Cape Arago Cafe & Espresso

"Came here and ordered coffee. When I swiped my card on the portable POS device the lady pulled it back quickly and didn't show me the screen again. I requested a receipt via text message and later after receiving it, I noticed that the lady applied a tip to the order that I did not authorize. I am giving the review 1 start for the fact that this is shady business practice to not let customer select tip option and automatically apply a tip without asking customer. Especially for a window drive-thru coffee. **Reply to Owner** The lady working there asked me my phone number and typed it in for me, she never showed me the screen after swiping my card. I was there Friday morning at 10:05 am according to receipt. Also, we were on vacation and we will not be back to receive refund or free coffee. What are your other options to make this right?"

"Went there with my fiance this morning. We asked if there was sesame flour in the chicken fried steak breading because she's allergic. Which we were quite clear about. She said they're made in house, not from a premix, but that she didn't know. I asked about an ingredient list and she said she doesn't know about what goes on in there. It was kind of confusing. But we assumed if it was from scratch it was probably safe. Asked about the scrambled eggs, if they were fresh. I felt like the server was dismissive. The eggs were absolutely not cracked. These were poured from a carton. I wasn't really thrilled with my French toast, either. Brought the leftovers home and the kids said the French toast was "gross." Diners are not known for their cleanliness in general, but this was extra disappointing. I'm looking forward to being called a fake, though, since that seems to be the go to response to everyone who doesn't come away with a good experience..."

"*** Edited below for response to the owner *** They had good reviews so I overlooked the greasy fingerprints and soggy saltines in the salt shakers.... But they flat out refused to check on ANY ingredients for sesame when I have to carry EpiPens for allergies. A huge bummer because we drove a decent distance to give them a try. The server seemed annoyed we even asked. She said they made everything in house so I don't understand why we couldn't just ask the cook? I asked if they used real eggs and she nodded... but when I was brought the eggs they were definitely out of a carton so I couldn't eat those either (allergies to preservatives and dyes too). All and all it was a wildly different experience than I was hoping for. :( ***Addition to respond to owners comment*** - I eat at SEVERAL restaurants (and leave reviews for them too), most are more than willing to check ingredients for me without any hassle. Picky about cooking? That would be weird considering I stated I had a SEASAME ALLERGY. That's quite an unusual thing to worry about being in breading even if she misheard the part about my allergy. I don't need to tell staff I carry an EpiPen so they know it's a "serious enough" allergy to pay attention too...that makes me concerned for potential future customers. Hopefully they see this review. I think you need to reevaluate how you handle things."

"We stopped for breakfast on a Saturday, and it was busy. Our server (the owner?) was awesome! She was waiting tables, including clearing them, handling the paying customers, and all the time kept the coffee cups filled. The food was great, especially the crispy bacon. She was literally running to keep up and was pleasant the entire time. We expected the food to take a long time but it came fairly quick. It looked like there was a lot of locals in there and a few campers like us."

"My partner and I often dine in Charleston and we decided to give this quaint little cafe a try on September 12, 2023. Great location, great ambience and decent service. Unfortunately, the food left much to be desired. My partner, a vegetarian, ordered a bowl of the clam chowder. It was more like a light soup, very watery and the clams few and far between. We both love chowder and have tried this meal in most of the restaurants from Florence to Port Orford, and this was dead last by a mile. If you love the rich taste of a thick, creamy chowder with chunks of clam, you will be greatly disappointed by what they serve at this establishment. I opted for the burger and fries. The latter was decent, and the bun was on a nice toasted roll and looked presentable. However, I have no idea what made up the bulk of the "hamburger", but it certainly was not ground beef. It was a flat, processed patty that looked, smelled and tasted terrible. It had a pasty texture and I would hesitate to guess what the primary ingredient was. I have eaten hamburgers all over the country, and the "meat" in this one is a must to avoid. When I paid for the meal, I asked for a receipt but was told they could not provide one. I was assured that I would receive one via email. That did not happen. Based on my bank statement, I paid $31.19 (including tip) for this meal and it was debited to "Ocean Air Taqueria", a closed business formerly at this location."