Cafe Intermezzo

After waiting almost 40 minutes on Father’s Day for a table, we were surprised to find the restaurant essentially empty. It quickly became clear to us that they were severely short-​staffed. The table was dirty and needed to be cleaned, so we waited another 5 minutes standing by the table awaiting cleaning.
The waitress was okay, but clearly stretched thin and not very attentive.
The plates they served appetizers on were dirty, requiring exchange.
The meal I ordered was neither worth the wait nor the price.
We stood waiting at the dessert table (what this restaurant is famous for) for 5 minutes hoping to be attended. Finally, I was able to flag down someone who reiterated that they were short-​staffed and that she worked in the bar, but would try her best to help.
We ordered our desserts and waited at least another 15 minutes just for them to bring it, promptingy 7 year old to innocently ask, «are they baking it, Mommy? I thought they were just going to slice it.» Me too, my dear… me too.
To add insult to injury, I ordered seltzer water from the tap – not perrier or pelligrino – just fizzy water from the faucet. We were charged nearly 2 dollars for this and our waitress failed to inform us that we would be charged for this water and any refills. We ended up paying quite a lot for this «water». When I expressed surprise, the waitress just looked blank-​faced. No attempt to try tp make up for this overall horrible experience. Normally, I would have asked to speak to management about my overall experience, but I was so frustrated that I could not wait to get out of there. We got our dessert to go. I was so embarrassed that I brought my husband there for Father’s day. He’s a very easy-​going guy who *never* complains, but I could tell he was annoyed as he was even the one who suggested that we get our desserts to go.
There were other families we overhead complaining about the experience, especially the wait. The establishment should be ashamed. They dampened our Father’s Day and not inexpensively so.
I have been to Café Intermezzo before and had no problems.
I will not be back to this location… it was a terrible experience.
UPDATE:
I called the restaurant later on that day to speak to a manager just because I felt that somebody in charge had to know about my experience. The managers were very apologetic. They explained that there were some staffing issues that day including several people who were unable to come to work that morning. They were very accommodating in their response and promised to make my next dining experience a better one. As I mentioned, I have never had any problems with this establishment before. I will chalk this one up to just a bad day an unfortunate twist of events. I will definitely give them another chance.
Because of their response to my complaint and the fact that the food itself was good, I am adding back 2 stars. Hopefully next time will be better.

First time here and was expecting to be more impressed. Service was quite slow – it took 20 min of sitting, looking around, and questioning whether we should just go somewhere else before someone came over to get our drink orders. Cappuccino was very tasty but small for the price. Duck omelet good, though pricey as well. On the positive side, extensive drink menu was interesting and European ambiance was neat. Overall, I’m glad I got to try it but probably won’t seek it out for a return visit.

Food is good. Service is always terrible. Expect a 10 to 15 minute wait (minimum) to see a sign of a server, even for the initial greet, much less for ordering. But once you get the food, it’s really good!

This is my have to go spot with friends when we were in town. Tiramisu is the must, great selections of cheesecakes. Love the atmosphere and it was quiet so you can chill with friends.

I’ve been here a few times in the past but since I made my way here twice in one week I think a review is warranted at this point. I came on a Friday evening for dessert and after dinner cocktails. We got a slice of red velvet as well as some sort of mocha cake. They have a nice variety of cakes, pies, and cheesecakes that change daily. We also ordered an the Beethoven, espresso martini, along with a hazel martini. Everything was absolutely delicious! The espresso martini was definitely a nice pick me up after pigging out.
I also found myself back here on a Saturday for brunch. I honestly had no idea they did brunch but I honestly don’t know why I was surprised. I ordered a peach Bellini, mimosa, and the American omelette. The omelette was good however the potatoes were slightly over cooked and the peach Bellini was a bit too sweet for me. The food definitely took a lot longer than expected but our server who was also the bartender told us they kept messing up the order since I wanted my omelette without cheese. She was great though.
Both recent experiences were extremely pleasant and I absolutely love the French café ambiance of the restaurant!

