Morning Ritual: Okay

If you're already in New Albany and everything else is closed for Boxing Day (!) then this is a fine choice for a quick coffee. But the longer you stay, the more reminders you'll see of why this place wasn't made for you.

The holiday spread at Morning Ritual

Overall Rating: 10.9/15

Food & Beverage: 2.1/3 (pro: delicious, con: limited selection)

Service: 2.9/3 (pro: kind and patient, con: maybe a bit slow)

Ambiance: 1.9/3 (pro: neat and sleek, con: the music)

Bathrooms: 1.7/3 (pro: super clean, con: low quality paper products)

Other: 2.2/3 (pro: Plant Gays gift corner, con: flies everywhere... in December!)

EZ's Review: I would like to say that Morning Ritual (MR) is not as good as it seems. First of all, the FLIES!! There would be 3 flies above your head and 3 on your table!! So annoying!!

Another thing to say is that from certain places of the room you can hear the music from The Goat and MR which is annoying, too. So some tips on where to sit to get away from the annoying music problem is close to the door but then when people go in and out, you get a wintery blast to chill you out! Get it?

But as a upside, the food was delicious! We didn't get everything but what we did get - hot chicken biscuit and breakfast burrito - was great. Even the drinks were good - strawberry smoothie and the peppermint latte. All good.

So, in a summery, you decide where you will sit, don't mind the flies, and hope the food is good when you go!

Mom's Review: This place has the manicured chicness you'd expect from a real estate developer in a gated community. It's an off-the-rack amenity manufactured for the Instagram generation. As such, it was certainly stylish with its subtle forest theme (leafy accents, worn leather, warm woods), soft lights, and lush greenery. The bathroom, which is shared with attached restaurant, The Goat, has meme-able messages laid into the tile and a mirror made for selfies.

If you only visit online, it is an overwhelming success. In the real world, however, you see the sacrifices made for mood. The chairs are better for a quick sit than a long lounge. The soap and toilet paper are functional, but lack any sort of luxury. If you sit against the back wall, you'll hear three different playlists (one from the leasing office, one from The Goat, and one from the cafe) all fighting for your attention. And, despite visiting just after Christmas, the place was covered with flies, which was annoying, if not concerning.

Everything was a hard surface, which I'm sure makes for easy cleaning and disinfecting, but won't ever be confused with cozy. It also lets sound bounce, which makes eavesdropping on your neighbor's conversation a little too easy. Awkward and unintentionally cruel toddler observations (the kind that start, "mommy, that lady is sooooo....") will not go unnoticed.

The coffee was fine. I had the peppermint iced latte and appreciated that it wasn't overwhelmingly sweet, but the flavor chill never really materialized either. EZ's smoothie was similarly acceptable; obviously made from a mix, but a higher-quality one that led with strawberry instead of filler. He loved it and wanted to go in for seconds; I'm sure if we lived in the area, he'd want to hit the Walk-Up Window on the regular.

The food was a real bright spot, getting high marks from both of us. The hot chicken biscuit was light, fluffy, creamy, and just sweet enough to tease out the spice. It wasn't a traditional Nashville style, with most of the heat coming from a cream-cheese mix and less oil than you'd expect, making it more shareable with little ones. The crunch was perfect, just bring your own hot sauce if you really like the bite. EZ's breakfast burrito was crisp and balanced, with the sweet bacon appealing to picky eaters.

Overall, we had a pleasant morning. Lots of foot traffic kept the people watching interesting, the gift corner with dog treats and a solid selection from the Plant Gays was fun to poke around (though you're going to want to be sure little hands don't break the $25 candles with their smell tests). Also, kudos to the staff who made helpful meal suggestions and was very sweet.

But, at the end of the day, it was clear that this cafe wasn't "for" us... it was for the residents who lived there. It was the sterilized kind of chic that you expect with your first big-boy apartment, before you've got kids to think about. For us, it was a solid back-up option when our first choice was unexpectedly closed, but not one to add to the rotation.