The Mason Jar Cafe

I will start by saying that the owner needs to learn how to speak to customers when they have complaints. If he does not do better this will just be another failed business in this town. The sign on the door says they close at 8pm. My family and I arrive at 7:40 only to be turned away and told they are closed. I called the owner today and he is quick to give me some bogus excuse that he closes early because his food is fresh and he makes it all personally himself. He says when he runs out he closes the doors. How would the rest of the restaurants in the world work if they are just closed up when they ran out of some food. Sounds like this business owner has allot to learn about running a successful business and taking care of your customers. If you close at 7:30 that’s fine. Just close at 7:30, but update your sign to reflect that. Very disappointing experience, but I am sure over time we will find that the owner does not care. The same way he was with me on the phone just now.

Our server Jordan, was great, a delightful person. The food was better than average, though the tasty brisket was rather fatty. That said, the experience was ruined by the noise level created when the self-​proclaimed new-​ish «Brooklyn owner» proudly and loudly announced her heritage, personal preferences, places she and her family have lived, her background, including her serving food at sorority house way back when, and even much background on her son, etcetera, etcetera at top volume to other patrons, all a mere three feet away from us, so much so that conversation was not possible. It went on and on, and It was literally the loudest and most annoying and disturbing meal I can remember. We were forced to leave before finishing my friend’s birthday dessert.

I’ll start off with the most important. The food was pretty good! My «brisket» was mostly fat but what meat was on it was tender and flavorful. The fried green tomatoes were yummy. The café itself is very cute and homey.
Now, the rest… The poor young girl who works there was working her butt off trying to take orders and fill drinks while the two older women were working behind her asking if people had gotten their orders taken and drinks filled. By the end of our meal I could tell she was annoyed and so was I. Also, the women were very loud and we could hear them yelling at the kitchen staff and blaming someone on people not getting meals and desserts. Myself, I asked for Mac and cheese subbed for the green beans and I got green beans. The patrons next to us asked for another vegetable instead of mashed potatoes and she still got mashed potatoes. There seems to be some communication problems and when it becomes audibly apparent to your customers you have a problem.
Last but not least, I don’t want to hear you refer to another table as «the old people.» If I heard that around the corner and in another room, I’m almost certain they heard it too.

The short of it… If you want great cooked from scratch food please give this place a try, you will not regret it.
The rest of the story… On January 22 my family and I left Charlotte after lunch as things were closing because of the snow here it was even worse in the mountains. As we arrived about 6:30 pm on a Friday evening everything was closed. We found this place on Unilocal and my wife called, they were open. As we pulled in at this time over 12″ of snow the owners met us in the parking lot and assisted us in getting our children (2 & 4) in and my present wife. The owners were so nice even bringing toys and snacks to the table for my girls. As we walked in it was almost like walking into my grandparents dinning room. We ordered and as we started eating I was in shock as to how good the food was. Everything we had was scratch made and the owners truly cared about the food they were serving. I really wish I had gotten the name of our waitress as she was incredible also. If your looking for a fancy establishment, chain, processed food or stuffy wait staff than yes you will be very disappointed in this restaurant. I am a chef and travel quite a bit as well as eat out way too much, this was a real treat to have such a good home cook meal in a restaurant.

this place is more of a cliché cutest type place, you go & they serve drinks in mason jars which is where the cute ended for me. the food was literally so blah i didn’t even finish & was hungry immediately after, they have barely choices to choose from but the server we had was a sweet older woman… other than that i’d never go back.

Tried the Mason Jar for the first time yesterday. .it was great service and food we got Fried Chicken and Beef Brisket the chicken was not what I expected when it said home made but it was a pleasant surprise the seasoning and tender chicken breast was great and my son and husband had the brisket and they loved it. Great job.. Oh and the price was only 32.00 not bad for all the quality food.

We loved all the food, especially the chicken salad delicious!! Service was good. Would definitely go back.

This was a wonderful find in a small town. The owner, who just took over a few months ago, was gregarious and happy to share her love of New York, food, life, and Scottish people (we were in town for the Highland Games) in a fabulously loud and boisterous way. She seated us outside, at our request, but came by frequently to check on us.
Now on to the really important part: The food. As one might expect, ordering scallops in the backwoods mountaintops of North Carolina is not always a good idea. In this case, it was. For $ 14.95, I received six large, tender scallops doused in butter, some of the best I have ever had. They came accompanied with rice, which tasted like… well, like plain white rice with salt. The veggies that came as a side left something to be desired (that something being freshness), but the meal was decidedly worth it, just for the scallops. My fiancé got the Shepard’s Pie, which he claimed was delightful (not that he is a great judge of food… this is a man who eats Lean Cuisines on a daily basis). Anyway, overall food and atmosphere were great, and I would highly recommend this place.

