The Mason Jar Cafe

I had the zucchini waffle and stuffed French toast as a half order due and my husband had the corned beef hash and the crab cakes! All was amazing!

All I can say is amazing. I have actually been daydreaming about my meal since I left! I got the crab quiche that was on special, along with an order of zucchini pancakes for the table. All the food was delicious and you could tell they used high-​quality ingredients. My only issue was the wait time to get seated. Hostess told us 30 minutes when we put our name down and it ended up being about 45 minutes. I heard another guest complaining as well that they were misleading about the wait time. Although once the meal was all said and done, it was worth the wait! Lauren was our server and she was excellent!

Great place for a vegetarian and organic-​conscious people! They offer almond milk as a substitute for coffee (always a winner if you do that). Asparagus omelet was amazing.

THE BEST breakfast and brunch spot around this desert-​like town. I am so thankful to have been introduced to this eatery by a friend and now it’s my all time favorite place to go for a wonderfully prepared morning or mid-​day meal. The pancakes are on point (be sure to add those blueberries); the stuffed French toast is absolutely divine intervention; the vegan tacos are a spicy savory firework show in your mouth; Lauren’s Dish is anything but ordinary and such an amazing hidden vegan gem (do try it); the quiche is all the rave (if you can catch it before it sells out) and my friends swear by their omelettes. So many great things to say about the Mason Jar (including how they use Mason jars — unique and fun) and so many great dishes and options to try. If you’re in the area, stop by, they are in fact awesome, and you won’t be disappointed (except if there is a long wait, but it’s so worth the wait)!

My absolute favorite restaurant in town for breakfast or lunch. Creative dishes, organic and locally sourced foods and always, always had impeccable service.
Expect a wait, but it’s worth the wait.

This place is super cool for Benton Harbor and very cool that they use so many local businesses. There aren’t many hip brunch spots in SJ/​BH. They need to be able to serve alcohol. The jalapeño sausage was very good.

Stopped here after some camping in Michigan. We’re vegetarian, so breakfast food can be tricky, but we checked Unilocal and it looked good. Quoted a half hour wait on Sunday afternoon around 1, totally reasonable. Got texted (which was cool) maybe 35 minutes later. Coffee was good and was VERY hot. Like, holy shit hot. Love it.
We ordered the asparagus omelette, grit cakes, and stuffed French toast. All of it was very solid. Nothing mind blowing or really innovative, but I don’t want corn essence mousse for breakfast, I want eggs and potatos. Left full but not stuffed. Bill was only like $ 35.
Our server was helpful, polite, and fast. I didn’t catch her name (maybe 20s, dark hair, pretty latina girl) but she did a great job recommending vegetarian stiff.
We live about 45 minutes away but are thinking about coming back up next weekend for brunch. Nowhere is perfect, I’d give this place a solid 4.5, but I’d say closer to 5 than 4. We’ll be back.

I visited here last weekend on a trip back home to SW Michigan. (I’m mostly vegan, now living in Seattle). It’s been at least a decade since I lived in SW Michigan and I was impressed with this place’s vegan options! I had a tofu scramble which I modified to be vegan & they were able to accommodate my requests without acting like I was nutso. Good job! I will totally make this place a regular on my trips home.
Everything else looked really good too & definitely fresh. The place has a casual but hip atmosphere.

Could brunch here every weekend and not tire of it. Second time here and it was just as amazing as the first. My wife and I went this morning (a busy Saturday morning) and despite the crowd, the wait was short with quick turnover. We split the goat cheese grit cakes (comes with eggs and potatoes) and a zucchini waffle (gluten free, made with almond flour). Both were unbelievable! Simple décor, excellent service. Five stars all around!

This place has very cute décor! I had the chicken gravy and biscuits and an egg and wife had banana bread waffle. Wife loved mine and hers but I wasn’t so crazy about it but I’m more of a sausage gravy kinda guy. The prices were a little high but everything was organic and healthier. Coffee was delicious!

Great food, great coffee, cute space, good price.
Had a really nice time here passing through for a late breakfast on my road trip to Canada (shoutout to all of my fellow Unilocalers for the recommendation!!). Service was good and the space had a cute café vibe with wooden tables, high tops and lots of windows.
My girlfriend and I shared the goat cheese and grit cakes with eggs and breakfast potatoes and the gluten free zucchini bread waffle with mixed berries, whipped butter, and maple syrup. She also had a vanilla latte and I a cappuccino.
The grit cakes were very creamy from the goat cheese and went nicely with the over easy eggs (note that the cakes come with 2 eggs any style).
The zucchini bread waffle was excellent. Despite my skepticism toward a gluten free waffle the waffle was the star of the show! It wasn’t too sweet or too doughy and bland. The batter was just sweet enough with nice pieces of zucchini throughout. The blueberries were some of the best I’ve had and the butter and maple syrup were great accompaniments.
My cappuccino was nice and my girlfriend enjoyed her vanilla bean latte as well.
Overall a really nice place with really delicious offerings that are both reasonably priced as well as clear demonstrations of elevated cuisine. Must go if you’re in the area!

