Reviews of Governors Cafe (Coffee Shop)

C C

Expansive menu is nice. However, service was slow and forgetful. The waitress even overcharged us (luckily we checked!). Additionally, the waitress told us the chicken was cooked off premise and then reheated, AND that they had had issues with the chicken being uncooked! Gross and unsafe!

Samantha Vargo

Great little small town restaurant, love sitting on the front deck ary brunch

Freddy Perez

It was just fantastic... good food. Great atmosphere, cheesecake... what?!?! Just go. Stop reading this... go and eat food there.

Celia dial

Stopped by for breakfast but ended up having lunch. The food and environment was outstanding, not to mention the cordial welcoming and service we received from our waiter Patrick! He was great. Will definitely be back next time we're in town.

Katshot

Just stopped in for lunch. Had a salad. It was very good. Service was fast and personable.

Brandon Hohrein

Establishments like the Governors Cafe make me proud to call myself a born and raised Doverite. Governors Cafe may be my new meeting spot to meet clients and other realtors. Try the Sunnyside Avacado Toast on a plain Bagel. You wont be disappointed! If this review was helpful, give it a

Andreas Durant

Food was good, not great!!

Chad Ainsworth

This little cafe is great! Probably the best local cafe I've been to in a long time. Good coffee too.

Arisbeth Robles

Love their style; food had the right flavors

Chris Butler

Great staff, excellent service.

Dave White

Good prime rib sandwich

Donna Saunders

Love the service and coffee great views

Shirley A. Schwaeble-Ruiz

Great atmosphere horrible service and the food literally is the pits. Save your money and eat elsewhere. This place needs to get their wait staff and their menu straightened out in order to stay in business. Hard to believe that was such a great location and captive audience they can't serve good food.

Julie Burcham

Enjoyed breakfast with our family.

Kelly Simpson

Very clean and great service. Love th coffee!

Mohamed Douik

Nice place in the middle of downtown

Thomas Helms

Very unique atmosphere with a lot of beautiful wood decor and large fireplace. Can't say everyday that you dined in an old governor's mansion either. There's a restaurant, bar area and a little coffee shop/cafe. The food is pretty tasty and reasonably priced. Vegetable portions are oddly skimpy. Service is friendly and quick.

Guata B

The waiter was extremely nice and very courteous, however, this place was a little too old for me. I know the house if from the 1850s but I'm a city boy from Brooklyn lol. I have never dined in a restaurant in a building this old. The food was decent and I would recommend this to anyone. Excellent service! Their cranberry juice is freaking amazing!!!

Carl Peters

Good food, good drink, good service... excellent!

Carolyn Lopez

This is a secret so Shhhhhh!

Buddy Clark

Quiet, enjoyable, wait staff is quality.

Tyler Ferguson

This morning was my second time at the café. First time being a couple weeks ago. Awesome experience both times! I got the bacon egg and cheese burrito both times and it's very good. The coffee is along the best I've ever had and the staff is extremely welcoming. Five stars.

Carrie Finney

Didn't stay. Layout changed.

Tamara Vicere

Loved the food and our very handsome server Ramone.

Mark Taylor

Great location and ambience, food is good.

Mildred Gordy

Very quaint... beautiful home

Byron johns jr

Great place to eat and relax

Jeremy Rodriguez

The food is okay and the servers are generally pleasant, but on all other accounts this place fails. We have been four separate times over the course of a year and every time the atmosphere is absolutely lackluster. Music is never on (not a necessity), when you are not being waited on because the room is so dead and awkward you can hear the wait staff in the corner talking about how they hate their job while huffing or slamming dish-ware around... Very bizarre. It's as if in a hidden way the customer is a nuisance for dining here. This last visit the experience was the same and when the manager asked his staff about the music or lights or other things that were not turned on for service they staff said they didn't even realize... They didn't realize it was so quiet you could hear conversations outside the building across the street, or that it was dark inside, or that we were waiting for a bit of time for a glass of water and even our check at the end after sitting for many minutes and being one of 4 customers in the entire restaurant.. but all of the customers could hear your displeasure for the place. Dover is already slim on good restaurants and I won't waste anymore time coming back here. Due to the location and vital importance to support downtown business this place could really be special. Four chances was more than enough though. They simply don't care.

