Taylor Kitz, Contributing Writer

Winston-Salem is a town clearly not lacking in little restaurants that serve sandwiches in the daytime with a dinner menu after 5 PM. The West End Café is no exception to this town’s dining tradition.

On fourth street downtown near Burke Street (think Burke Street Pizza) and the Filling Station, The West End Café is reminiscent of New England restaurants usually located in the downtown areas of the “cities.” However, this quaint feel is almost entirely lost once you step foot into the restaurant. The small look of the restaurant is incredibly misleading—the interior is much larger than it looks, and therefore the intimate feeling you were expecting is simply impossible. While it is still not like an Applebee’s or Bennigan’s in terms of impersonality, when you walk into the restaurant, be prepared to be surprised.

In addition to the size of the interior of the restaurant creating a lack of intimacy, most of the customers are clearly not college students out looking for a meal not created by the chefs of Aramark. Instead the average patron of West End in the daytime is a businessperson on a lunch break or meeting from downtown. In the evening the average patron’s age has not changed, usually only the company—a group of friends away or a husband and wife out for a meal. This fact makes the restaurant very different from the usual restaurants we as college kids go to, where the average is closer to 20, not double that.

But let’s get on to the important issue and why I signed up for this job—the food. The one truly impressive aspect of this non-chain restaurant is the variety of options, especially on the dinner menu. Unfortunately, some of these options simply are not high on our taste palettes (think “Lavender Cinnamon Pan Seared Ostrich Filet”) for a simple night out away from the Pit. However, the food is, in fact, well prepared. However, don’t expect to be blown away; the food is by no means absolutely exceptional or particularly special (this is assuming you don’t order the ostrich; I have no doubt that particular dish is extremely special).

The price range is extremely diverse, the cheapest dishes being the sandwiches. One aspect that irked me, however, was the “two fixings free” policy. Being a person who likes lettuce, tomato, and cheese on their sandwich, I would be forced to pay an additional sixty cents for the third “fixing.” This starts to drive up the price of a simple sandwich into the five-dollar range. Also, their eight-inch subs often are close to seven dollars each. To me, a few potato chips on the side don’t make up for the three-dollar deficit from a sub at, say, Quiznos when the quality of the sub is about the same.

Overall, the West End Café was a somewhat disappointing experience. While the food was by no means mediocre, it lacked any potential to be exceptional. The service was fast and courteous, but the atmosphere was not at all what you expect when looking at the restaurant. However, if you are looking for a meal away from Benson or the Pit that doesn’t involve the word “Loop” West End is a viable option. Just don’t get too sad when you pass the Fourth Street Filling Station on the way back.