Neiman Marcus Cafe

The sole reason I love eating at Neiman Marcus is the popover you get before every meal. The little cup of chicken broth is warm and comforting too.
We were here celebrating my aunt’s birthday. The menu is constantly changing which means it’s always hit or miss with me. I’d prefer there to be some staples that I know I like on the menu. I got an Asian salad and mimosa so you can’t really go wrong. I like to try the cocktails here usually but didn’t see anything that caught my eye.
When out on a shopping day in Stanford, it’s nice to have this peaceful, upscale restaurant to stop in for a break to eat.

I just here 2 days ago and can’t wait to go back. the café is tucked away in the back corner of Neiman, on the second floor, past the kids clothes. it’s just a small area and doesn’t have too many tables so I could see this place filling up pretty fast on a busy day. On a tuesday at lunch time there was no wait. I ordered the lobster chowder (hella good) and the presidio sandwich (just ok), but what keeps you coming back are the free starters, the popovers!!! yummm. they are enormous and come with a strawberry spread that is just the perfect balance of sweet and cream. I would totally be back just for that. the famous neiman cookie is just ok to me, but the brownie dessert? amazing. will definitely be returning because this place fulfills my favorite 2 things: being fancy and brunch.

Compared to other locations this place is tiny. However the food is as amazing as the other location. Tried the shrimp and quinoa salad and had a cup of lobster bisque. So delicious!!! The shrimps were huge and fresh. The staff there is sweet. We were the last ones that day but they did not rush is. The popovers were warm and chewy. Love the strawberry butter. A wonderful place to go for lunch or a snack.

I’ve only eaten at The Rotunda NM in San Francisco and was surprised to see they had a café in the Walnut Creek location. I was expecting a pretty view, but learned that the café is located on the second floor with no view. It’s more in a tucked away area almost like the fitting room section within a department. The small café has a great abundance of natural light and was super clean with fresh linens — something I would always expect from any Neimans. We were immediately greeted by the hostess and was escorted to our table. Service was excellent and we were immediately provided with their famous hot popovers and strawberry butter. Before ordering, we were served a complimentary cup of super savory chicken consommé to sip on. Soo good!
I ordered the Sea Scallops & Shrimp Fra Diavolo pasta. Scallops and shrimp were seared perfectly and the pasta was cooked al dente. Sauce was zesty and not overly spicy which my toddler seemed to like as well. My wife ordered the Madison Avenue Salad and she loved it. The blue cheese dressing was not overwhelming and the diced grilled chicken had excellent flavor. My son had the Kid’s Pasta «Mac N Cheese Style» made with bowtie pasta and fresh melted cheese and olive oil. No Kraft here! We finished with the box of NM Chocolate Chip Cookies served warm. Perfect ending to a great meal.
Overall, our meal took 2 hours from when we sat down to when we left — a very long dining experience for lunch. There was no need to rush which seemed to compliment our lazy Sunday perfectly! Our server Jorge made sure we were taken care of and we definitely enjoyed ourselves. We will be coming back, for sure!

BIG WARNING: This café is right above the fragrance area on the floor below. The smell is noticeable and a drag. Very sensitive people may not be able to enjoy the café. (Everyone in our group noticed it. We enjoyed our meal but will not be back.)
The food is excellent and well worth the price. «Extras» guests receive for free are extra special: wonderful popovers, beef broth is so wonderful you’ll want to start doing that at home, box of cookies for first-​timers also fun. The service was good when they were there at our table but we had a hard time getting attention and waiters didn’t come to check in as often as they should. Since this is a recurring theme in many reviews, seems like something to be expected if you go.

I don’t live in town, but whenever my friends and I shop in Walnut Creek, this is our go to restaurant of choice for lunch. Wonderful ambience, impeccable service, amazing food! A real treat!

The photos just don’t do this place justice. This is a great place to have a fancy lunch with friends. It is nestled in the back of Neimans and decorated beautifully. You really don’t feel like you are in a department store. I have been many times and the service is amazing and the food is always good. The popovers are a treat with the strawberry butter. I have to say it is a great place to lunch, it is a great atmosphere.