Chad C.

Great food, old time charm and historic.

Danielle Johnson

Oh man this place is just too good. I love the food and the bartenders joe and cam know what I want and how I want it. I love it I come here every chance i get and my friends. Love it to. Do yourself a favor and go here first chance you get.

Stacey Mitchell

It is a small comfy place with lots of history. The service is great and the food is delicous.

Alan Nadler

Cozy spot.. Fantastic front porch for a warm spring morning or summer everning.

Shine_Readings

Lovely place, relaxed atmosphere. The coffee is Rich and full of flavor.

Scott Dabson

It was a good visit.

Nate Goplen

This place was great, I was there on a spring morning & had coffee and bacon egg sandwich on the front porch with beautiful weather and cherry blossoms in bloom. Coffee & sandwich were great, the atmosphere was wonderful & staff was friendly. I was visiting from out of town so I like to find local coffee shops for my morning routine, this is one of the most beautiful settings I have visited for a coffee house. They don't open until 9 am on a Saturday which was a little strange because I was there a bit early but I would recommend to anyone.

David Channin

Great neighborhood cafe. Terrific ambiance. Great service. Reasonable prices.

Cristina Haller

We had a great night eating, drinking, playing board games and listening to music. Normally I wouldn't have my kids out past 7pm but it's such a cool family friendly historical place that we all enjoyed. The food was good, the drinks were good and the atmosphere was something you don't find every day.

Jordan Mehl

A really cozy place to grab a drink. I've only been right before closing, but the staff were exceptionally gracious and talented. Would absolutely reccomend this watering hole in Dover.

Nancy McGee

Great atmosphere, friendly waitstaff, reasonable prices, and a brie mushroom soup to die for!!

Nancy Cardena

Good food, wonderful waitress, incredible old house!

Robert Holloway

Great cafe. Historical character

Layoncé Sorzano

Awesome food and service

Morley Shaw

Great location. Love the porch tables. Staff excellent. Food tasty and lots of choices. Historical building. Visit often.

matthias gergan

Great place! Excellent service and the food is great!

John Garcias

Good food and service!

Rebekah Jenkins

This place is awful ! Fancy name not a fancy cafe! The service was ridiculously slow not busy at all ! The server completely got my dinner wrong and seemed to not care at all ! She didn’t really seem to care if people came there or not ! I would never come back

Big Tim

Had the seafood omelet, French toast, macaroons, and Bloody Mary. Everything was awesome. My family and I were there for Sunday brunch.

Hawkeye macdonald

Good food and atmosphere

Stephanie McNamara

The absolute best. Don't hesitate, just go. Food is excellent, and the people are nice there. Only downside I found was they stop serving any coffee other than drip coffee after 6. Get your Macchiatos before 6!

Gordon Walker Jr

Good food, drinks and ppl

Janelle

I had 1/2 Kim and a cup of tomato bisque. Both were phenomenal. Definitely a place to put on your lunch rotation.

Thomas Bentz

Lovely old mansion, good food and service at reasonable prices, perfect porch to while away a late summer afternoon over lunch. We had ahi tuna and crabcakes and warm chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies.

levi davis

Ok service. Meh food. Cool layout though

Rachel Jones Schmidt, MBA

Charming

Mary Bohn

I love everything about this place. The atmosphere is warm and relaxing, the food is phenomenal, and the service is super friendly. The perfect spot for a meal!

Jason Coffin

Nice place good food and happy hour specials

Riley Ann

I love the atmosphere of this place. Very spacious, big windows letting in all the light. It’s super cute. Their breakfast burritos are HUGE, and we love the $4 mimosas on the weekend. They also have $5 Bloody Mary’s if you’re into that. This is the kind of place I’d bring friends to for a nice calm morning breakfast/lunch or even just alone with a book for coffee and food. It’s a favorite.

J K Powers

The owner, Rey was quite hospitable as our bartender and server for our kid free bar crawl this afternoon. He allowed us to sample drinks before buying and was able to really at length with us about our beverages.

Rob Delach

Nice old time-y, cosy atmosphere. Gas fireplace is nice in the winter. Food was very good, had the soup of the day and the lasagna w grilled asparagus.

Tara Thurber

A charming place to grab breakfast or lunch. The architecture is stunning and the service is fantastic! Everyone was so friendly.

