Bonte

Wow, I just sat here and ate the whole waffle in a few minutes. I was so impressed. Maybe it was a little slow, but if it had been an eggo, it wouldn't have been so good.

Walking past Bonte one would think the sweet smell of cinnamon and espresso would be a prelude to fabulous coffee break; however, that was far from the truth. We walked in to empty display cases and a sad stack of bagels. My coffee was cold and waffle was a strange take on the traditional crispy on the outside and tender on the inside Belgian waffles. The service was horrible, because when I asked for a fork and knife to cut the waffle I was sharing in half, the girl said that she had to wash a pair (which btw, never happened). The waffle was gooey and undone on the inside and burnt outside.... That's how I became bummed by bonte.

The waffles looked good, but were gooey inside. We picked the crispy outsides off, because it was raining and we didn't want to walk to another place. And just because you have an espresso machine does not mean you make good coffee. There's just no excuse for such poor quality. This was our first visit, and our last. Yuck.

This place is lucky that the food is delicious, because the service was far from it. After standing there for about 10 minutes while the girl on the register wrapped a larger to go order, she finally acknowledged my standing there with a $10 bill in my hand waiting to order. Said wrapping was being done on the counter in front of me. The food however, once I ordered, was great and just about makes up for the lack of customer service.

I can't believe a reviewer even compared these waffles to those at IHOP, let alone claimed IHOP's were better! I've only had a Belgian waffle from a vendor in Belgium once in my life (because I've only been to Belgium once in my life), and Bonte's waffles are the closest thing I've had yet that approximates that experience. There's really no other places in the US to get waffles like them. They're chewy yet crispy, caramel-y, and delicious. That's just the end of it. Plus the service is so friendly. The one on 17th St could really use some kind of a ventilation system, though...

those other reviewers who calim things like "Ihop makes better waffles" or that these waffles aren't good are incredibly ignorant. These are not American waffles, these are Belgian street waffles and Bonte does them EXACTLY as they should be done. Crispy and sweet on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside - they are a real treat and unlike anything you have probably experienced. Very rich...Especially if you get fillings or toppings (which are not needed as the damn things are sweet and covered in rocks of sugar)...Try it, you'll love it - they also have coke in glass bottles and lots of gourmet chocolate and sandwiches that look amazing.

The ambiance is nice and the salads are fine. But a wafflerie should know how to make waffles, right? As the previous reviewer noted, the dough is undercooked inside. IHOP can make better waffles. The waffles are seriously poor and I don't know how it got positive reviews below.