Really great lunch stop when you are downtown. Service was great and the food was delicious. I had one of their chicken sandwiches, but the iced orange chai was one of my favorite items.

Went to NM with my mom to do some shopping and realized we were starving.
We headed to café and were greeted with a smile and immediate seating (it was a weekday afternoon). Within 2 minutes we were given our complimentary chicken consommé and their yummy popovers with strawberry butter.
I ordered the chicken paillard and mom got the chicken salad plate. Food came before we were even done eating the popovers and various staff kept asking us how we were doing every 10 minutes.
The portions were huge and I shared with mom and had some left over. For dessert I ordered coffee to go and a box of the ever so famous Neiman Marcus cookie.
The waitress came back and apologized for the wait (it was like 10 minutes, not a big deal) because they ran out of their signature jewelry boxes that the cookies come in. To compensate, she put them in a small to go box still piping hot and threw in the recipe card (which I heard was valued at $ 250 at one point) and gave them to me on the house. Whaaaat. I love cookies and love free super delicious hot cookies even more.
Great food, service, staff and will definitely be coming back.

Was told wait is 90 minutes 4 1 wouldn’t u think they’d have a counter like SF and Scottsdale.

Their bread before meal is so yummy, I love the chicken Milanese, and perfect chilling place after shopping.

I didn’t even know Neiman Marcus had a café until today. My sister took me and told me all about the lobster bisque. The lobster chowder was on the menu so I was excited to try.
The raved popover with strawberry butter was such a great start to our meal. The saltiness warmth of the chicken consommé was soothing and hit the spot.
We ordered the chicken pesto sandwich, lobster chowder and the scallop salad (special). It was nice because they split the sandwich and salad for my sister and I to share.
The scallop salad was delicious. Goat cheese, arugula, avocado, asparagus and seared scallop. I appreciated that the salad wasn’t overdressed.
The lobster chowder was my favorite. Creamy, chunks of lobster, pieces of potato and perfectly seasoned. What more can you ask for?
I would go back just for the popover, strawberry butter, chicken consommé combo and the lobster chowder.
Service was amazing and server was so friendly. There’s complimentary valet parking for Neiman Marcus. You should make reservations since it doesn’t seat very many people.

4.5 stars.
I came here for lunch the other day with my mom and my Grandma and enjoyed it very much!
The ambiance is classy and elegant and everything is very clean.
Just after you are seated, they bring everyone at the table chicken consommé and a delightfully fluffy, yet crisp popover served with a fresh and creamy strawberry butter. This was an excellent way to start the meal and such a pleasant surprise! The popover was done perfectly.
It was a cold day, so I started off with hot chocolate as my beverage. It was deliciously chocolatey, the perfect temperature, and pleasing to the eyes.
For my lunch, I ordered the «Triple Grilled Cheese» with swiss, cheddar, mozzarella, and tomato served on sourdough bread. It is also served with soup (that day it was potato leak soup with a parmesan crisp), an arugula salad (with an excellent balsamic vinaigrette), and a small cup of fruit. The food was excellent. The grilled cheese was done perfectly. The salad was so simple, but the balsamic vinaigrette was delicious and I would not change a thing. The soup was very tasty as well!
The service was good. The reason I am giving them 4.5 stars as opposed to 5 stars was because the service could have been slightly better. My mom and grandma had asked for refills for their coffees and it took quite awhile to get them. However, she was a good server and very sweet. I was a server and I know how important it is to get that first round of beverages out quickly and also to be mindful of refills. Perhaps the number of tables/​guest to server ratio is too high? Regardless, there was a manager present and she was doing everything she could to help out at the tables and that was helping a lot.
My mom had mentioned that this was her first time eating at Neiman Marcus Café and our server was so thoughtful. Our server brought my mom a NM Chocolate Chip Cookie because it was her first time there. That was a very nice touch and certainly made up for any refill slips.
Overall, this was an excellent meal and a great place to grab lunch. The staff are very pleasant and accomodating. I will be back and I suggest it to others as well!

Delicious soup. Excellent service. Very quick service so it’s a nice option for a quick lunch.

