After the Queen City Underground tour a couple of weekends ago, I stopped into the Lavomatic Cafe for lunch with my wife and parents. Honestly I probably would have dined somewhere else this Sunday afternoon but all the other nearby eateries were closed. Fortunately the tour guides told us that there was a 10% discount to Lavomatic for anyone on the tour. We figured that it was worth a try.

Inside Lavomatic

None of us had ever dined at Lavomatic before so we weren’t exactly sure what to expect. Plus the name isn’t descriptive in what type of restaurant it is going to be. Their website has the word urban in multiple places, such as urban wine bar or urban food. I’m sure the environment is much different during dinner hours, and there is a separate menu for dinner, but during the day I wouldn’t call this a wine bar. In fact the six or seven solid beer choices on tap and their signature cocktails were more highlighted than any wine.

Jerk Chicken Sandwich

During our visit we could order from either the lunch or brunch menus. I decided to go with the jerk chicken sandwich, which I don’t see listed on their online menu. It was pretty basic with a seasoned chicken breast, slice of cheese, onion and tomato. The chicken was a little overdone in my opinion, coming from someone who always overcooks chicken at home. Also I didn’t feel that the jerk flavoring was there much at all. And the small green salad on the side didn’t have much flavor either.

Omelette

My wife ordered from the brunch side of the menu, some sort of omelette. I didn’t hear any complaints from her about the omelette, but I did find it strange that the same green salad was served on the side. Would some kind of potato have been a better choice? My mother had the same sandwich that I had, and my dad went with a turkey club. Judging from looks alone, I should have went with the turkey club myself. We shared a couple orders of the house cut fries, and though they were much tastier than my sandwich, I felt they were overpriced.

House Cut Fries

On the positive side, our service was excellent! Though the food took a long time to arrive, our drinks were always full and both our server and the bartender were very pleasant to speak with. I also liked the draft beer selections that I had while there, and I’m sure they boast a decent wine selection too. Maybe their dinner is better, but my advice would be to stick with drinks and appetizers at the Lavomatic.