Josh S

Nice atmosphere, and homely service. Breakfast served to 11 but very small menu. You're only going to find breakfast sandwiches; however, the coffee is good. A lot of potential to be an excellent weekend brunch location, just missing the brunch menu. For dinner prices look on the high side for the Dover area. I plan to go back to try the evening pub atmosphere.

Rob C

Great place for a quiet cup of coffee with a friend or on business. The historical feel of the house is a warm atmosphere.

Sue Blouse

Great service. Delicious food!

Teresa Morgan

Great service great food.

Cathy Ma

This place is such a gorgeous property and you feel welcome the moment you walk in. The service was excellent and seating area was cozy and bright. I just had a black coffee which was pretty good, just needed a pick-me-up. My friends got the breakfast sandwiches which looked delicious. We sat by the fireplace which was a really nice touch especially given how cold it was that day. I am from Northern Delaware but if I lived around here this would definitely be one of my regular spots.

Don Mulrine

Great Food, in a very Historic Building

Debra McCann

Nice historic atmosphere. Friendly host, food good. Would have liked more menu options.

Wayne Duke

Service was somewhat slow. The atmosphere was fine.

Lee Kane

Service was way to slow... they got 2 of our orders wrong. One had to go back twice until they got it right and it was only a grilled ham and cheese.. The blacken tuna came out raw, there is a difference between rare and raw...the salad was good and the soups were very nice.. over all I don't think we will go back.. we had dessert there once before and it wasn't to bad. So if you want a nice cup of coffee and a cookie or piece of cake try this place other wise I'd say skip it...

Steve Whalen

In my top three for cafe/restaurants in Dover. A way better alternative to a chain coffee place.

Kelly Brochey

Excellent food very reasonable price and excellent service. 25 minutes from seating to finishing meal at lunch hour. What more could you ask for?

Elise Knable

Atmosphere is nice, there is an inside and outside seating area. Food is ok. Nothing amazing there yet which is why I gave 4 stars. They have good options though and a full bar.

Melinda Weber

Not a fan.. overpriced... staff acts like it's a frat house party.. 2x's got sandwiches to go and they were made wrong, skimped on items in sandwich.. poorly made and they didn't care

Letitia Schuman

Went to hear some friends play. Good food and staff.

Evan McHenry

A cozy little cafe that has a nice soup and sandwich selection as well as good coffee. The staff are nice and the atmosphere is very historic.

Peter Schonert

Lots of space and good food at a fair price

bob h

Love that you can dine with your dog on the porch, food was very good.

Bryan Henry

This is one of my favorite places to eat in Dover.

Nanci Staley

The food was fantastic, fairly inexpensive, and unique. The service was a bit slow but extremely friendly.

Diane Albanese

Sitting on the front porch on a clear spring day with fully blooming trees and the scent of fresh flowers:PERFECT! What an historic and significant setting for a restaurant. We had salads that were tasty and served quickly for our executive lunch on a weekday. Asparagus and chicken that was tender and covered with pesto. This is a new favorite place for me in Dover. The room with the Governor pictures is awesome!

bradley785 .

Excellent service, cozy atmosphere, great food! Try the seafood omelette; it's so good! We also had a slice of the vanilla cheesecake --very luxurious without being extra rich or extra sweet. There wasn't a specific "kids" menu, but you will definitely find something your kids would eat!

CJ Smith

This place is it's own entity. I'm a little late here, as I have not been to this place since I left Dover in 2016. However, this place will have a special place in my heart as long as I will live. This was the place I went for an escape. I would come in with my journal and iPod and have my usual large coffee with 2 cane sugar packets. I had just gotten out of a horrible domestic situation and one waitress sat and talked to me as I was crying in my cup while Dave Matthews Band was on my headphones. The staff always took care of me. If I ever return to Delaware someday, I will be sure to stop by. I wish I could award this shop more stars.

