Meeting Place

I had a great time at this restaurant, the food was excellent and my server was very kind. They brought us so many free fresh muffins and made the best sweet tea. Being a pescatarian, the options were limited for me but the veggie panini was excellent as was the side of pasta salad. I will definitely be back!

One of the few places open on Sunday’s in downtown– good for breakfast brunch or lunch
Had the chicken salad plate
They were able to slide us in early for our reservation on Mothers Day which helped get us in and out before the «church crowd» hit the door
(Mom like it!)

The Meeting Place. Lets talk about it. I’ll tell you this –Ive never met anyone there. And for future reference I shan’t do so unless I hate them.
I ate there once in high school with my girlfriend. I got in a verbal altercation with the waitress and that made my girlfriend and i get into a thing when we got home. It made me hate the restaurant. I later became friends with the waitress and she turned out to be a pagan. Fun fact.
So yeah. Because of that incident I hadn’t since eaten there. It fashions itself as sort of a brunch place and I hate brunch. It’s like the retarded love-​child of breakfast and lunch and is for either the not-​punctual or the hungover. «We’ll have some eggs sure, but those bottomless mimosas will nurse our hangovers and because there’s orange juice in them no one will think we’re sloppy alcoholics» That’s what I think of brunch. That and old people. I dont like old people. Or sloppy alcoholics. I don’t even fancy tidy alcoholics for that matter.
Fast forward a decade from the pagan-​waitress-​incident and I’m sitting in another restaurant across town with my dad. I let him pick the place; it was garbage so I only got a drink. I get ill watching him eat and start reading the menus for other places in town. The Meeting Place piques my interest.
Any time I see a Cuban sandwich on the menu my ears perk up. But heres a little geographical bit of info: NC is nowhere near Cuba. We have Mexicans for days. You want a taqueria? You’re set. Throw a rock in any direction and chances are it’ll be picked up by a line-​cook grabbing a quick smoke beside a dumpster out back of a Mexican restaurant.
Regarding Cuban sandwiches –I’m a purist. They don’t need to be jazzed up. Pulled pork, ham, swiss, pickles, mustard, Cuban bread. That should be it. According to the Meeting Place the only thing their Cuban had with a Cubano proper was the fact that it featured a pork product between bread. No. No way. Pork loin with provolone and pineapple on a kaiser roll? I wanted to burn this place down.
If you look at the décor of the Meeting Place, arson doesn’t really seem necessary. The place is in such disrepair that it may soon fall down with no assistance. The ceilings are ripped and molding in places with strips of plaster hanging downward and the high-​backed benches they have you sit on are like something you’d find in a fire-​and-​brimstone church from the 1800’s. They are punishing. Hard thick wood at a strict ninety-​degree angle meant to make you as uncomfortable as possible.
Décor aside I knew the Cubano was off the table. So i got something else. I forget what it was so lets call it. a salt sandwich. I cant remember the ingredients because I was blacking out from the rise in blood pressure and water-​retention. That’s hyperbole but the fact that it hurt my mouth to eat isn’t. It was angrily salty so I tried to eat some of the mixed fruit that came with to cut through the brine, but I immediately spit out every bite. The cantaloupe and strawberries were viciously underripe. The grapes were fine. I dont know if you can screw up grapes. I didn’t finish the sandwich because I was afraid it would put my life in danger.
So. In review. The Meeting Place has awesome grapes.

Have only been here for Sunday brunch. Prices a bit high but quality very good. Only place to get eggs Benedict in town. Service is friendly and prompt.

New to Washington, happy to find such a cute little place for brunch! The food was good, as well as the service. We’ll definitely be back!

Waited 10 minutes and nobody acknowledged us. Then we walked up to the counter and asked how long the wait was and the waitress was very rude and said «just wait and we’ll find a place for you.» Needless to say, we left. Not impressed with the service.

I used to eat here all the time, but will never eat here again. Today I went with my sister, mom, aunt, and daughter and three of us got chicken salad. There was chunks of raw chicken in my sister’s and my aunt’s chicken salad. I didn’t see any in mine, but had already eaten half of it before they noticed theirs. It wasn’t even undercooked. It was completely raw.

Being a sailor and pilot, I have experienced a reasonable share of early morning breakfasts. The coffee is in big mugs, the eggs are plentiful and the sausage patties are the big spicy kind. Attentive waitstaff… under $ 7. Best deal I have experienced in several states.