This was my first time here. I’ve heard raves from friends and colleagues before, but my experience exceeded my expectations. First, even when I made reservations, the hostess was very friendly and accommodating when I had to change the number of people. When we sat down, we were immediately served mini chicken soups, which was a nice way to start as we were looking over the menus. After we ordered, the popovers came out, and the strawberry butter was absolutely heaven.
As for the main courses, we had the lobster roll, salmon, and chicken salad. My mom really enjoyed the quinoa that was served with the salmon — she usually isn’t the biggest fan of quinoa, but she really liked how they prepared it. My sister loved the lobster roll, which was a good size and we all enjoyed the fries, which were crisped to perfection. The chicken salad came with lots of fresh fruit, and was delicious. The portion didn’t look exceptionally large at first, but I was stuffed by the last bite. The ambience of the small café was elegant, but not too pretentious. Our waiter Carlito was just fabulous the entire time, and even packed us popovers to go. Only complaint is that they were out of the vegetable quiche, which was my mom’s first choice. Guess that just means we’ll have to go there again to try it.

A favorite lunch spot for my Mom and I.
Our absolute favorite is the lobster chowder, the best I’ve tried so far in life!
I’ve had many dishes here and the San Francisco location is my favorite, but the Walnut Creek Café is a great getaway while shopping or a nice break from work. Last week we had the chowder and split a turkey sandwhich, which was very tasty. They use the good turkey and they cooked my bacon extra crispy just the way I like, you wouldn’t believe how difficult it is to order extra crispy bacon these days!
Then I ordered the chocolate chip cookies and they were served in a jewelry box and included the recipe. Then I finished it off with an iced soy latte, they use Illy coffee and it was so good.
The cocktails are good as well. Always a nice experience at the Café!

Everything you’d expect from a café inside Neiman Marcus. Food was delicious, service was perfect, place is beautiful. We went for restaurant week and got the special menu. Had the chicken with Israeli couscous — very good! The complimentary popovers and strawberry butter are also delicious! For dessert we got the famous NM chocolate chip cookies presented in a box with the recipe. A fun place for a special lunch or if you’re shopping and feeling fancy!

Being a Texas girl and somewhat of a designer snob, I’ve been a devotee of the NM brand (especially, given its southern roots) since 1994, when I graduated from RN school and was able to purchase my own designer duds and LV luggage. Sufficed to say, I’ve dined in most NM cafes from Ala Moana mall in Waikiki to Beverly Hills to Ft Worth/​Dallas to San Francisco to St Louis to Orange County. This is THE BEST NM Café going. From old-​school service to the consommé to the popovers with strawberry butter to their tuna salad and wine list. When I heard the hostess say to a patron, «Please let me get you a black napkin so the white napkin won’t leave lint residue on your black slacks…» I was sold to eternity. I swear, I’ll be putting this café on my weekly to do list: and that’s just lunch!!!

One of my favorite spot. My mom always forget about me when she is shopping so this place becomes my hideaway. Neimans has always provided me satisfaction every time. The complimentary pop over is delish! Various food choices and great desserts! Must try!

My 3 year old and I had lunch here with two friends. This was our first visit to this location, and although my friends told me it was small, I was surprised at HOW SMALL this café is. It wasn’t a bad thing on the weekday that we went in for lunch, but on a weekend I can imagine that you’d definitely need reservations to dine here, at least a peak hours.
The décor is very nice — elegant greys and whites. The tables are nicely set and we were seated quickly. I did knock off a star for slow service — our waiter was slow and sometimes absent, and even when it was obviously time for our check, it took a while for anyone (the waiter, the hostess — who is close by to everyone since it is a tiny café), etc.
The food was pretty good. Like the San Francisco location, the amuse bouche of chicken consommé was the highlight. Unfortunate for me my son drank his and mine after I had a sip. The «fresh» popovers with strawberry butter didn’t seem so fresh to me — I’m sure that they were made that day, but I’d argue they weren’t hot out of the oven like they were in the San Francisco location. However, they still tasted good. The burger that I ordered was delicious — juicy and medium rare like I asked. The fries that they were served with were very crispy and nicely salted as well.
I also discovered that they have nice, spacious and very clean bathrooms just down the hall — perfect for a mom with a 3 year old who touches almost everything.
This was definitely a good place for lunch for us, and I will make sure to come back.