Cassatt’s Kiwi Cafe & Gallery

An excellent brunch spot. Over 50’s atmosphere with polite staff. Service can be less than desired during the weekend lunch rush, but you can tell they are trying to provide prompt service. I highly recommend the frittatas and salmon eggs benedict. Hard to go wrong with this place.

I love Cassatt’s! The food is always fresh, innovative, and delicious. And the ambiance is lovely. One of my favorite lunch spots!

I came for breakfast. It’s right around the corner from where I am staying. The menu is simple but with interesting options. I ended getting a mushroom quesadilla. It was good. The reason it didn’t get 5 stars is the limited menu. I like egg benedits. I like easy eggs. The service was spot on and had a great coffee bar selection.

Saturday Brunch was a major disappointment. Service: basically non-​existent; server and hostess were huddled by coffee machine with backs to the café busy working the Post Crossword puzzle and not watching the door or tables. Coffee: latte and capp were served cold because they sat while the French press was brewing. Pastry Basket: stale muffins were served (would not have ordered if the server had told us they were out of usual croissants /​pastries). Food: French toast was burnt; poached eggs were served hard (not runny); toast was cold and hard (thought I’d break a tooth). Just a really bad experience.

Came here for brunch on a Sunday afternoon. Enjoyed the atmosphere and the food was very tasty. I will definitely be back!

As fans of Kiwi food, we’ve been meaning to try this place for years. Arrived for dinner on a Friday night around 8 PM, but fortunately we were warmly welcomed and didn’t have to wait for a table.
Non-​culture shock note: not that we were planning on ordering a burger anyway, but we were relieved to learn that their Kiwiburger isn’t quite authentic — it was a rude shock when we visited New Zealand to discover that burgers and other sandwiches tend to come by default with sliced beets. Ugh! But Cassatt’s doesn’t do that.
My wife had one of their Kiwi pies, specifically chicken and curry. Nicely done, with a good pastry, and a flavorful but not very hot sauce inside. The accompanying side salad was also good, with fresh ingredients. My wife felt the chutney was a bit strong, but it struck me as exactly what I would have expected, so I got to eat most of it.
I ordered bronzino (that’s a white fish that I’d never heard of before), wrapped in a thin pastry and topped with a fennel and orange confit. The fish might have benefited from 30 seconds less cooking, but it was acceptable and enjoyable.
Not so good: our server seemed rather uninformed about their menu, and was unable to answer many of our questions (such as, what’s bronzino?). Fortunately he sent the manager over, who was quite helpful. Also, I’m not a big fan of having to pay for a bread basket (and since we weren’t ~that~ hungry, we didn’t.)
Parking in front tends to be tight, but there’s plenty more if you drive around to the back.

This is a restaurant that often gives me conflicted feelings.
I love their food. This is why I go there. I don’t really care if it is authentic kiwi food as long as it is delicious. I am ALWAYS impressed.
The service however, has never impressed me. Every time I go, at least one thing goes wrong. Here is what I have noticed.
The waiters don’t seem to be busting their butts when the place is packed and a wait list out the door. Tables will remain empty/​dirty for up to 5 minutes while hungry diners are waiting to sit. And if you are like me — a hungry 5 minutes is the longest, and crankiest 5 minutes you will ever have.
Another thing that bothers me, instead of bringing you a new glass for a refill, they take yours, fill it back up, and bring it back to you. So you have no drink for a few minutes, and they reuse your dirty glass. That is actually a violation of health code. Your germs are going back into the prep area and risk being spread on the spouts of whatever it is you are getting your drink from. Think about how many people are basically drinking out of that every day. Gross.
This time around, we happened to be the lucky ones where our order came out fine. But the two tables surrounding us, who were there first and ordered before us, did not get their food. They were never notified, and they had to ask, ‘where is our food?’ A customer should NEVER have to ask that. They should be informed that there was a mistake, we have corrected it, and we apologize. Oh also, here is free stuff.
Overall, I am still going to go back. But again, I don’t go there for the service. I just really love their food.
Oh, and if they read this please invest in Almond milk!!! :)
Good Eatin’

This is my new brunch spot. Service is great — they are always offering to refill the coffee and have a table available almost immediately. Can’t go wrong with the eggs benedict!