Sharon Poisson

Fantastic place to have lunch outside on the porch. Great food and friendly service.

maximillus 2

first off, took nearly 10 painstaking minutes for the DRINKS to arrive. side note: our waitress was new and a lil new. once the drinks arrived, everything came crashing down. my sprite tasted like carbonated water, while the coffee served took a while because THE EPIC RAD EXPLOSION OF THE COFFEE MAKIN MACHINE. once the coffee arrived, i nearly died of disappointment. to put simply, it was absolutely positively single handedly the worst thing i had ever tasted in all 5 years of my life. once the food arrived, in good time- maybe about 15 minutes- we realized that we really hecked up

Daniel Vidny

A great place with a historical feel. The menu is fantastic, though the execution by the kitchen has lacked it's former luster (possibly due to busy lunch hours). Staff is friendly and helpful. An excellent lunch spot.

Daniel Showalter

Only had tea but I like the atmosphere.

Katie Hiller

Awesome food, atmosphere, and prices!!

Vincent Wagner

If you're in the area, this is a great place to have a drink or get a meal. The outdoor seating on a nice evening is relaxing. The service was excellent and the food I had was very good. I would definitely return.

David Smith Jr.

So, I have heard about how great this place is for years now, so since I had guests from New York we went down for brunch. We sat for some time and the waiter had to come wipe down the table since there was water all over it. Then the waiter came over and finally gave us menus. My friend made the comment to us about who might be on playing soccer on the TV, the waiter knew who it was. When we finally got to ordering, I realized the waiter was not so much listening to us, but much rather watching the game. I had ordered a mimosa...Which I never got.. Every time after that he would come over and speak and be watching the TV. He mixed up who got what..Failed to realize that I was sipping on water and never did get a drink. The food itself was like it was pre made, I got toast with my breakfast... Dry toast, no butter on it, no jelly...Nothing. My guests said their food was OK. We waited forever for the check, we finally asked after 20 minutes or more. I thought at one point, we could have just walked out and no one would have been the wiser. I will never go there again for a bland omelet, re heated potato wedges and dry toast again. I can't believe I know people who think this place is great...They must not know any better or the place has really gone downhill. I certainly will not recommend this place to anyone.

Patricia VanOrman

Food and service were fabulous!

nick magliaro

Great food. Quiet. Good for coffee. Do your own cream though. They add too much

Edie Davis

Love everything about this beautiful place

Becky Baechle

Absolutely fantastic! We came for breakfast wonderful staff yummy food we can't wait to have a dinner date here! Can't believe we just found this place after living here for almost 12 years!! New favorite spot! So beautiful!! I will recommend this place over and over again!!

John Plummer

One of my favorite spots for breakfast, lunch, an Americano, espresso or latte. They have excellent pastries too. It's a beautiful historic building with a warm fire in the winter, original warm woodwork and friendly service. Great for large meetings are intimate get-togethers. Located in the heart of Dover, next to the Governor's Mansion.

M L Flynn

Good food in an historical setting. We tried the smoked salmon app, blackened tuna wrap, chicken salad wrap and apple pecan salad. All were delish. My biggest complaint would be the pickle on the side- it was meh. Potato salad was yummy, overall a pleasant experience.

Michael Tholstrup

The atmosphere was perfect for a chai latte by the fire! But when the restroom said it all.

AngryWheelchairGuy 1990

Quaint. Great place for a weekend lunch during late Spring into early Fall. Wheelchair access is noncompliant and can be improved. Try the blackened tuna sandwich...Delicious!!!

ML Harless

Great atmosphere. Beautiful architecture. Laidback. Carryout shop.

Patti Gallo

Fast, friendly service. The prime rib sandwich was delightful. Nice place to linger over lunch with friends.

Daniel Nelson

Really pretty building. Good food and service. The lady with the dreads that made my coffee was beautiful.

Charles Cunningham

Great place to eat! Food is fresh and excellent! Just not easy to find. But this is a true gem.

Michelle Gleason

Very cool old building! Great atmosphere! Lovely to sit on the porch on nice days! Food is okay but nothing special

Chris Gallagher

Historical place. Good food and cozy atmosphere

Rhonda Miller

Great place for lunch or dinner or to linger over a drink and some delicious crab dip. Have had lunch and dinner here many times and stopped in for happy hour too! Soup and half sandwich combos are great for lunch or light dinner. Service is attentive and always with a smile and the food has never disappointed. Don't miss the tomato basil soup! Portions are right-sized for right price. Desserts are delicious and portions big enough to share.

