Mike’s Tortoise & Hare Cafe & Catering

I was not expecting quality but I did receive it! I tried the sweet potato fries with a mango sauce and it was delicious. I was told they make the sauces fresh on site daily, and you could absolutely tell. Meatball grinder was so so but the fries with mango sauce totally made up for it.
My friends who went with me loved their meals, deff going back.

Found this place on good old Unilocal and my Unilocal buddies did not disappoint. I never thought breakfast could «WOW» me but I was wrong. I ordered a simple egg and cheese on a hard roll and it was so delicious. Usually breakfast places serve plain and bland food — but this sandwich was just so full of flavor and taste. You could taste the cheese and the egg with every bite. So good! I also ordered the King’s french toast — which is french toast with peanut butter and banana inside. AMAZING! You must try it! Not only is the french toast flavorful by itself, but paired with the banana and peanut butter, it’s just overwhelmingly delicious. I ordered it to share with my boyfriend and he ended up ordering a second one for himself, YUM!
He got the «mama’s breakfast» (forget if that’s the actual name or not) which was eggs, meat, home fries, toast — the usual. The home fries at this place are what home fries should be. Other restaurants — TAKE NOTE! They were perfectly cut and seasoned and not «mush» as other restaurants tend to serve. Simply perfect.
We will be back! :)

Hidden GEM!!! Absolutely loved it! Had «The King’s» French toast… Phenomenal! Highly recommend going here.

After reading all of the great reviews, we decided to give it a try for breakfast.
It was filthy!!! OMG– I was shocked!
the food was ok, — it was a creative breakfast menu, but I am sorry, I could not get past the filth…
Sorry, I would NEVER go back.

Fairly average breakfast stop conveniently located right on Main St. in Bristol, just a stone’s throw south of Route 6. The menu is decent and the food OK. Pancakes are indeed quite large but the flour used and the overall flavor are somewhat stale and bland. Seems to be fairly run by a friendly couple. An OK stop if you’re in the area but not a destination worthy of a drive of any length to try.

Great breakfast! We ordered the basic stuff — eggs, homefries, sausage & Canadian bacon. Delicious. The no thrills restaurant is small, but provides a relaxed Saturday late morning atmosphere for breakfast. It was our first time at this place and didn’t know what to expect. We sat at one of the tables at the window, nice spot. Their homefries were my favorite. We WILL be going back!

What an excellent surprise.
You wouldn’t expect much from the curb or walking in, but hell this place is good!
Please order the tortoiseberry tea, its unsweetened iced tea with some cooked fruit mixed in that sweetens it just enough and creates and amazing flavor, absolutely love it.
For lunch I had the shrimp cajun wrap which had a nice kick and I devoured quickly. Even the fries were pretty good, I cleaned my plate! My mom had the portobello burger which was also very well done, and as you know portobello burgers can often be done very wrong. The bun used for it was soft and just perfect!
We will be back!

I went here late morning on a Thursday. Only one other couple was there at another table. Service was very nice, quick and attentive. I ordered the chocolate chip pancakes with a side of bacon. The pancakes were light, fluffy And had a delicious buttery taste to the batter without being at all greasy. The bacon was also top-​quality with a trace smoky flavor. I would definitely go back and order this again!

Tried the catfish and sweet potato fries and the carrot cake. All were de-​LISH! My wife got the salmon and it was excellent too. Love the byob. Definitely will be back. Great service!

This is my go to place for breakfast. Pancakes are large, serving size is 2 but I can only eat one. The T&H homefries are great, a combination of sweet potatoes, and white potatoes, occassionally purple and red make it into the mix. If you are a soup fan, then you definitely want to check them out. Summer will find cold soups on the menu, fruit or gazpacho for example. One favorite is the turkey soup that tastes like Thanksgiving in a bowl. Looking for a great dessert, look no further than the carrot cake, YUMMY. but if that’s not your thing try the brownie sundae. Mike’s is definitely worth the stop for any meal of the day.

We’ve been here a few times and have always had a good time. The food is southern style home cooking. We’ve had a catfish po-​boy, Lox omlet, leg of chicken and garlic mashed, BBQ nachos, broiled catfish with collard greens, pumpkin brulee and carrot cake. We’ve enjoyed every single dish here. The owners are down to earth and welcoming. Its byob so we’ve brought some homebrew with us and they offered us tall glasses to use with no problem. Get here for some authentic southern food, make sure to try a dessert. The desserts are a bit pricy and can easily be shared.