Can’t say I was impressed. One nice thing, They allowed us to bring our dog on the outdoor deck in the corner. Ordered the burger, which was supposed to be Angus Beef with a special sauce made by the owner. Ordered it Medium. When I got it, the meat was stringy/​wormy as if it had just come out of the package. There was no sauce that I could see or taste not even any seasoning. I tried to get the attn. of the waitress several times, to get some ketchup, mustard or the special sauce. She ignored me while waiting on other tables. She was not that busy, just not on the deck enough. I offered some of the beef to the dog, she sniffed and turned her head away. Definitely not a good sign. On the other hand my husband’s cubano was excellent. So take this review with a grain of salt. I am from Chicago and used to excellent beef. I may try it again, but certainly would not order any beef.

I really liked the place but I feel like the food was something I might have been able to prepare myself with limited instructions. It had a nice staff, even though it was apparent our waiter was hungover. To each their own as long as my food shows up and my water and coffee remain filled. He got close to that because the only thing he forgot was the bacon. Unacceptable but not a big deal. As far as I am concerned, the food is why I am sticking it at 2 stars. I almost gave 3 but its just barely to much.

We had a wonderful lunch here today. We were just passing through Washington, and this was exactly the kind of place that we were hoping to find. Not a chain, a bit quirky and interesting. The menu was much more sophisticated than we had anticipated. I had the Italian Panini and my husband had the southwestern Chicken salad. Both were very good! Service was excellent. We’d definitely go back if the opportunity arose.

My family always goes here after church and on Saturdays after lunch. I would really recommend this place for luncheons and for small parties. On holidays you should make reservations for it. It is an excellent restaurant!

Service was excellent. Food was even better. Ann put her foot in those poppyseed muffins they give you when you sit down (that means they are excellent — if ur confused). I had roasted soup with Gouda cheese — creamy, flavorful. The cheese quiche was really good too. It was thin and not impressive looking but really delish, buttery. I agree that the coffee is a lil weak — but I can get good coffee at a drive thru!

Wowzers! This place was super!
I have been told about The Meeting Place from a few locals but was warned that they are only open for lunch. Finally, I was able to eat lunch here and I am so glad that I did.
There is an inside dining area which looked a little homey for me, basic tables, décor was sort of like old timey antique pieces. My grandmother would prob like the décor here. Out back is where it’s at! Do yourself a favor and if it is remotely nice, sit out back! The back deck area overlooks the river and it is gorgeous!
The menu is pretty large and had a huge number of sandwiches. I like a basic grilled chicken sandwich for lunch usually so it doesn’t weigh me down and they made good on this wish except it was vamped up. The sandwich was grilled but was seasoned with a bbq/​honey mustard sauce and had onions, cheese, and bacon served on a kaiser roll. It came with my choice of dill potato salad, chips, or pasta salad. I chose the dill pasta salad and it was delish! I’d come back here just for the potato salad! The sandwich was also delectable.
Service was amazing, although the table never really got cleaned off from the party before we arrived so I took it upon myself to clean it… no biggie though, I worked in restaurants in college so I could chalk it up to a nostalgic feel.
Price for the meal can’t be beat and there is a punch card for after 6 meals, you get one free! Score!
While I was there, I noticed that a client worked here part time and she told me about how she helps with caterings. We discussed how caterings work which was right up my alley. I love knowing of small-​town/​local catering for work events so I put that little piece of info in my pocket for another time.

Pros:
The wait staff provide excellent service. The complementary mini-​muffins to start are delicious. Quiche is usually excellent.
Cons:
Weak, excruciatingly thin coffee. Almost all specials, even those that probably shouldn’t, have some meat as an ingredient. Seems like ham is a key part of everything they make. They close at 3pm. Washington certainly has an accepted schedule, but some of us don’t get to step away from our work at precisely 12pm everyday.

Great porch to eat on, with a view of the Pamlico river. The Meeting Place is open for lunch several days a week and brunch on Sunday (starting at 10). Due to the sporatic hours, if it is closed, try Mimi’s Water St. Café, just a short walk away.
Their sandwiches are very good (my choice: the Virginia Smokestack), but what really makes this place shine is the brunch. There are unique quiches every week that are always tempting. Usually I get the baked French toast (excellent and super filling), or the breakfast wrap (puts other breakfast wraps to shame it is packed so full). Also, the mini muffins are worth ordering. I can never eat enough of their toasted cranberry almond variety.
Friendly service is the norm. If it is nice weather, ask for porch seating. The Meeting Place is a great place for a brunch or lunch with friends in Washington.
Brunch is about $ 7-​$ 10 per person, lunch is about the same.