Cardinal Bistro - Classic and comforting coffee shop.
Intro
On one busy afternoon, I was in downtown Landrum on business. Coincidentally, my partner was also in town and was looking for a quick bite. So, we decided to meet up at Cardinal Bistro, located at 114 East Rutherford Street. We had gone here before for some coffee, but we never gave their food a shot or really sat down to take it all in and experience what they had in store for inside dining. With an open of the door and a walk to the counter, we began our journey.
Food - 4/5
We took a glance at the menu and began ordering. My partner chose the chicken salad croissant with an iced coffee, I myself settled with the BLT along with a cappuccino. In terms of the coffee, it was fairly par for the course. A foamy, warm and delicious cappuccino made just the way I ordered. It was when they brought out the BLT I was especially surprised. When you go to a coffee shop, especially Starbucks, when you order food they usually just grab a frozen meal of sorts and stuff it in the microwave. But here in front of me, was a freshly made, toasty BLT with a crisp pickle and chips. The lettuce and tomatoes on the sandwich were just as fresh and were without a doubt locally sourced. It sure was delicious needless to say. I can only imagine how their daily quiches taste, or various other items on their menu. All in all, a delightful experience earning the Food section of this article a 4/5.
Service and wait - 3/5
Upon reaching the counter to order our food, we were greeted by a young girl and solely by her lonesome. Not uncommon for a coffee shop, especially on a slow day like the day we arrived. She took our order and we sat down. Soon, another worker popped out the back to assist her. Now, why am I putting so much emphasis on this? This is because, it took 15 minutes for our coffee to arrive. I can understand if it was a busy day, but it was just us in there along with some people working on laptops, which weren’t ordering anything. Then, 10 minutes later our food arrived. I can understand the food taking a while, as they clearly put a lot of effort into making our meals. But the coffee? Surely does not warrant a 15 minute wait. It’s hard to judge since they were so nice, but I can only hope they improve on the wait times in the future. Some portion bad, some portion good. Middle of the road Service and Wait results in a 3/5.
Atmosphere - 3.5/5
This little coffee shop is right in the heart of historic Landrum, a retro feeling town with a lovely antique aesthetic that is always a joy to visit. So, you can expect this shop to have the same homely feeling. The wood floors and cow hide chairs certainly ensure that. The establishment also includes board games and other activities by the back, adding that extra option of activities to partake in besides consuming their various products. The reasoning for my point deductions honestly being, their music. This may be petty, but I feel the volume and music selection kind of kills the vibe. It’s almost like, they just went on Tik Tok’s top 50 most popular songs and just starting playing that at almost max volume. You can even hear it in the neighboring stores! I’m not sure about you, but when I wanna relax with a nice cup of coffee I don’t wanna be hearing Dance Monkey or something like that. Maybe it’s an unfounded gripe, but it just rubs me the wrong way. Either way, besides the music, everything else is nice and comforting. I give Atmosphere a 3.5/5.
Conclusion and final rating - 4/5
Well, there you have it. My thoughts on Cardinal Bistro! All in all, it’s a nice solid place to visit if you find yourself craving coffee or even looking for a quick bite in Landrum. I hope you enjoyed reading this article and I’ll see you next time!