Mad Hatter Cafe + Bakeshop

Karla Gia

Great atmosphere! Nice for a study session or to meet up with a friend.

Navin EK

I have never written a restaurant review before but today I received the worst service I’ve ever had anywhere in years and left feeling disappointed about an establishment I previously respected. I ordered the Ranchero which I had been eyeing for months. I was excited about trying it for the first time today. When I arrived to Mad Hatter, the queue was not overwhelming which was solid. A server helped split the service between two registers which I appreciated and was able to answer my questions and cater to my needs. I ordered an espresso drink and a pastry, which I found enjoyable. The indoor seating was slightly inconvenient given the largest seating was a live edge table that is so oblong that you could only enter on each end and have to walk over everyone to find a place at all. I then proceeded to have to wait 10 minutes for my espresso drink which was a caramel latte. I wasn’t necessarily affronted by the idea of waiting for coffee but what my experience would turn into was exacerbated by this unfavorable beginning. I proceeded to wait half an hour for my ranchero and within that half an hour, I asked a server about my food just to understand the ETA or if I may have made a user error. I was told since food is made ready to order, the expected wait is “at least 20 minutes”. I again do not know how their kitchen works so I am not upset about a long wait but I wish this was communicated to me earlier. When I finally received my food 30-40 minutes, the food was cold and did not appear as advertised on their website. All the sauces were put into little containers and it felt largely incomplete. I assembled it myself at my table but after a few bites felt nauseous, which I still feel presently after leaving. I noticed at the bottom of my plate was undercooked cheese and ingredients, which doesn’t make sense given the long preparation time. I got up to find napkins which similar to seating was dispersed into inconvenient corners of the cafe, not near the utensils or a bathroom but the most immediate napkins I could find were at the cash register near the front entrance near the front of the store. I ended up not finishing my food but I am duly disappointed in my experience I’ve had at Mad Hatter, especially since the owner of the restaurant was there today, not remedying the load of his staff or helping the needs of customers. I can tell the staff are working very hard and I want to commend them on this. But the dysfunction I experienced today speak to a greater failure in the management of the restaurant from the owners. They gave me the appearance of luxury service without any of the substance.

Demetrius Holder

The cakes I've ordered have been amazing. I first took two of the cakes to my mom's retirement party and took another one to a family gathering. Now every time my family has a function, which is a lot, I have to take a cake from Mad Hatter. Let me mention my family lives in Zebulon. OUTSTANDING!!!

Tiffany Tutwiler

Will not be back. I ignored the hair in my food but turns out that was a warning sign for what was to come