Joseph Furio

This place is honestly one of the few good spots in Dover to get coffee and frankly it's one of the few nice places in general. I appreciate the service there, as I have never had a qualm with any of the staff. They always seem friendly and respectful. The food is pretty darn good, too. Drink specials are always on point and Cam is one of my favorite bartenders. I look forward to continuing to go to this establishment.

Keith Tiedemann

Attended the Bourbon Dinner. Great food. Great drink. Fun.

Nalu

Don't actually know about the food but it was expensive for where it is and water tastes like bad tap water, coffee was okay. Cute inside if not a little dark.

Laura Plenzik

Laid back place, love the outdoor sitting. Nice staff, good coffee and food.

JUAN DELAVEGA

Absolute gem!! Love this place!

DANIEL MUJICA

Fast service and good food

oldmanholder .

My wife and I took a couple of friends from NYC there for lunch after church. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was very relaxing. Will definitely be returning.

Dawn Jackson

The food was delicious and quick. The service was great. We sat outside to appreciate the view.

Gabriel Suto

I went to the restaurant for the first time. The waitress was terrible. We had to raise our hand so we could order food. We got drinks but she never came by to ask for refills. She could have easily tripled the order last night. 7/24/2019 @ 7:00 pm. We had 14 people total. Will not come back.

Mika Shipley

Great expanded menu. Service at the table was friendly and attentive.

Christine Camoirano

Delicious meal, great atmosphere and great service!!

Caleb Melvin

This has been my third trip to Governor's Cafe, and it will be my last as every experience has been the same. While service was fine and speed was great, I cannot and must not overlook the laughable quality of the food. I understand it is a cafe, so the bar is already not very high.... But when I am served lays chips, with a sandwich (this time was the turkey panini which was not even remotely toasted, just warm and pressed) on off-brand white bread, with low quality cheese, and a pickle straight out of a Vlasic or Mt. Olive jar... the bar becomes more apparent. Its mind blowing that I was served a sandwich with such C grade ingredients. I make sandwich at home with better ingredients than what I was served. But most shocking.... WHY ON EARTH DO YOU SERVE SANDWHICHES ON FOOD LION BRAND (insert other generic brands here) WHITE BREAD. I wouldn't even serve that bread to my dog. Because of the awful awful quality of food, I cannot give it more than a single star.

Sarah Z

Food was good, service a little slow

Samie Angle

Love the atmosphere, Reuben was a disappointment, but the prime rib sandwich is great

Barry Pugh

Great service, food and beverages.

Kenneth Johnson

Cool restaurant bar in a historic house.

Chris Waszak

Awesome food served in a historic spot with a vintage atmosphere. Or just drop in for coffee or an adult beverage! Definitely recommend.

Teresa Childress

Thank goodness salad was an option!

Larry Sullivan

Not sure why the other reviews are high. We had a disappointing meal experience there today. What was billed as Kim’s Prime Rib Sandwich was steakums. It was a decent steakums sandwich but it was far from prime rib. The food was overly salty. We each left about half of our meal uneaten.

Esther Curtis

We love this place! Although everybody seems to go to Governor's Cafe at lunchtime, we go for dinner on the weekends and it's excellent. Try the prime rib sandwich!

Anne Lueck

Great coffee and great lunch specials, fab atmosphere

amber Brumfield

Bartender was amazing. Food was decent.

Chris Patterson

Great food and coffee with a far more authentic atmosphere than in the chain coffee shops. Best place in Dover for a business lunch or just working on a laptop. Coffee and macaroons on the porch during nice weather is a great way to spend your time.

Jacob Hall

Good. Cozy.

Cahall Properties LLC

Terrific atmosphere & cozy. Beautiful stately building!

Heather Cunningham

They need to get a solid grip on what's happening there before 11am; rude barista who insisted that I complete an exercise in semantics before I could eat. Additionally, he scoffed, hard, at my request to add red onion to the bagel cream cheese lox caper sandwich I ordered, and was not available to make us a second cup of coffee; also I was asked to choose potato salad or chips to go with my breakfast sandwich at 9 am which I found to be absurd.