My boyfriend, best friend and I were looking for a brunch last minute. Everywhere in Arlington was booked, so we stumbled around here and gave it a go. When I walked into the place, seats were packed and there were a few people in line. I waited a bit longer than needed to for the host. However, when she did appear we were quickly seated. There is a constant move of people going in and out. When we were seated we were asked what we wanted to drink; a round of waters and mimosas were ordered. When we got the water it was a luke warm, but the mimosas were flawless other than the fact they are $ 8 a pop.
My boyfriend orders the Lox and Bagel and the Pest Chicken Panini. Everything tastes good other that the actual bagel (we’ve had better). Lox and Bagel was a little over priced. My best friend go the Vegetable Omelet and was very please and price was reasonable for that meal. I ordered the Chorizo Quesadilla and it rocked. We were all please with the fresh side of fruit, everything was on point.
Overall, the experience was nice. Parking and prices can be better.

Not impressed. The only thing kiwi about this café is the flat whites.
A pavlova is supposed to have a hard crust that shatters on the outside but is soft and sticky on the inside. The Cassats pavlova is soft and not like any pavlova I’ve ever had in New Zealand.
My parents worked at the New Zealand embassy and used to say nice things about this place, but my recent trip was nothing to recommend and certainly not a New Zealand themed café.

This was an inviting and lively café for an early breakfast in Arlington. The service was very warm and the staff was eager about our questions regarding the menu. My cousin started with a flat white, very creamy and delicious. I had the eggs Benedict. the hollandaise sauce had a nice little kick to it. She had the New Zealand panini and enjoyed it. The food and atmosphere make it the perfect café to catch up with someone on a weekend morning.

This is a very cool local place, if you are tired of downtown Arlington’s busy scenes.
We had a seat outside and Joe was serving our table. He was nice, attentive, and friendly, but busy enough to miss refilling our coffee. I’m sure he would have, if we had asked for.
Food: We ordered veggie omelette, french toast, and an order of side bread. The omelette was good, but I loved the potato side that came with it over everything else on that plate. My french toast was grilled, with a side of walnuts and fresh fruits.
The basket of bread was very mediocre, was supposed to have multigrain and brioche but all tasted like rye bread. The coffee was fine and overall, the menu was reasonably priced.

I ordered a mushroom quesadilla and it was pretty good. I could taste each of the ingredients, all of which I like. I would totally go again.
That being said it was sort of a mushy textured meal overall. I wish my salad wasn’t chopped so finely or that the tomatoes in the avocado salad weren’t as watery.

I went here for brunch with my cousin and we both ordered the lox bagel– I highly recommend it! There was plenty of everything: salmon, capers, cream cheese, onions… all on a fresh everything bagel! The service was quick and friendly, and I loved the outdoor seating. We got strawberry milkshakes for dessert!

Our first visit here for a quick dinner with a toddler and baby. Place is small inside. Barely any room to pull chair out. Food was ok. Nothing special I can recall. Service was a tad slower for a smaller place. We came another time with another couple and their child. Still same experience with small space unhappy child. Doesn’t seem to be kid friendly place.

My husband and I visited this spot after reading the reviews and it did not disappoint.
We both ordered the Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedicts and the Flat white drink and it was delicious and oh so cozy. Everything on my plate was amazing: the panini that sat below the eggs, the fresh fruit and potatoes.
It had more seating than the pictures on Unilocal reveal. I was a bit worried at first that we would have to wait for 1 of 3 tables on a Saturday during brunch hour but there were tables all along one side of the café. Yes, they were all filled but we sat at the «bar» area next to the kitchen.
Even though it took a little time for them to take our order and know who our server was (bc they were so packed) everyone was very amiable and willing.
We are definitely hooked!

