Gabriel’s Café

How do you stay in business when you are not open at the times posted on the door? On several occasions during the work week I have found the door locked at 10:00AM. A number of times I’ve gone in and there was no coffee ready. The food is fine, but its frustrating to park in uptown Kingston and then find the door locked. Call ahead.

Have been here several times and was always pleased with the food, service, and atmosphere. Today we came in on a cold winter day and had a lentil soup with a side of pita bread that was truly outstanding. Yes, it’s not the busiest or trendiest place in Kingston, but we’ve always enjoyed our visit.

I had high hopes for this place but it fell completely flat on its face. We came in and there was only one table with diners. It was nicely decorated but it was bit dark and could use some good music. We waited a few minutes to order. After taking our order, the waitress walked into the kitchen area and the chef/​owner promptly disappeared. After waiting 15 – 20 .minutes for our order, the waitress came out to tell us the chef had to go to the store to buy the seitan for my sandwich. You waited 15 minutes to
?? Why didn’t you just tell me you were out of it, there were plenty of other things on the menu. Sigh… I really, really wanted this to be a good place, but the service is killing it. Maybe next time. I recommend that they lighten the place up a bit

There are a whole host of terrific cafes in Kingston; this is not one of them.
A friend and I went in around 2pm on a Saturday after doing some shopping on the main drag. The place was empty and the maitre’d explained that there was some cleaning going on in the back. That should have been our cue to leave, but there was a cute table out front, so we thought we’d get some coffee and eggs and relax for a bit.
Service was slow– 10 minutes to come over to take a drink order, another 10 to bring the glass of iced tea… things I should have expected with only one server and presumably a kitchen staff busy trying to clean up. But when the food arrived, I was speechless. My friend’s omelette was a pancake of egg with the mix-​ins (broccoli, cheese, sausage) sprinkled ON TOP of the egg. The sausage was a giant chicken sausage, casing on, scored but not separated into bite sized pieces, laying UNDER the egg-​pancake. My dish, an egg scramble even harder to mess up than an omelette, was filled with onions alternating between raw and burnt-​black, and covered with cheese like it was a bowl of french onion soup.
We were so disappointed that in a town full of cute eateries, that’s where we ended up. We wound up eating a second lunch two hours later.

Had the Cuzco Stew, a hearty mix of brown rice, quinoa, onions, crumbled tempeh and seasonal vegetables, served with a kale house salad. The meal was delicious and healthy, and the café atmosphere was pleasant and relaxing. While the staff were very friendly, my only complaint was the wait time and service. We waited over a half hour for our meal, and we were the only people in the café (had a late dinner). Otherwise, great meal and the price was right.

The decoration of this place is absolutely amazing! I get happy just walking into this place. If I were to describe it, I would say it has brick walls with modern art paintings on the walls, colorful chairs, a bookshelf with integrative medicine books and home remedies books (this is a little random haha).
Empanadas– with chicken very delicious and cost $ 3 something. A little pricey for empanadas but I guess it’s justified since they have such a nice place!

This is my favorite restaurant in Kingston hands-​down! The food is always fresh and delicious, as well as being inventive and interesting. I am vegetarian, and appreciate that every day there is a vegetarian specialty. And if you like scones, one taste of any flavor at Gabriel’s will leave you longing for more. The atmosphere in the restaurant is lovely and comfortable, the art is inspiring, but it is Gabriel’s cooking and love for the food that will make you a regular customer. I love this place, and have since discovering it 6 years ago.

Great real food. One of the best meals I have had in Kingston.
Had guava empanada, amazing. Huevos rancheros… not the cheesy chain restaurant stuff. Eggs poached perfectly, delicate balance of ingredients. Home made tortilla was perfect crispy/​chewy.
Just go there and enjoy.

Yes, this is the same Gabriel/​Susan team that ran the café on John. They’ve moved into Mr. Kim’s place on Wall Street and spent the past few months doing a total makeover. Delicious, fresh, locally sourced food with vegan and veggie options, plus Susan’s delish home-​baked goods for dessert. We ate at Gabriel’s for dinner last night (yes, it is open for dinner now with small and large plate offerings). I tried the Colombian Platter and my husband had the Yucatecan Pork — excellent choices, generous servings. For dessert, we made room for a slice of chocolate cake with a yummy glaze of coconut and toasted almonds. Our bill for two: $ 36. No booze on the menu — but that was OK with us. If desired, we could have gone around the corner and belted down few at the Stockade or slipped into Elephant a few doors down. Uptown Kingston has really become a food-lover’s paradise. BW — Gabriel’s has also kept a bit of Mr. Kim’s — there’s a small market attached to the restaurant with Asian and locally-​sourced food products. Stop in and let Susan know what you want her to carry… she’s building up the product line.