Before we can properly review this, let’s get this out in the open: Whimsical is not spelled with a Z. Hey! Don’t shoot the envelope (or whatever the saying is) when the USPS has the gun!
I do get it. You see it all the time: Boyz. Dogz. Calzone. Those words do not need a Z, but the community has decided one fits there. During our first trip to Whimzical, my girlfriend went on a diatribe about people who add Z to a word to make it seem “cooler.” I agree with her. I teach a youth improv troupe named “Rascals,” people are constantly spelling it “Rascalz!” We’re not a Youth Ministry. We don’t need to seem cool.
But once you walk into the door of Whimzical you’ll quickly find that this place IS cool. Let it have all the Z’s it wants! Silent Z’s, Capital Z’s, Z’s where vowels should be. Name it Zhzmzzczl, and it’ll still be my favorite restaurant in Downtown Newnan.
It is located at 33 East Broad Street, Newnan.
I am constantly testing out my grading system, so today, we will break our review into three areas:
Menu
Atmosphere
Service
Each will receive a letter grade, and we will find the average (warning: I am using homeschool math for this one).
THE MENU
There is one glaring negative to visiting Whimzical, one that you know will take over all your favorite places to eat in a matter of time: it is very expensive. You can absolutely get sandwiches, mixed drinks, and appetizers for $3 cheaper somewhere else. And you’ll convince yourself that your cheap pigeon food is better because it at least didn’t break the bank.
I talked about Zokalo’s high prices in my last review, and I mentioned that (aside from the cheese dip) the food is not memorable enough to justify it. So, let’s settle this right here and now:
I do declare that Whimzical is worth the price!
Whimzical is not where you “grab a quick bite to eat” or “Takeout.” Whimzical is where you order a few drinks, order your food later in your visit, and finish off with a last drink. And I don’t even mean alcoholic drinks; my daughter got the Coke Zero with Vanilla flavoring, the most authentic vanilla flavoring everyone at our table has ever experienced. It was incredible! This isn’t Coke Freestyle machines–this is on that Willy Wonka.
Whimzical is for sitting down with friends, talking about your week, plotting your revenge attack on your Peachtree City cousin, and being constantly distracted by how incredible everything on the menu is.
I’ve had 3 of the sandwiches, 4 of the drinks, and most of the sides. Nothing has been close to disappointing. We regularly say “gotdangit I wish this place wasn’t so good since it’s so expensive!” This is our National Anthem of Whimzical:
“Oh, say, can you see
that the price is so high?
But the food is so great
when it goes in my belly.”
The Jurassic Pork and Brie Mine are two of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had, and as a Type 1 diabetic, you better be delicious if I’m going to stuff bread in my mouth like a depressed Seagull. Oh! Reminds me. Everything on the menu has a silly name! And you can bet your bottom-dollar-dollar-dollar-that* I’ll be adding their menu names to my Newnan Time Trivia game (book now).
*the joke is that there are multiple dollars because the food is a bit more expensive than you’re used to–thus, I changed the song lyrics. I am hilarious.
Obviously, “be responsible with your money,” but think about it in these terms (this is how Harold’s brain works): Instead of stopping for disgusting fast food this week, put that money towards the high-priced brilliancy at Whimzical Café.
Boom. There you go. You’ve been budgeted.
With all that said, it would be great to have a cheaper kids’ menu option. And if they do have one, they’re hiding it somewhere! It’s silly for anywhere not to offer serving sizes appropriate for Harold Jr.’s belly and wallet.
Yeah. I make my kid pay for her food. And she better have at least a 35-hour-a-week job. I’m not raising no slug. And my non-slug-human daughter says the same thing, “I love this.”
This is the best, most consistent food in Downtown. It’s like a 5-star New Orleans experience smushed into our little Newnan Orleans.
A-
VERDICT: Every price tag is worth it when you’re talking about a few dollar difference, but I can understand why locals wouldn’t be comfortable violating their piggybank when there are other, not-terrible-but-also-not-nearly-as-good options nearby.
(the letter grade is my personal feelings; the +/- is based on what I think the public, not as important as Harold, would feel)
The Atmosphere
OK.
OK.
Lemme think about how even to discuss this.
OK.