I went there twice during dinner time so this is review for dinner time experience I had. I don’t like to have anybody less Stars but experience like this I feel like I have to share. The place looks amazing first of all it’s like you’re in a café in Europe, the atmosphere is romantic, the whole interior and exterior looks amazing with the yard even the bathroom but the service is another story. When I went there twice it took longer for the food to come out which I don’t mind waiting (food was great) but it just took way too long just to get my check like an hour, yes I try to call on a staff but it’s seem they disappeared or forgot when I asked. This place is pricey and which I understand for a place like this in Perimeter but the service makes me not want to come back. I heard they have one in Buckhead maybe I’ll give that one a try. The dessert are amazing though.

The food I had was just ok. Some sort of Italian sandwich with an olive tapenade. The meats and tapenade were good, but the bread was stale and flavorless. The cheesecake as usual was perfect. White chocolate raspberry. My all time favorite. Definitely get it! Had a lovely server at this location. I’d had a bad experience before at the airport location unfortunately. So this is my favorite location. The coffees are ultimately better than what us southerners are subjected to consider a coffee house. Say Starbucks or caribou. Much more authentic than those.

We tried to come here for a nice relaxing date night, but it was such a terrible experience it ruined our night. The staff is incompetent and rude.
Not only was the server terrible, the manager on duty was horrendous. They were both completely unhelpful and rude when they made a mistake.
The cake was good, but I’d rather go somewhere with friendly and competent staff.

I had a wonderful experience. After being recommended to come here by a colleague, I was hesitant after reading some of the reviews. I’m not from here so this was a vey new place to me and convenient. It is obvious that this is a place to relax and enjoy real, made to order food. It is not rushed or meant to be rushed. I sat at the bar and received lovely service from an apparently busy bartender. The staff was very talkative and I love it when staff has a direct opinion on what to order! I loved everything about this place! Now on to the B52 — if they have it and you don’t order it; it’s like going to Egypt and not seeing the Pyramids. Don’t do that!

as we all know, café intermezzo is a great place to be for a cup of tea, some booze, food, or desserts. well, my bartender pretty much ruined my very last visit here. the 2 stars are for the delicious cheesecakes and nice hostess and manager who greeted me and said thank you as i left.
my bartender had taken my order for 2 slices of cheesecake and after a good while, came back with wrong pieces. so she goes back for the right pieces, and after taking *another* while, slams the bag on the counter without saying anything and goes back to her register. obviously i was not the only person waiting for an order, so i wasn’t sure if this was my bag. after i ask if that bag was mine, she goes «yeah» with an attitude. she ain’t even looking my way.
alright! i don’t expect a top-​notch service at all. but how rude! i don’t care how good the food is or how nice this place is. please work on the basics with your employees, intermezzo! thank you!

We stopped in Café Intermezzo for coffee and dessert after dinner at Kevin Rathbun’s Steak. My regular cheesecake was enormous and very good. Nice atmosphere inside (it was too cool to eat outside). Cheesecake and various coffees for four came to about $ 60 before tip.

This café is quite nice inside.
There are different areas to sit, each with it’s own interesting appeal and character. A nice place for an intimate coffee, drink, piece of cake and other stuff.
They have a very well laid out drink menu!
We ordered martini’s and cheesecake. All were quite good.
We had the dessert tour, but our tour guide was quite useless. We would point at something, and he would tell us what it was. Not really a tour at all.
Great place for a date.

Service is ehhh, food is decent, atmosphere is intimate. There was no line at the door for dinner but waited 15 minutes for the hostess to come to the front. You can request «indoor» or «outdoor» seating, both are inside the restaurant’s front door. «Outdoor» is just right when you walk in, you’ll still have a roof over your head. Nice dimly lit atmosphere with dramatic music, small round tables in the outside area. Lots of couples on dates, but also families and friends hanging out.
A benedict brunch menu is offered with 4 different options. Sweet and savory crepes as well. Then the traditional appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches/​burgers, entrees (meats, fishes, pastas), and of course dessert that everyone raves about here. There’s a whole two pages of breakfast items like various French toasts, paninis, pancakes, scrambled eggs, lox, omelettes, etc.
There’s a separate menu for beverages — coffee infused with alcohol, pastries, gelato/​sorbet, hot chocolate, teas, cocktails/​mocktails (without alcohol), lots of different liqueurs, wine, beer, etc. Don’t worry, you’ll get more than your fair share of alcohol desired… this menu is 68 pages!
After the 15 min wait to get seated, I browsed the menu for 5 and waited an additional 10 before I flagged someone down to even get water. The actual waitress came over 10 min later. The trout almondine was highly recommended — pan fried almond battered trout drizzled with honey mustard with a side of garlic mashed potatoes (didn’t taste the garlic). Fish was overcooked — I wouldn’t recommend it.
Overall, there’s a lot of items on the menu I want to try, probably just came on a bad day. Will come back for another try — I’ve heard good things about breakfast/​brunch/​coffee.