Dalton Newell

Good brunch place

William Peterson

Peacefull

Patti Manley

Great food and service a must see

andrea S

I come here to study/write all the time. Awesome atmosphere, kind employees. Decent prices. My favorite Cafe in Dover

Sam Jones

Such a cute place, great for lunch or dinner! We took our puppy here and sat outside, he slept on the chair but our waiter brought him a bowl of water. I went here with some friends from out of town because a cute place like this is not common around here. The food is DELICIOUS it never disappoints, I am so glad I found this gem.

Katy Goff

It gives Dover a college town feel.

Harriet Dichiara

Lovely day and lovely meal! We always enjoy our time here.

Brianna Bricker

So cute! In a really pretty historic building that was fun to hang out in. The chai latte was super good!

Jamie Booth

Historic setting with friendly service. Food and drinks were quite good. Unfortunately my experience was spoiled a bit because they allow smoking on the deck where I was seated.

Jean-Philippe Mercier

Lovely place in an old 1800's house setting. Very quaint and would have been the perfect spot to get work done had I been in town longer. The coffee was delicious and made a good impression on me. Definitely recommend this place for a good quick bite and quality coffee.

Don Hass

Excellent wait staff. Our waitress was a delight. Definitely would get the vegetarian flat bread again along with the grilled cheese sandwich. Will try the cheese platter and fruit if they have available. Party is also interested in try Sunday brunch soon.

Nathan Franco

Kinda hipster food was ok. Service was adequate. Nothing special.

Amy Henry

I really, really need this place to step up their food game!! This is a fantastic location, smack in the middle of Dover's historic district. The building itself is full of history, and is quite beautiful. There's a lovely front porch from which diners can overlook the Governor's mansion across the street, or just watch the birds and butterflies frolic in the plentiful trees and well maintained shrubbery There's a cozy sitting room inside for visiting with friends and sipping (delicious) coffee. The food, however, is a different story. In the few times I've dined there I have yet to have a quality meal. They seem to use a lot of shortcuts, such as frozen chicken, the food is consistently underseasoned, and the prices are a little high for what you get. This place has the potential to be something really special, but they drop the ball on food quality. Until they get this figured out, I will continue to use and recommend it as simply a nice coffee shop where you can hang out and chat with friends, but not a great place for dinner.

Jacob Tiss

Well, we went on a Saturday at 1130 so you'd think there'd be decent service but it was not the case. We arrived and sat and quickly realized that we were the only customers so hey there should be more attention given to us as there were three servers a bartender a barista and a cook all working. Firstly we simply asked for lemons with our water a couple of times but they never came. No big deal I went to the bar and retrieved them myself...no need to make a fuss over something small. Then as we were waiting for our food to be prepared, we noticed the three female servers all sitting in the area that we were sitting where they were fervently talking of the about the fornicating and heavy drinking they had participated in the night prior. Promptly after that, one of the servers fell asleep on the bench area that was on the wall. I was actually able to get a picture and will try to upload it. After that our soup was brought but not with our meals as requested and no spoons because apparently we were supposed to drink cold soup or use our hands. Again I went and retrieved the spoons myself after I had asked for them and never received them. Finally we received the rest of our food which really was subpar and hurriedly ate for fear of staying in this atrosish establishment and further. Quite obviously we won't be going back as the entire experience was off putting and not worth it's cost. It's sad to see a place that was once somewhat decent slide into such a poor state.

Ann Helbe

Very good

Amy Quillen

Great place to eat outside on a beautiful day!

Tranquil Traveler

Very good service!!. Fish tacos were yummy. Dining room a little dark for lunch. Reasonable priced.

Richard Molina

Food was great but service was not that great

Paula Workman

Good food but closes early

Sese R.

Love the quaint atmosphere. Mostly friendly service. Only place you can get Mageline's authentic French Macarons...they change seasonally and are made in Dover (I've met her in person).

Kat Furta

Excellent service paired with an excellent menu. I'm also a huge fan of the pet-friendly outdoor seating. A ++

Michael Eszes

Had a wonderful meal and pets are welcome outdoors.

James Gordon

Awesome atmosphere, Theo the bar tender is crucially and legitimately a #TERRIFICMIXOLOGIST. Perfect place for dining

Rob Lesher

Really great experience

Pamela Berry

Love this cafe, wonderful food

Bob Hartman

Still a great place to get a cup of coffee, a muffin, and to sit on their porch on a sunny morning and enjoy Dover crawling by. They have a restaurant and a bar too, for later in the day drinks.