Cafe Stella

My best friend and I came here on a rainy, Wednesday evening, about 9pm. Truly the best vibes. The carrot cake that I had was so yummy. The staff was friendly and funny. So many cool unique things to look at and the other customers are friendly and relaxed. One of my favorite places in Norfolk. Never disappoints

The place is pretty chill except the co-owner comes in around 7 in the evening and cranks up the music to concert level volume. Other than that, its a nice atmosphere.

still the worst cafe in norfolk. no improvement on customer service despite their broadcast of mistreatment towards, not only their own employees but as well the customers who pay them to keep their business alive.

cafe stella may have made it look pretty inside but once you meet their crew you'll feel as if you're not wanted, bothersome and broke from their overpriced items.

do better stella.

i just wanted a cup of joe, not to feel imposed.

The noise level was average. I was looking for a place to study but there were a lot of people. The menu is huge and the atmosphere has a hipster vibe. I'll come back to try their drinks.

I have been here more than a couple times trying to find the right coffee shop while I'm at home for break and this is definitely one of my favorite spots. The vibes and decoration is different but really nice and I could spend my whole day studying out there. Prices are pretty decent and there is a great selection of food when you're hungry! Ive had the Belgian Waffle which came out beautifully and wasn't too sweet! I also got the shakshuka poached eggs that come with a couple pita wedges and was also satisfied. The baristas are super friendly and make good suggestions.

Just found this place not too long ago. Love the atmosphere, food/drink options and hours of operation. My husband and I frequently enjoy going after dinner on a date night for dessert, coffee, etc.

I love Stella! The coffee is great quality and doesn't leave me feeling like a truck ran over me an hour later. Having experienced "Bulletproof Coffee" this stuff is on par. The atmosphere is trendy and relaxed. The only minor critic, it is sometimes chilly in good study or typing spots. ( I can't speak for other activities, that's all I do here.)
Stay Awesome!

Obviously, I'm not the first to receive an inflammatory message after a critical review. Here is the conversation in it's entirety. I think it pretty much speaks for itself.


Stephen P.
They are dog friendly on the patio, so I may give them another try, Please don't bother come anymore

Yajaida P.
"They are dog friendly on the patio, so I may give them another try." Please, don't bother to come anymore.

(I corrected the grammar in your message.)

Stephen P.
You must be vey lonely, miserable and sad human being...
Is this a cry for attention?

Yajaida P.
Your grasp of English has shown marked improvement.

Stephen P.
Is it better than your parents?
Do they speak English? Is this why it's so important to you?
Are you ashamed in front of your American friends?
I'm sorry you have to go through this on your own

This place was an utter disappointment. Chic boutique downtown prices, for barely dressed up basics. You could recreate the food here in your own kitchen if you knew how to use a microwave and chop things. The outside of the cafe looks dingy/unkempt, but maybe in a charming sense, and the inside looks... darker and dingier. Not to mention that it is also absolutely frigid from the AC, even on an already cool day, so that it feels like sitting inside a freezer. Seating was a nightmare--these were the absolute worst chairs. Like adult sized versions of the back-breaking, hardened plastic elementary school chairs. Which were also visibly worn and dirty, and their menu board was so smeared/eroded it was nearly impossible to read what was listed. There looked to be two more comfortable seating options (the picnic bench with no back support was also uncomfortable) right by the window, but they did not go unoccupied for even enough time to cool between people snatching them up.