I was visiting some family in Dunwoody and they brought me here for some after dinner desserts and coffee. The wait was not long at all on a Saturday night at about 8pm for a party of 11. The place is very intimate with dim lightings.
There were just so many coffees, teas, beers, etc. to choose from. It was a bit overwhelming for me so I basically just closed my eyes and ordered something. I had a coffee. Everyone else had coffees, teas, cappuccinos. As for the desserts you have to walk up to the dessert counter and order. They give you a ticket to give to your server. There were lots of different cheesecakes and cakes. I’m sorry I forgot which ones we ordered. Having said that, the cheesecakes we ordered were delicious but a little to sweet for my pallet.
Overall, it was a great place. I would definitely be coming back for some desserts and coffee. I saw that they had lunch/​breakfast/​crepes and so forth. I would like to try one of their crepes whenever I make my way back here.

They don’t disappoint me. The food is good and so is the coffee. A little pricy so don’t expect to spend less that $ 15. I usually get breakfast so I can’t speak to the dinner items.
I had the southern breakfast which was about $ 12. The chicken sausage is decent. A little too tough and grisly for me but it’s ok. The eggs were fluffy and delicious, I should have added cheese. The potatoes seemed to be steamed or boiled then thrown in the oven for a slight crispness on the outside. Perfect. The coci bianco is my favorite coffee drink and it is $ 5 and some change. Super small mug but it’s tasty. It features white chocolate morsels on top and then your stir them to melt into the espresso. Mmmmmm.
I took off one star because there is never anyone at the host stand when I get there and my silverware was filthy. Other than that I like this place.

I dropped by after dinner on Friday night expecting a long line. There was no wait and several empty tables, but the place was still lively and had a great, upbeat atmosphere.
We ordered some cappuccinos and desserts. You have to walk up to the dessert counter and order. They will give you a ticket to give your server. We tried the toffee cheesecake and the toasted almond tiramisu. The toffee topping was a little sweet for my taste, but was overall delicious. The tiramisu was decent but could go without the extra whipped cream. The cappuccino was good but had way too much cinnamon, and This is coming from someone who likes cinnamon.
Service was fast and courteous, and we enjoyed our time there. We will definitely be back there.

What a lovely spot! Was in town for a training and came here after a long day with 5 other team members.
Because it’s open late that doesn’t mean the later you go the sooner you’ll get seated; quite the opposite experience actually. We showed up around 11pm for coffee and dessert. Our estimated wait time was an hour.
By the time we each decided which cheesecakes we wanted, had them packed to go, received them, and stood around waiting for one last crêpe we were texted saying our table was ready. Yipee! We were about to bounce.
We all ordered coffee, unwrapped our cheesecakes, shared cheesecakes, and totally indulged.
In case you’re wondering, the cookie dough cheesecake was the fluffiest, the cappuccino cheesecake had the most flavorful filling, and the oreo was a bit too sweet for my liking. The crêpe itself tasted more savory than sweet but the ratio of nutella and strawberries was on fleek. The cheesecakes paired with the hazelnut coffee (can’t remember the name), was perfection!
If I lived in Atlanta, I’d be a regular.

Been here so many times and there’s a reason why… It has an extensive coffee, tea, alcohol/​cocktail list, and an impressive selection of cakes/​cheesecakes!
It has the best ambiance for first dates, date-​nights once it gets official, bday celebrations, just any occasion really. They also stay open pretty late on weekends.
Although known for their extensive beverage list they do have a food menu. Definitely check out the hummus platter and the crepes. The sandwiches are good too for lunch. Though, stay away from the croissant/​chicken salad sandwich (croissant tasted like it was defrosted).
They used to have hookahs here too, but they don’t it anymore… boooo

