Cafe Climb

I attended a breakfast hosted by the Humane Society last month, and I was amazed at the open warehouse concept of the restaurant — like something out of New York right here in Gulfport! The bacon was cooked to perfection and the best I have eaten anywhere, very lean and crispy. Everything was so good, and even though served buffet style, the food, including the biscuits, was hot and tasty. Our Red Hat Group is having our luncheon meeting there soon, and everyone is looking forward to it!

I came into the Climb for lunch, arriving just a hair before a moderate crowd of lunch-​time workers from the immediate area. I would describe the dining environment as clean but somewhat sparse. There were plenty of young people about who seemed very eager to do their part in getting a good meal out efficiently. One downside; I had the impression that the workers there made kind of an abundance of trips to the soda machine to refill their cups with the drinks, which were obviously provided for free or nearly so. I am not a stickler, but there were enough of these young people that it became a distraction.
I ordered a California Club Sandwich with potato salad. It was a nice sandwich, quartered and placed on a plate around a scoop of potato salad in a presentation which was just a little plain. I enjoyed the salad very much, as well as the sandwich. The ingredients were fresh and the spread seemed to made in-​house and was very pleasant. There was one more slice of bread than I prefer, but removing that improved the dish for me. It wasn’t bad bread… it was good, just more than I want.
I was amused by the young guy who was apparently assigned to be my server. He was so eager, it seemed I had to stop after each bite to assure him once again that, yes, everything was fine and no, there was nothing else I needed. No problem, This is, after all, a teaching restaurant.
I’ll be back. The Climb is across town from me, but whenever I’m close by, this will be one of my go to places for lunch. Breakfast too… if I ever get out of bed that eearly.

Amazing concept and great customer service by these young food service students in training. The portions are huge and desserts are incredible with Starbucks coffee on tap!

This review appears to be one of the first on Café Climb. I’ll give detail on more than the food, for info, and because the Restaurant is unusual: Café Climb is a «teaching lab,» set up to provide training and hands-​on experience for local young people entering the food service industry. It’s open to the public Mon-​Fri for breakfast and lunch. It’s similar to Café Reconcile in New Orleans.
But don’t misunderstand. Café Climb is a great place for lunch!
This is not a fancy restaurant, it’s a Southern, lunch café. Tables are plastic-​topped, no table cloths or place mats; chairs are comfortable. An outdoor patio is available, but saw no use during our visit on a cool, breezy, late-​winter day. The entire facility is housed in a refurbished, 1920 era brick warehouse building. The dining room is very pleasant; lots of glass, high ceiling, exposed brick walls. It feels modern and is very clean.
You place your order and pay at the cashier’s stand. The menu is on the wall, and a signboard at the entry describes the day’s specials. Grab your silverware, rolled in a napkin, on your way to your table, and your food will be brought out by a server.
Our first visit was for lunch. The menu has plenty of choices: salads and sandwiches, plus one or more «meat-​and-​three» specials with a couple of «meat» choices for each day. The list of sides is good, with multiple choices in the various categories: starch, beans, greens, etc.
We actually had the «meat and two» special. My wife followed the manager’s recommendation and ordered the pork ribeye with potato salad and fried okra. The «ribeye» turned out to be a 6 to 8 oz. portion of pork tenderloin, roasted in a rich, brown, onion gravy and topped with sautéed onion and bell pepper. I had the other «meat»: fried catfish filets with mac and cheese and black-​eyed peas. Yes, this really is the Deep South.
Now for the best part: the food was great, served warm, generous portions, delicious, and presented in a very pleasing manner. We shared each other’s food, so the 5 stars are the vote of two sets of taste buds, all around. Did I mention that both our specials were accompanied by a corn muffin, half a deviled egg, and dessert, blackberry cobbler, in this case? With bottled water to drink, the total bill, not including tip, was around $ 20. Tips, BTW, go back to the non-​profit to support restaurant operations.
The server did a great job of taking care of us, and although young, seemed to know her job. All the staff we met were very positive and helpful.
My wife and I are senior citizens who have lived virtually all our years in the Deep South. We’ve eaten lots of lunches at «meat and three» restaurants over our years. We think this food is some of the best of its type.
We gave the 5 stars on the basis of our overall experience at Café Climb, compared to other restaurants of this type. But we’d really like to give it one more because of its valuable mission: to provide competent training and job experience to disadvantaged young men and women, giving them a leg up in finding a career in a lasting industry.
We hope Café Climb is successful and is around for a long time because of the good it does and because we want to come back to enjoy more of its good, Southern cooking.
P. S., The breakfast menu looked really good, too, and according to the sign, Starbucks coffee is served!