The most important component to a cafe should be the coffee.. and the coffee here was terrible. The double cappuccino was luke warm/cool, and mostly milk (I could barely taste the coffee), in a terrible narrow mug. The other coffees were watered down, tiny, and bland as well. When our food order was brought out, the cutlery (not even wrapped in napkins) was dropped directly onto a completely dirty wooden table (that still had visible crumbs and specks of dirt in the wood grain-- let alone that it wasn't sealed wood, or food service safe in any sense).
The food itself was about on par with the coffee. The 'waffles' were essentially (and quite possibly even literally) cut up Eggos. Well, 'Eggo'-- you only got one one of them (sectioned into four flat sections to make it look like more), with a single piece of fruit and bitter nutbutter to try and cover the taste of the cardboard Eggo. The quinoa fruit bowl was 95% quinoa, with barely a couple of pieces of fruit. It also featured a giant dollop of salty unsweetened peanut butter, and a teaspoon of honey. It was also barely warm, and seemed like someone took cold quinoa, mixed it with watery almond milk, and heated it in the microwave before adding things. Any other supposed toppings were garnish, and I don't think I quite found them in the dish. It was edible, but barely.

After ridiculous comments, yes more than one, by the owner(s), possibly staff, to myself and at least one another Yelper who didn't give this place a great review (and probably anyone else who has anything remotely bad to say about it) I'm lowering my review to 1 Star.

I was caught between a 2 and 3 Star rating before (see: Initial Review below) but the Inability to respect a customers opinion without attacking them is something a customer service orientated business should be able to do but apparently not at Cafe Stella.

For those interested in frequenting Cafe Stella I recommend you read the reviews from Yelpers with more than 10 reviews under their belt. The more reviews usually the better. I know when I started Yelping I was a little more generous on the 4 and 5 Stars than perhaps I should've been. Regardless, stop by Cafe Stella and Yelp a review. I could be completely wrong, which wouldn't be the first time nor the last in my life, lol.
As I stated before I plan on going back only this time with a few friends who are unfamiliar with Yelping and let them tell me what they thought of the place, after we leave. I want to see if (1) I was being too harsh or (2) confirm my first Yelp was it a reflection of reality.

Until then I welcome the Trollish comments from owner(s). It makes us all smile to see your reading what's written. That's the first step to change. If you're not listening (or in this case reading) how else are you going to receive customer feedback. See you soon.

-Initial Review-


A good 2- 3 Star coffee shop with a great location and dedicated college fan base.

Location/Ambiance: Cafe Stella is well located on a not so busy street nestled between a short row of stores. The small outdoor seating area allows patrons to sit outside and take up the sun. However, the seating isn't situated well and the table choices take up too much room so they're not making efficient use of this space. To bad because it is a delightful area. Inside the eclectic look blends well with the large interior. There's plenty of room to hang out and surf the web, which was about what 1/2 of the customers were doing in the front/main area of the cafe or in a hidden cove found just past the restrooms. I really enjoyed how the mix match of furniture allows for easy movement of tables and chairs to accommodate a group of friends coming in to meet up.

Service: Courteous but I kinda felt like I was speaking to my teenage daughter in that the person behind the counter seemed more concerned about other things than giving her full attention to the customer. In short she was polite but not really paying attention or caring too much about the outside world. I guess it's not really anything bad per se but I just didn't feel as welcome as I would've hoped considering all 4 and 5 Star reviews.

Coffee/Pastry: Good. I know it's home ground but that alone didn't make my cup any better than an average Cup-of-Joe I can find at a number of coffee shops. The pastry, was also a little on the stale side...but good. Really not much else to say as I only tried those two items.

Cleanliness: Again about a 3 Star. Clean where it needed to be, the food and coffee area, counters and bathrooms but all the nicknacks and furniture could've used a dusting and the concrete floors needed a mopping.

Overall: Great location to use the internet and gather while enjoying an average coffee and danish. I kinda felt the location, free enet and cool vibe is why so many come here but I'm probably wrong about that, maybe not?...In any case I may stop by again but only if the opportunity presents itself.
Although I'm not a fan of chain restaurants/coffee shops I'll probably go to the nearby Panera or Starbucks next time I'm in the AO only because what makes my Morning Joe the most enjoyable is the welcoming feeling of the shop and its employees. Call me old fashioned...or maybe just old, lol, but I give Stella 2.5 Stars and this day I'm rounding down. No worries Cafe Stella you've got enough dedicated clientele you'll do just fine.