mary's gourmet diner

all politics and news aside. the food is fantastic. everything is fresh and gourmet. my waiter was extremely friendly, and the restaurant was able to run smoothly, despite the camera crews and other news outlets coming in and out of the establishment because of the ongoing story. (funny aside: i was aware of the situation, but didn't realize that this was the restaurant offering the discounts when i showed up. was completely oblivious to the 3-5 news crews set up nearby, thinking they were at a neighboring building or some big story was taking place downtown.)

anyway, i had a cherry cola to drink (they don't have pepsi or coke products), and it was given in a plastic cup but you receive the whole bottle at a very reasonable price. for my meal i had the breakfast nachos, which at first seeing they cost $10 made me a little concerned. the portion though, was more than ample. the nachos consisted of eggs, cheese, olives, avacado, tomato, peppers, sour cream and artisan chips. there was definitely more there, and not only did i eat quite a bit, i took about half of my portion home for later.

the establishment is extremely clean and patrons have a choice of indoor or outdoor seating. it did take some time to bring out my food, but the business they were doing (and everything else going on) it was still done at a time that wasn't unreasonable. i'll definitely be coming back there again once all of the media has died down.

this was literally the worst restaurant experience i have ever had. the wait staff was so rude that i left the building in tears. later i discovered that the waitress who had been so rude, was the owner's daughter, so i doubt taking it to management would have done much good.

here's my, hopefully succinct, list of complaints:

1. obviously the rude wait staff was #1. i can overlook a lot if the waiters are clearly trying to make my meal pleasant.

2. i can't attest to the quality of the food as i never actually got to eat any. i did, however, pay $15 for a meal at which i consumed nothing but water.

3. at one point in ordering i asked the waitress the price of an al a carte item. on my bill, the price was not what was quoted and when i mentioned it, i was told, "i did tell you that; that's what the price used to be." they fully expected me to pay the new price, even though it was their mistake.

4. when i got my food, it was not what i expected at all and it was not something i was going to eat. there was no fault on the part of the waitress or the kitchen, the description on the menu simply gave me a very different idea of what i was getting. however, no one tried to make my meal better. no one offered to take the food back to the kitchen or to see if there was anything they could do to help me be more pleased with the situation. i was offered a chance to look at the menu again, but with the expectation that i would be buying two meals.

5. the food took a really long time to arrive. i was with a friend on his lunch break and it took so long that he had to shovel his food and was still late getting back to work. he left before anyone else had even made a dent in their dish.

6. as a side, i ordered the cajun chips. i was expecting some homemade hot chips with a spicy seasoning or something of the sort. what i got was lays bbq potato chips. for a $14 lunch item they should be able to do better than that.

i really could have handled #2-6 and still been pleased enough with the restaurant, but i've never been treated, in any establishment, in a manner that was so rude, disrespectful and openly hostile. if this is how the owner's family treats their patrons, i want nothing to do with this establishment. i was shocked and dismayed and offended.

obviously, i will not be returning to mary's and i highly discourage any other patrons from visiting. i can think of much better ways of spending $15 a person than being disrespected and abused by wait staff. i am disappointed because i had heard good things, but alas....

horrible food, horrible service.. waited over an hour for the food to arrive only to be served a small plate of undercooked potatoes and badly cooked eggs swimming in a pool of grease. with coffee it was over $16.00. ihop looks gourmet compared to this amateur hour. stay away!

we went to mary's for sunday brunch as a family. the menu of breakfast items was diverse with lots of local options, traditional favorites and spins on the traditional, if you 'd like. the food was very good and plentiful; the staff friendly, helpful and responsive; the atmosphere was relaxed and just a little eclectic. i recommend it!

impressed with wait staff good food and clean atmosphere! would highly recommend

on saturday, jerry and i braved the rain and headed downtown to mary’s gourmet diner for brunch. fortunately we were able to park on the street very close to the restaurant, so it wasn’t a far trek in the weather. the host quickly seated us upon arrival. our waitress came by right away, took our drink order of two waters, and pointed out the daily specials. the room had eclectic art on the walls, and jazz music was playing in the background. the tables had jelly, sugar, and sweeteners already on them.

check out mary's specials!. winston-salem just wouldn't be the same without marys. she uses the best fresh, local and organic ingredients humanly possible, and you can absolutely taste it in all of her dishes. the menu is a fantastic mix of brunch staples, but don't forget to try the specials, because they are inevitably creative, tasty and inspired by cuisine from all over the world. some reviewers complain about the prices and service, to which i would respond that a) the prices reflect the quality of the ingredients. if you want a cheap breakfast sandwich, go to mcds.; and b) i've had great service on every trip here - and there have been many. don't miss mary's; there's a reason this restaurant is ranked in the top 5 brunch spots in nc!

worth a trip. really.. mary's gourmet is not your ordinary place for breakfast. the price is more but ihho worth very penny. food: mary buys local, cooks local as much as possible. if you dine frequently, you can taste the difference. simple the best (and largest) pancakes i ever had. my friend from georgia agreed. absolutely amazing. atmosphere: hippy, arty -- for my taste, fun. service: not speedy but frankly the place was packed. about what i expect at higher end establishments. i will go to winston-salem again just to eat breakfast at mary's gourmet next time i am in north carolina. oh, i might add: parking was easy. right beside the diner.

had a great half omelet! definitely worth a visit!

this place was pretty yummy! service was a little slow given the fare they were cooking but overall was pleased. i got a make your own egg scramble with a side of grits and toast. everything was pretty good! funky and fun atmosphere with mismatched coffee mugs, ecclectic murals and such.

i love the concept of a chic, local and independent high end breakfast joint but i have to say that after my tenth or so visit, i will not be back. i just paid 10$ (first i was told 13.69$) for a one egg on wheat toast with cheddar and tomato sandwich. i hate to give a bad review but the food is not good enough to warrant such gross overpricing. everytime i've been i've been shocked at the tab. i am not a cheapo when it comes to food either. i shop organic and local and shop restaurants the same way. i'm used to big tabs but i know when i'm getting ripped off just the same...

the service is terrible & completely unacceptable, a group of my friends left without ordering after a staff member yelled at us after being seated without 100% of our party present. will not go back!!

mary’s gourmet diner began as “ mary’s of course “, then grew into “ breakfast of course (and mary’s too) ” at a new, larger location at the northern edge of winston-salem’s art district. they’re still there, in the once-upon-a-time bank building which underwent a complete (gutted) remodel and to which a wondiferous patio was added. mary’s is still serving breakfast, but she’s expanded the menu to include many favorites from her original mary’s of course. that’s not mary. mary supports local artists in a big way, though. she’s also a big believer in alice waters’ and the slow food movement. we had breakfast in the upper (up a few steps) dining room, which boasts a large garden of eden wall mural painted by local artist, jason blevins. service pieces are eclectic, adding to the fun. equinox eggs ($11.95) might be served on this plate any time during the year. a bed of can’t-believe-how-good-they-are corn cakes were first topped with steamed organic & local greens (chard, arugula, kale).

still the best place in town. consistency is immaculate, always tastes homemade and it simply hits the spot. we love you, mary. thank you!

terrible service. i was shocked at the terrible service we received for sunday brunch. it took almost 10 minutes before anyone came to our table for our drink order and we immediately ordered our meal right then and it took almost an hour for two of us to receive our omelets and fruit. i was appalled and will never return. not very apologetic at all. it would have been nice for them to bring us some toast or something while we patiently waited. when you are paying over $10 for an omelet i expect much better service. we will never go back. there are too many other good places that serve delicious food within a reasonable amount of time.