Our party of 4 had a terrible meal here. Where to begin… The Atmosphere: No air conditioning, flies buzzing around the meal, sound of a dog barking, staff shouting at each other. The Food: ordered prime rib and they delivered steak without saying anything, vegetables were like mush, pecan pie for dessert was excellent. The Service: Absolutely the most dysfunctional restaurant I’ve ever seen. Basically, these people might like to cook, but have a lot to learn about the restaurant business. Not recommended.

The special was prime rib. They brought us steak instead. The wait was long. Flies everywhere and hot in there. Orders messed up and bills were wrong. Charged for ice tea when I had a water. Food was good but very strange and chaotic experience. Would not go back. When time to pay took one bill at a time (four individual bills) took half hour to pay our bills.

Food just so-​so, but the owner and wait staff were LOUD. never again

For starters, I would like to say that I would not even give one star, but that seems to be the lowest you can go.
Also, would like to say that I cannot review the food as the waitress refused to serve us. Although the restaurant was pretty full with locals having dinner, she said she was out of a lot of items in the menu and she didn’t want to go through the trouble of telling us what was available, saying that it would be best if we went somewhere else.
I truly thought that segregation was over, but it seems like this lady didn’t get the memo.

Well worth the stop. Quaint decorations, hugely personable service and some wicked awesome food.

Outstanding! Food is great and prices are wonderful. Highly recommend the jalapeño and cheddar poppers for an appetizer and their bread pudding for dessert. New owner, Maria, is so personable and interested in honest feedback. We will definitely be returning when we visit the area again!

Had the blue plate special for $ 6.98, country fried steak with cream gravy mashed potatoes and green beans. It was fabulous and very filling. Also had the fried green tomatoes and they were very accommodating as I didn’t want the full appetizer so the did a little green salad with a side of ranch. The waitress was very nice and all around I liked the down south feel of the place. It’s a good sign when locals eat there too!

Enjoy ordering the blue plate special, the mashed potatoes and green beans are delicious. Im giving a 3 because they seem to always be short staffed & place is ridiculously tight. When ordering take-​out you stand awkwardly by the front door (like a hall) where everyone is walking by or going in and out. However, I still recommend this place as the food is good.

Checked out this place thanks to recommendations. The front parking along the street is small, additional parking along side of building. The restaurant has a unique floor plan with two dining areas and the kitchen tucked in the center. The facility appears slightly dated, but kept up well.
The menu offers a wide selection of breakfast, burgers and dishes. Drinks come in mason jars (I ordered Sweet Tea, it was good). On this day, there was only one server available for both dining areas, however she did pretty well overall and the kitchen churn the food out at a reasonable time.
My order of Country Fried Steak with green beans and mashed potatoes. The food appeared as expected, nothing fancy about what I ordered… good. The Country Fried Steak had a white gravy on it that was decent, though didn’t mix well with the mash potatoes. The crust on the Country Fried Steak stayed mostly on it, giving it a decent crunch. The green beans were okay. I added a bit more salt and pepper on my dish, for additional flavor. Decided on dessert, got the Reeses Pie, which was good.
The price for the meal was at the low-​end, easily get a good meal for under $ 10. Overall, I enjoyed the meal, have no complaints about the place, and the service was friendly. Worth going again.

Wow.
To the person who said no Mason Jars. Are you blind? The lamps are mason jars and they serve your beverage in a Mason Jar. The food is Fab, we had the Blue Plate. Love pulled pork with slaw, mash taters and green beans. Floor might needed to be vacuumed other then that, Awesome atmosphere.

Place is weird, the front entrance and interior is just strange. The whole building has a fowl smell and no one could explain. We sat outside due to the smell inside.
Waitress was sloppy, tables were dirty and wobbling. The food was just tasteless and bland. No seasoning, no care, it was just very forgettable. I would not recommend nor will I return. I know we are talking Newland, a town that does not have a decent place to eat out, but this place is just middle of the road.
The other reviews on here sound a little «home made» if ya know what I mean. Oh… and not a mason jar was seen anywhere.

It stinks that Beth, the previous reviewer, has such a bad experience. I’ve had the pleasure of eating here many times and never had a bad meal! Despite her review, all of my drinks have been served in a mason jar. Water, tea, coca cola. every one.
The first time I ate here I had the shepherds pie which was wonderful! I highly recommend it. On my last visit I had the vegetable stir fry which became my new favorite meal on their menu. Since I relocated from Atlanta, GA to Newland I’ve been trying to find new restaurants to enjoy, and this is my favorite one in the area so far! My parents came up a few weekends ago and this was where we had lunch. They loved the atmosphere and really enjoyed their meal as well. I would highly recommend stopping by if you are passing through town, or if you liver close by and want a good meal at a very affordable price.
–Matt