Arriving right after the lunch rush, we were greeted and allowed to sit where ever we wanted. We got menus and waters while we perused. The atmosphere is quaint with tortoise and hare knick-​knacks all over, small seating for groups of 1 – 4, and a glass border between kitchen and seating area. I like being able to see what’s going on, personally. Timing was great. We got hush-​puppies that were made with hominy and onion, butter flavored them a bit more. I guess I’m a fan of the more bread-​y fried cornbread because I didn’t like them, neither did hubby.
Our meals were yummy. Sweet fries with mango sauce dip were delicious, soft inside and crispy outside. Hubby got regular fries and quite enjoyed. For meals, hubby got hamburger which he happily wolfed down and I got a chicken wrap which I ate half of (had to save room for dessert!). The waitress was attentive and put my leftovers in a to-​go box. We got the chocolate cake (with a great raspberry complimentary sauce) and the brownie sundae (look at the cute little sprinkles in the whipped cream!) Understandable why they got first place for the local paper’s «best of 2012» in the dessert category.
The staff was attentive, took phone calls into a back room, provided refills, and kept things clean in the restroom. Good use of small space, at least one catering pick up while we were there which they helped customer carry to her car. Portion sizing wasn’t over-​done, parking across the street was convenient and crossing the street at the nearby crosswalk was easy. Window stickers advertised BYOB/​W and free WiFi. Only one special was mentioned and waitress was honest about why… waiting for delivery truck. I like the honest & attentive attitudes here. Low music volume, playing the local «oldies» station, was relaxing.

Can’t say a bad thing about this place… friendly service with amazing food at a very reasonable price!

Great little place for breakfast! I just found this place recently and I have already been 5 times. I love the atmosphere and the food. I will definitely continue going back!

After a few more breakfasts, including one with my 10-​month-​old son, I have to upgrade my review to 5 stars. Although I wouldn’t recommend taking babies or toddlers to Tortoise & the Hare, they were SO accomodating of my son. The food is amazing… consistently delicious. Fluffy pancakes, real eggs, crispy bacon… mmm… The best in the area!

I was a big fan of Mike’s North Carolina BBQ cart on North Main so when I heard he took this place over I was very interested to try it. I had even heard good things about from friends who I trust regarding food. Three of us went for lunch on a Monday just before 2pm. We ordered the calamari appetizer (on special) and then two of us ordered the pulled pork platter with two sides (one with hush puppies and creamed corn the other with mac and cheese and mashed potato) and the third ordered the pulled pork salad and crock of chili. The calamari appetizer arrived after what seemed like too long and was absolutely ordinary. The marinara on the side was fresh tasting. My friend’s crock of chili arrived and it was half full including the sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese on top. Hardly seemed worth $ 4.50 but he did like it. The pulled pork arrived and while the pulled pork sandwich looked just the same as it did when it was sold for $ 3 out of the cart on North Main only now due to the additional overhead of being in a store front, it was twice that. The two platter were skimpy at best. I would expect more than four fork fulls of pulled pork and half as much of slaw for nearly $ 10 but that’s what both pulled pork platter consisted of. There were the sides to consider. The mac and cheese had no visible cheese nor did it taste like cheese in any way. It looked like Kraft mac and cheese noodles and tasted like they had bathed in margarine. I’m not saying that. that’s what it was but that is what it tasted like. The mashed potatoes were real mashed red skin taters but were bland and room temperature. The hush puppies were plentiful if not unspectacular but the creamed corn was on target that day. There has been nothing but positive reviews and comments on this place so maybe it was just a bad day for the T & H crew. The pulled pork was still just as good as it was during Mike’s food cart days but the portion was so skimpy I felt ripped off and I find that hard to swallow. I doubt that I’ll go back but most experiences have been better than mine.

This is a great place for any meal… breakfast, lunch or dinner. The prices are moderate and the food is well presented and flavorful. The owner is on location and he puts his heart into every dish. The desserts are to die for from the carrot cake, key lime pie, to the brownie… it is all home made and deliciously well presented. You can BYOB as well which adds a nice personal touch to the whole experience.

I visited this place for breakfast and I had a delicious vegetable omelet with cheese. It’s a friendly place with a cozy atmosphere up the street from my mom’s nursing home. I have been tempted to try the place for months and this was the visit. I walked in with a jug of my own brewed green tea and it wasn’t a problem. Sometimes I am in the mood for coffee and sometimes I am not. They didn’t bat an eyelash which is good for me. The waitress seemed to really like the place and invited me back for dinner. I will definitely give it a try.

The Tortoise and the Hare is my most favorite place to get breakfast. They are the cutest little place to sit and watch the morning traffic roll by. It has a nice atmosphere and is very relaxed and comfortable to sit down and enjoy your food.
The staff is great too. The two women who work the floor are amazing. Both are very nice and genuinely care about their tables. The service is consistently great and I have seen these two ladies handle an obnoxious amount of people in the café, without breaking a sweat. They work very hard and make sure everyone is happy and fed and that their coffee is never empty.
As for the food. Its great. I’ve always left here happy and satisfied and wanting to come back.
They always have really good specials that change often.
This is the best breakfast spot in the area. It was my little secret until I moved and if i could take this place with me I would.
GO HERE.

The name is translated «The Tortoise & The Hare». This is a little hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurant in downtown Bristol with delicious food. The menu is a bit sparse, but what they offer is always delicious and skillfully made and presented.
Recommended.