[Time & Date of visit]: Many weekday nights, weekend afternoons and evenings.
[Party Size]: 2 – 8
[Location/​Ambiance]:
Parking — Weekdays there seems to be a good bit of parking on the Alon’s, Spa Sydell and McKendricks side with out issue. I like to enter and leave here via Perimeter Center E rd instead of passing the Exxon gas station and parking in the front.
Weekend nights — ummm… yeah. You’ll be doing some laps or going up and down row looking for a spot.
Inside — I can’t remember exactly what year they remodeled, but having an actual roof over the paved /​concrete flooring makes things a little more comforting while still giving some tables to be completely «outside». We’ll just call it the «patio» section, which is more spacious I think, though a light definition compared to how cramp it is inside.
The metal chairs are pretty un-​comfy, fair warning for girls in shorts; you’ll have the outlining on the back of your legs when leaving.
Restroom — A little more hidden to any out of towners or first timers. Past the bar and in the hallway that only looks like a back room for servers to enter orders. Men’s room has two standing urinals and one stall I believe.
Ambiance — Candle light tables and dimly lit dining notions a romantic atmosphere and /​or intimate experience. Noise levels can range, depending on how busy they are.
[Service]:
Full dining style. Though consistency has been a hit or miss. I think it just depends how busy they are and how many other tables your server may be juggling. Ok to great. Have yet to have a bad server experience though.
Ordering Cakes /​pies /​dessert display case — A «cake-​pert» or two (trademark pending =P) explains the various desserts on display that day. They do not like to put labels out for some reason. But you can always ask what’s «in it». Though, I think it is confusing as they are dressed normally instead of server attire.
[Food Highlights]:
*Tip — All cakes /​desserts aren’t actually made on location but delivered. Though they do give a very huge, generous slice for sharing. If you want to.
Spinach Cheese Dip — Good if you enjoy things cheesy. More dip than bread, so scoop generously.
Seafood Cheese Dip — Creamy and cheesy. Bits of seafood. Yes please.
Lobster ravioli — Portions are small, was ok.
Smoked Salmon Pasta — Very creamy. Salmon was ok. Pretty good.
Almond tiramisu — Slightly bland on top and rich on the bottom layer. So so.
Coconut cream cake — Overly rich than anything. Meh.
Bosco — Not as good as it used to be. Pretty tart.
Mexican hot chocolate — Medium level sweetness. Pretty good.
Mint Chocolate Granita — A tad too rich for my tastes.
Hot Chocolate (regular) — Semi sweet to me I think. Ok choice if you’re overwhelmed by all the options.
{Summary}:
I think that service and noise levels would fluctuate depending if you are going on a weekday or weekend evening. Certain food items have been consistent most times we have it, others are just meh. It’s usually an after dinner spot for whenever I visit, I don’t think most entrée’s here would be filling. The cake slices are def. made for sharing unless you are a big foodie, then by all means nom nom away. 3.5 stars.

You can find this location of Café Intermezzo at 4505 Ashford Dunwoody Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30 346, the Park Place shopping center across from the Perimeter Mall. Other restaurants in the same mall include the very good tapas at Eclipse di Luna (across the courtyard), steaks at McKendrick’s, Sage Woodfire Grill and of course Alon’s Bakery.
The location on Peachtree was one of my favorite hangouts when I first came to Atlanta in the late 80’s — it was always good for an after dinner nightcap, perhaps a dessert and/​or a cup of espresso or cappuccino. I discovered this location while working as a chef at the now defunct Mi Spia which originally was a few doors down in Park Place. Intermezzo was always there to provide a different experience from the places where I worked, and since it was so close I would frequent the bar after work or stop in for coffee before.
Intermezzo is about as close to a real international café as you will find in Atlanta — the interior is lavish with wood and chandeliers, the dining area lush and the bar expansive. The place reeks of old-​world-​charm and is simply perfect for a late rendezvous or tête-​à-​tête. This place also has a phenomenal adult drink list and expert bartenders and I still haven’t gotten to the desserts. They also serve a good brunch and have an expansive lunch menu.
But really, you need to experience Café Intermezzo for the desserts. The assortment and styles of classic cakes, tarts, cheesecakes and pies is truly astounding. Combine any of these with the great coffee or fine cocktail and you have a winning combination. I don’t have any favorites — actually I’m trying to cut down a bit — but I did order a double cappuccino the last time I visited. Service in general is very good — seating can be a bit of a bear, especially early evenings and if you want to enjoy the outdoors. Otherwise the service here is very good.
Oh, and did I mention they have a tardis out front? Whovians rejoice!
(longer review with many photos on my food blog)