Real Food Cafe

Like other reviews state, great food and service. What’s great is you can eat as healthy as you want to or potentially very unhealthy (depending on your mood).
Oh, and the coffee is wonderful as well!

One of the best breakfast places in GR. Period.
Homemade pancakes, waffles, omelettes and so much more. Large portions + reasonable prices + great food quality = awesomeness.
The ‘create your own omelette’ has a large selection of fresh ingredients to choose from. Today, I had one with chorizo, avocado, home fries, salsa and spinach. It was literally one of the best omelettes sans-​cheese that I’ve ever had. I also got the Bananas Foster French Toast (because I sometimes indulge in gluttony when I’m on vacation), and felt this to be the best French Toast I’ve had in the last 10 years.
Prices are reasonable, but bring cash because they don’t do credit cards. Also check out the fresh baked goods as you leave — so much good stuff here. You’ll leave happy, but you might want to loosen that belt a notch!

We have been to Real Food probably 20+ times so I am speaking from a large sample size of data. This place is the best breakfast place I have ever been to, certainly the best place in GR. Large portion sizes, incredible scramblers, quick service even when busy, good coffee, great pastries, this place rocks! People complain about the wait and that they only take cash, but if you know these things it really is not a big deal. They are in demand! I particularly like the Northland scrambler, which is eggs, cheese, bacon, cream cheese, potatoes, and more! So so good. Did I mention that it is very affordable breakfast, the scrambler mentioned above is $ 8.95. We love Real Food Café!

The food is a 5 for me. The thing that brings the rating down for me is the overcrowded seating, no credit cards and always a wait. Staff and food are top notch. Always enjoyed every meal and have been treated well. Just expand and take Cards. Anna’s House took that advise when they built the new location on the Beltline. I just want to be able to relax and not always bumped by a passing butt cheek.

Cool diner with pretty good breakfast at a reasonable price. I had the eggs Benedict and it turned out really well. It’s disappointing that they do not accept credit cards to pay. It downgrades the whole experience when I have to go to the ATM (pay the fee) to get cash to pay for my meal. They have Facebook and Instagram but do not accept credit cards. It’s 2015, most people pay with plastic.

I will always love Real Food Café. Whether it’s something sweet or savory, there is always something on the menu to satisfy your craving. They are only opened for breakfast and lunch so plan accordingly. On this particular day I ordered the belgian waffle with fruit and whipped cream. My partner ordered french toast. Once the food arrived to our table I don’t think we said a single word for at least 5 minutes, it was that good. Prices are decent, service is great, and the food is amazing. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself.

Looking for a hearty, diner-​style brunch that won’t empty your pockets? Real Food Café is definitely the spot!
Came here for a family brunch after googling different meal spots and was not at all disappointed.
We called in advance and knew there would be about a 30-​minute wait. We didn’t know, however, that you need to sign yourself in or your not actually in line. Despite the crowd (and 14 parties in front of us), we were seated comfortably in the time expected.
The food itself was great! I had the Philly steak skillet, which was easily enough for two meals. One in our party got the Mediterranean scramble (also good and too much for one sitting). The other chose the monster omelet, which was good but he said he’d make a few changes next time; the meat made his saltier than desired and the buttered toast was too much grease along with the omelet. I’m pretty certain I had the best meal at the table and was still happily full 30 minutes later…
Our server was friendly enough and checked up on us often. The one issue I had with my dish (they brought the skillet with the wrong eggs) was corrected in under three minutes. If I could give a 4.5, I would.
A really great family meal! If they could deliver the way they did on Father’s Day, I have to come back again!

Best breakfast in the GR area. Everything is great. A few times ago tried the Northland scramble. It’s my current go to.

This is a must go to breakfast place. Order the Northland Scramble & prepare your mouth for happiness.

My 8-​year-​old nephew says, «The food is great. That’s the best place in the world to go for breakfast.»

Understandably, there is always a wait on weekends, so be prepared for that. Sometimes the wait is only 10 minutes, other times 30+ minutes. I’m not sure about weekdays since I don’t go at that time. There is a bar that is first come first serve, which we’ve been lucky enough to get a handful of times when the wait was long.
As for the food, I’ve never been dissapointed. I really like the skillets, healthy start waffle with fresh fruit, yogurt, and granola, and the eggs benedict. The portion sizes are really big, so you’re sure to have leftovers. Also try their baked goods. The cinnamon buns are SOOOO GOOD! Drool.
Waitresses are friendly and attentive for the most part. As previous reviewers said, this place is a bit cramped. We’ve often had to sit at a table for two, and we could barely fit all of our drinks and food. Not very private either since the table next to you is almost at your table. I wish they would fix the seating in there.
Make sure to bring cash/​local checks as they do not take any credit. Slightly inconvenient, but they do have an ATM and LMCU across the street.