Cassat’s Kiwi, I am concerned about you, despite my love of so many things you do…
Cons:
1. The «bottled water». Why? The bottles are dirty, grimy, moldy, rusty and unsanitary. You really, really can’t serve water out of those anymore. Please. Numerous occasions… the water bottle is this way. It wasn’t just once. We see you filling it right back up from the sink each time. Ew!!! Throw all those nasty bottles in the G.A.R.B.A.G.E.!! Someone is going to get SICK! Can’t believe that passes code.
Suggestion: Still want people to serve themselves water? Then maybe get glass pitchers that you can put in a DISHWASHER and use filtered water.
2. Back porch. This is a travesty. It is so quaint back there, but the porch is really super gross. The floor = fake golfer’s carpet = really yucky and unsanitary. You have a bees nest in the corner on the building and customers get somewhat forgotten about out there. It is not inviting and totally could be…
Suggestion: Rip that side thing off that is currently in shambles and have someone build you a new one with a nice floor and maybe an awning with heat lamps. You’d do twice the business in the winter and plus, you could have people rent it out to have private parties in the back there, even in the winter time. I’d be your first customer there for that! Live music? Coffee club? Art shows? If you want help with promotion after you build the thing, I am ALL IN.
Pros:
1. Omelets = excellent
2. Presentation of food = clean
3. Flat white = excellent
4. Discount cards, nice touch
One last thing — can you ask the girls that work there to stop doing their hair behind the counter? Putting it up, taking it down, shedding and then serving food without washing their hands? Thanks!

Update: 6÷27÷15: I just went there for Brunch. It’s not my first brunch there, and the food continues to be great. HOWEVER, it’s the first time I ordered French Toast from them and, as a result, need to remove one star from the overall rating. Not for the food, it was still great, but for the stoopid decision to use low grade «syrup» instead of Maple Syrup. I cannot understand why a restaurant would go to all the trouble to make a great dish that needs syrup and ruin it by providing anything substandard. You’ll be okay if you avoid the French toast or don’t mind it covered by brown, slightly sweet and slightly funky tasting liquid. OK, done with my rant, now back to my original review, already in progress…
Who knew this place wasn’t just great for breakfast?
Last night I stopped off for dinner on my way home from work and had a great experience!
They had a string trio playing. Not what you think, string bass, guitar, and violinist who sang. And, they were entertaining.
The house-​made meat pie was both delicious and a reminder there would be a new episode of Hannibal at home on the DVR.
I wrapped up dinner with a slice of their carrot cake (recommended by their baker) and, of course, a cup of Flat White.

Cassatt’s is the first restaurant I visited in 2014 (bf and I went there for brunch on New Year’s Day) and it is also the first restaurant I’ve visited that serves cuisine from New Zealand («Kiwi food,» as I’ve heard it called). We’d previously walked by this restaurant many times, not knowing whether it was an art gallery or a café. Indeed, they have many pieces of art on the walls and, I think, they sell them in addition to using them as décor.
The specialty here seemed to be the veggie and meat pies and they make them with fresh ingredients from abroad. I ordered the steak and cheese pie and was very pleased — it tasted homecooked and tender. Bf ordered the New Zealand panini (grilled chicken, brie, apricots & chutney) and liked it.
It was very smart of them to stay open on New Year’s Day, a day when even Chipotle was closed. I’m so glad we discovered this place — I’d certainly love to visit again.

I ordered the Salmon rolled with sumac, fennel and apple, grilled medium with an orange glaze, mint oil and balsamic reduction served with a mushroom grits cake (18.50) and the Peruvian Style Hanger Steak servied with mashed sweet potatoes (17.50). The green beans that come with both entrees were perfectly cooked and seasoned (not rubbery). The mushroom grit cake was delicious but the salmon was a little dry. I asked salmon to be cooked to medium but b/​c they had rolled the salmon in sumac, fennel and apple, it wasn’t a whole piece of salmon which was why it was overcooked. My favorite part of the meal was the hanger steak, it was juicy, tender, and perfectly pan seared to medium. I’m not a fan of mashed potatoes so I didnt eat the sweet mashed potatoes but my mom loved it.
I went to Capital Grill for dinner the next day and in comparison, I enjoyed the steak at Cassatt’s much more than the steak at Capital Grill.