Vance Jackson location, hearing a middle-eastern (who i later learn is one of the owners) speaking loudly to other employees about ""Persian"" ""a$$, t!ts, and pu$$y""... I met a few friends there and not only was there HAIR IN THE FOOD, and R 0 A C H E S on the wall - ONE CLIMBED INTO MY SALAD! - After speaking to the owner, he simply said that was not enough to get any comps.... \r \r BEWARE - do NOT EAT THERE UNLESS YOU LIKE R 0 A C H E S, HAIR, AND HEARING ABOUT ABSURD THINGS SUCH AS ""PERSIANS"" \r \r Furthermore, history/geographical lesson for all those who don't know yet, look at the globe, or any map, atlas, or anything for that matter... e-mail me when you find ""Persia"" on the map. Give you a hint: It's IRAN\r \r Peace & Love, ROCK IT CHEER\r \r Peace out cub scouts. Pros: next to a bar, you'll need a drink after this Cons: read description. more

This was the first visit to Cool Cafe which had been recommended by a friend living in San Antonio. The cafe was easy to find. Kristian was our server for the dining experience. Kristian was extremely friendly, professional and helpful in her suggestions and/or taking of the order. Would highly recommend asking for Kristian as one's server if dining at Cool Cafe as she had just the right amount of interaction and friendliness with the diner to not be imposing but also not ignoring as well. Additionally, one could tell she was enthused about her job as she was willing to explain the different crepes and make suggestions. Just wanted dessert crepes for the occasion. The selection is very nice to choose from. The selected crepes were simply outstanding and well worth seeking out the place. Had the Chef's special which was very nicely prepared and presented on the plate. The crepe arrived at the proper temperature and almost addicting to the taste buds. Also had the pink passion smoothie, as the recommendation of Kristian, and the smoothie selection was excellent. The atmosphere of the cafe was light hearted friendly, but quiet for conversations, enough privacy that one did not feel as if everyone around them might be listening in on the conversation. The decor was simple and straight forward but nice. I would highly recommend seeking out the Cool Cafe for both savory and/or dessert crepes. The service was quick but not rushed. The pricing was extremely reasonable. Do not think about sharing because after one bite one is going to be thinking about asking maybe for another crepe as they are very good. Pros: The service was excellent - Kristian was our server. The selection is excellent. The price is very reasonable. Cons: It is in San Antonio and I live in Houston. more

I've been to the Cool Cafe twice, and I loved it each time! Honestly the food was excellent and the other 5 people that I went with were very satisfied as well. The atmosphere is very layed back and there are so many different foods to chose from on the menu, including a bunch of veggie options. I would highly recommend you check this place out and don't just take my or another persons word for it!! more

If you're visiting this place to lounge around and smoke hookah with some friends, I definitely recommend this place. There is outdoor seating so one doesn't get enveloped by hookah smoke. It's better than shishas in that there is no techno music blaring loud from the speaker and the place is overall well lit. However, on the occasions that I've dined in, the service and food weren't too impressive. One, the inside restaurant is never crowded but it still takes the waitstaff really long periods of time to get things done. The food is inconsistent. I ordered these mediterranean dumplings on two different occasions and they tasted completely different, one being incredibly dry and unappetizing. The reason for this according to our server was that the cook working in the back wasn't as good as the other cook who was off that night. DO NOT get anything with capers, as they completely overpower the meal and the spinach mushroom crepe definitely won't do anything for your tastebuds. The potatoes are good, as is the mint tea, which I recommend with honey. Overall, a pretty decent place. more

Food was not good at all. Slow service but friendly staff. Pros: Friendly staff Cons: Food is not good more

I went to the dezavala location with 4 friends the food was not that great and definitly overpriced. Our waiter showed up to us simply to take our order and it took longer than 30 min to get our food, he never checked in with us or even refilled our drinks. At the end of our meal we got our bill with an added gratuity of 18%. I spoke with a guy that claimed he was the manager and was very rude. I asked if gratuity was added because he thought we had 6 people because every resturant I've been to its 6 or more. And mentioned that it wasn't on the menu. He said it was because we had five people and its managers discretion if they want to add grat. I thought that this was ridiculous. Throughout all this trouble he finnally gave me the owners phone number. I left a message and the owner never replied back. A definite sign of bad business practices and low class service. This happened a number of months ago and havent gone back since. I recommend that you pick another place to eat. Or you can try it for yourself and see how bad this place is. Pros: There's parking because they dont get return customers. Cons: Everything more

Cool Cafe, open until the rare hour of 2 a.m. on weekends, specializes in various foods found from around... more

Cool Cafe, open until the rare hour of 2 a.m. on weekends, specializes in various foods found from around the Mediterranean: greek appetizers like ... more