Fantastic Breakfast Joint, with great portions and awesome pricing. This is our go to breakfast spot.

Yummy white chocolate blueberry pancakes and Westsider scramble (nice and creamy) Bacon was nice and crisp. Had them make ½ hazelnut coffee with ½ hot cocoa which was so good with homemade whipped cream. There portions are huge so one pancake was more than enough and still had leftovers. Think I will ask for the mini pancake size instead.

I personally didn’t like the food that much. I got the monster omelette and for me the food was too oily and a bit on the salty side, but the portion was big. The service was really good and the waitress that helped us was extremely nice and helpful.

I have enjoyed several breakfasts at the Real Food Café. Their sections put them near the top of places to go for a morning meal.
There is quite often a wait for a table and the place is cramped once you are seated, which is a downer.
However, the waitstaff keeps the coffee coming and the food comes out of the kitchen pretty fast so you don’t wind up sitting around a lot.
Good place for breakfast!

I’ve been to Real Food Café a handful of times. Every time I go I have been pleased with my experience.
The food is outstanding and the atmosphere is that of a fast paced, turn-​and-​burn diner. Waitresses will be flying around the dining room always making sure your coffee cup is full.
I have had their omelets a couple of times and they are big and delicious. This time I tried a scramble with polish sausage in it. As expected, it was scrumptious.
The only thing I don’t care for is the cramped dining room — intimate might be another word for it. There just isn’t much room in there. If you plan to have anything on the table aside from your coffee, your plate, and a fork, you’d better go someplace else.
Eat Real Food. It’s great.

Best breakfasts in town. Be warned, everything they serve comes in two sizes: Big and bigger! They are incredibly busy on the weekends, so be prepared to wait in line.
Also, they are a cash only business — so be warned!

Good quality and quantity of food the blueberry pancake is the best in town
Only thought is that the waitress is a bit moody

Breakfast of mammoth portions!
I take back every bad thing I ever said about the food in Grand Rapids. Ok, no I don’t. But this makes up for every bad bite of food I’ve ever eaten in this city, and then some. Could it be that this is a contender for best breakfast ever? Me thinks yes.
Our party of four waited about 15 minutes for a table, which is, according to my father-​in-​law how it is no matter what time you go. That’s a pretty good sign that the food you’re about to eat is going to be damn good.
I wasn’t disappointed. I ordered the corned beef hash with two eggs over easy and a biscuit with sausage gravy. What I received was enough to feed a professional wrestler. Maybe two. My plate runneth over with steaming hot fresh home fried potatoes, crispy pieces of corned beef (this isn’t the canned stuff you get at a lot of places) and two perfectly cooked eggs.
My other plate (feel free to start making oinking noises) came with two flaky freshly baked biscuits heaped with homemade sausage gravy that had a perfect sausage-​to-​gravy ratio. Nothing was too salty or bland. Everything was scrumptious.
Meanwhile, my wife proclaimed that her veggie quesadilla was the best quesadilla she’d ever tasted. I would back that claim up after having a bite (more oinking). It was oozing with cream cheesy goodness and overflowing with huge pieces of sautéed vegetables perfectly cooked.
My in-​laws enjoyed everything on their enormous plates as well, and Mom tends to be pretty picky when it comes to food.
How do I convince the owners to open a location in Chicago? Wait. Scratch that. If they were closer I might want to eat there everyday. Oink, oink.

Oh yes, I am a fan! This place is not open in the evenings and they do not take cards so be prepared!
I had the daily special — a pulled pork BBQ quesadilla with cheddar and cole slaw on it. I had the combo that came with fries & a drink for just under $ 9. I ate half of the meal and I was full! I ate the rest for lunch the next day but 2 people easily could have eaten this as a meal!
The person I was with had a chicken salad that was quite a generous size too! More than enough for one meal!
The staff was very friendly, the food came out quickly and was delicious! The menu is extensive, basic food that any & everyone could definitely find a dish!