Whimzical is like when mom has an excellent vision for the home, but no matter how hard she works, the kids and the doofy husband leave their mark all over the place. Whimzical is the exhausted, hot stay-at-home mom of Downtown Newnan.
When you first walk in, everything is bright, eye-catching, fun, brilliant, and beautiful. The attention to detail in the layout, bar, decor, and intentions are immediately apparent and appreciated. But then, as we often do, you start looking around…
Whimzical does the Zaxbys thing: artwork that maybe goes together, but you can’t prove it. I can’t explain it without you visiting, but here are just a few pictures:
And I am probably being a bit of a dill pickle about this. I assume most of you will consider all this “fun” and “personality.” And I’m not disagreeing! It is FULL of personality, but it just feels like five different personalities competing at the same time.
“Alright kids, everyone can pick ONE thing from Goodwill that we hang up in the restaurant.”
This is absolutely charming to me, but I wonder if that’s the purposeful vibe. Who IS Whimzical? Are they elegant and encouraging or sexy and silly? Can one place be all that? We know one man can… ladies 😉 and fellas 😉 and anyone that’ll give me attention 😉
The photo above is incredibly fascinating to me. There is a stack of board games in this storage area (which is open to customers). Is this for the customers? Is this for the employees during downtime? What, in the open-storage areas, can I touch? I would love to play a board game. Instructions unclear! I ATE THE DICE! I NEED AN ADULT!
Furthermore, you will find stacks of documents, notepads, someone’s laptop; employee notes lying out in the open. This feels like Dad had to “work late” and then couldn’t clean up before his “golf game.” I even stopped at the table full of employer notes and took a gander through some of it. Invasion of privacy? Or me looking for a hidden kids menu? I’ll be the judge.
And in the most hilarious contribution to this (remember the food is terrific) Cafe: the outlets. My kiddo pointed this out during the only-twenty-seconds-of-the-dinner she looked up from her phone:
I am positive this setup was created before the owners took over, but it is so hilariously done that it’s impossible not to point out. Every angle possible for an outlet is done at Whimzical. It doesn’t change anything about the place, but I love that it exists that way. I guess dad had been drinking while mom was decorating.
I’m starting to think I’m projecting my childhood into this post.
B
VERDICT: There are parts of the place that are an incredible A+, but there are just so many little things that will make you wonder “why?” during the few moments you’re not discussing the delicious food. And while we don’t hold the owners at fault, the open areas that show off all things storage and mess are a bummer. There is no plus or minus for this one–The public will be split on this.
In honor of my girlfriends favorite thing: Bonus cheers to the variety of cups they give the customers. Weird thing to praise, but every visit has meant I got a different water glass. Why? Don’t know, but I love it. And love without understanding is the most trustworthy love of all.
The Service
An area that is easy to review because, unfortunately for them, you dinguses haven’t realized how great this place is and PACKED IT UP! It should be like sardines in a telephone booth up in Whimzical! Fill ‘er up, eat their sammies, drink they mixxy boys, stop playin’.
My point, our server has never had to deal with dozens of tables at once during our half a half a dozen visits: it’s been an easy shift. But I am not indicating that they wouldn’t be able to handle more; they haven’t yet.
The service has been incredible in all our visits to Whimzical, and all the employees are gorgeous! From entrance to exit, it is a perfectly stationed fort. I’d be happy to work there if the state of Georgia allowed me employment (uh oh).
There is nothing I can nitpick about the servers, cooks, and management on site. These are perfect people, and they deserve perfect things, like a Whimzical sandwich.
A+
VERDICT: If you meet someone who says “I had terrible service at Whimzical!” then they’re wrong. “But opinions can’t be wrong,” yeah, they can. The kind of people who would complain about Whimzical’s staff are the same people who say “I got spanked as a kid and I TURNED OUT FINE! :punches a hole in the wall out of anger:”
OVERALL VERDICT
A+
While I hope that as time passes, Whimzical will organize things around the store and offer a few more options on the lower end of a budget. But still, going to Whimzical is something people should have on their calendar at least once a month. It’s treated like a secret but tastes like an exclamation.
33 East Broad St
(770) 755-7709
whimzicalcafe@gmail.com
Keep an eye out for our “from the other side” review, written by my date
Newnan Time with Harold 