If you are looking for a spectacular breakfast or lunch this is THE place!!! They have lots of gluten free options which is unusual. Unilocal has NEVER steered me wrong!!!

If eating vegan here is going to help save the planet then count us in! Thank you Lauren for suggesting «Lauren’s salad» it was a delicious mix of greens, black beans, lentils, asparagus, tofu and more with a warm teriyaki dressing. The side of in skin potatoes were perfect. Then the vegan tacos with tofu, cilantro, black beans and avocado with a couple different salsas was absolutely delicious. Thanks Lauren for the great suggestions and for being a great waitress. See Ya next time for more great suggestions.

I was visiting a friend in town and was pleasantly surprised when she brought me to this quaint and homey restaurant! We called ahead and were seated in less than ten minutes on a Saturday morning!
I ordered the Spicy Egg sandwich, a fruit cup and a cup of coffee and it was all splendid! The spicy egg sandwich had the perfect touch of spice and flavor! The coffee was delicious and the fruit cup was full of delicious berries, pineapple and bananas!
On top of the good food, the wait staff and service were superb. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to others!

I’ve been wanting to go here for so long, I should have waited longer. I loved the atmosphere and the wait staff was friendly, but the food was lacking.
We had the stuffed French toast had hardly any fruit. The huevos rancheros was bland with old guacamole. The broccoli omelette I could have made better at home. Make sure to order a drink because their water tastes terrible.
We ordered two lattes, they tasted ok.
Food was ordered and delivered to our table very fast, it was great not having to wait long.
I won’t be bringing my two teenage boys here since the portions are small and I would have to order them three entrees to fill them up.
Overall great atmosphere and friendly service.

Great food but was very frustrated that we had to wait 40 min after being told it was 20 min when we walked in. This is February.
When I saw people who came in after us get seated I asked the waitress what was going on and she said they had called their reservation in. I’ve never been to a breakfast place that takes call in reservations.

I’m obsessed with this place and so is my 1.5 year old, who always gets the banana pancakes. They’re super moist and delicious and you’d never know that they’re gluten free! You don’t even need to add syrup, they’re that flavorful. Depending on my mood, I either get the huevos rancheros (add the chorizo!), the goat cheese and grit cakes, or the turkey sandwich with cherry/​mustard sauce. I haven’t had one thing at this place that I didn’t like.
The best part about Mason Jar, though, isn’t the friendly staff or the delicious food (although those are both great!)…it’s that they don’t scrimp on their fruit cups! Most places fill those suckers up with un-​ripe melon and soggy grapes. NOT THIS PLACE. Every time I order one, I know I’ll be getting some version of a blueberry/​strawberry/​banana/​pineapple fruit cup and it will be fresh and void of melon. Just how it should be!

My friends and I wanted a casual yet tasty breakfast and decided on The Mason Jar Café. The weather was absolutely perfect so we decided to dine outside. Despite it being beautiful, this café had some kind of bee invasion going on! It made for a constant battle during brunch so if you sit outside on a delightful, sunny day — exercise with caution.
Despite the bees, we did end up eating quite well and service at The Mason Jar was awesome! They get very busy during peak hours so go expecting to wait a few.
I had the breakfast quiche filled with eggs, ham, cheese and spinach — tasty and satisfying! It was served with some breakfast potatoes that were enjoyable, as well. Each day they have a special quiche of the day (and they also have a few standard quiches) which is what I ordered. Portions aren’t overly big but are actually just right. I almost always walk with leftovers wherever I eat and there were none to be had here. I gobbled it all down like a starving wildebeest in the wilderness.
Despite the bee attack, my friends and I had a wonderful brunch at The Mason Jar Café & wouldn’t bat an eye at dining their again.

This café was amazing! The décor was quirky and homey, and the food was delicious!
We waited 30 mins for a table but had plenty of things to keep us amused: books for sale and art to look at in the restaurant’s attached annex.
Once seated, we got the corned beef hash breakfast, the waffles and a perfect chai latte!
We would highly recommend!
Note: there will most likely be a 25 min+ wait time on weekends (which is a good sign!)

I-​94 between Chicago and Detroit has pretty slim pickings for a decent breakfast (or lunch or dinner for that matter). So I took a chance and drove 15 minutes off of the Interstate into Benton Harbor to try «The Mason Jar.»
Not sure what type of building this was prior to becoming a restaurant, but it’s been rehabbed with lots of windows, knotty pine tables, light fixtures made of Mason Jars and lots of kitsch (both decorations and the artwork on the walls would fall into the kitsch category).
Who cares how «cute» folks think serving beverages in Mason Jars might be. It’s a sure proof way to dribble the contents all over you if you’re not careful. I thought drinking out of Mason jars went bye bye along with hippies, peace symbols, and Carol King ! Guess not.
My veggie omelette, which was good (a tad overcooked, but OK). The standout was the «house potatoes» and the tasty bottles of «Local Folks Foods» ketchup & hot sauce (not house made).
Being an equal opportunity employer of both fine dining (and some fast food chains if in the right mood,) I would say that The Mason Jar Café was a nice «field trip». However next time, I might opt for a quick Mickey D’s biscuit sanwich.