Crystal Café & Grill

This WAS one of my favorite little cafes to go to for food but the service was horrific! It’s seat yourself, never walk in and sit on the booths at the right! The server walks over asks what you would like to drink and walks away as your still talking!!! I took my grandmother and mother there around 11am there was only 3 tables in there around that time. My mom ordered the chili (which was dropped off before the cooks had a chance to make our food) and my grandma and I ordered the belly buster. (Don’t judge! Lol) After we got our food and my moms was almost gone she never picked up our dirty plates. Another server had to come clear them. Our server was watching TV at the time. She did however have time to drop the check off 2 min into getting our food and like I said we didn’t see her after that. We walked up to the counter to pay and my grandma gives me a coupon for 50% of any breakfast item. Remember we had 2 belly busters, a bowl of chili and I had an Oj and my grandma had a cup of coffee that sat empty because she didn’t come back to refill it after we got our food. Our total bill was $ 40.05. I handed it to her and she says just so you know it’s on the chili. I said the coupon says breakfast and she started yelling at me to bad that’s not what they do. I said fine put the chili on a separate check then. She comes back and said they are all separate now so you can’t use the coupon cause you need 2 items and 2 drinks. The total for all separate checks was now $ 38.63 I said are you kidding me? She threw her hands up and yelled to the 2 other servers standing there to help me cause she was done! I also said someone else come help me please anyone but her! Another waitress came over apologized to me added up the bill which was now $ 35 something and took off the coupon so now it was $ 31 something. I have no clue why the price changed 3 times unless the server was trying to pocket $ maybe? They still use hand tickets. Our server walked over and was yelling at the server who was kind enough to help us because she let me use the coupon. She kept telling her «Jimmy» won’t let us do that! Do what, use the coupon the way it’s stated? I couldn’t believe how bad the service was and yet how amazing it was by the other server. She’s lucky I’m a server myself and I left her a tip! I am floored with how she could scream at me in front of other customers and coworkers. From now on I will make the drive to Lyndes in Osseo where the breakfast and service is amazing!

I love cute little cafés! The staff is sweet!
Seat yourself!
Their service is fairly quick. The café was half full and more people coming as we were there and left.
They have a big menu and serve breakfast all day!
I ordered the Eggs Saprano; which was more than enough. The boyfriend had the chicken chipotle omelette; which I tried and it was delicious!
We would go back!

Crystal Café is okay. It’s great for breakfast and lunch, but I feel it loses it’s luster in the dinner hours. The atmosphere is what you’d expect from a small town diner.
I still go there because it’s basically down the road, but it’s just one of those places that I go to if I’m not feeling like driving all around.

Went in for lunch. I had the Backwoods Burger special, and my Boyfriend had the Country Fired Steak Lunch Special.
The atmosphear is just like you expect a small café to be, some booths some tables a counter to sit at.
I asked for the Backwoods Sauce on the side when the waitress was not exactly sure what was in it. The burger was a very good size meat patty with mushrooms onions bacon and 2 kinds of cheese on it. It was fantastic! Usually when there is bacon on a hamburger I kind of think of it as a waste as I never really taste it, this bacon was thick and meaty and plentiful that when i took a bite i tasted all of the components and could identify that there was bacon on the burger. I didn’t add the sauce to my burger, I like sauces but it just didn’t fit for me today. With the burger came a good helping of potato chips, some pickle slices, carrot & celery sticks, and Cole slaw.
My boyfriend’s country fried steak that came with Mashed Potatoes, gravy over the steak and potatoes, green beans, and a piece of bread/​roll. He ripped through the steak like he had not eaten in days, he said he looked down and all of a sudden the food was gone. The gravy was good, the potatoes were thick and plentiful, the green beans were from a can nothing special but rounded out the meal nicely.
The prices were great, granted we ate off the specials menu but we got out with 2 meals one OJ with out tip for under $ 20 that is a great deal!

What a gem! This little diner is not flashy at all, but it is provides you with a sense of comfort. Old school handwritten receipts and servers who fill your coffee more often than they check on the food. My boyfriend and I try a new breakfast place every week, but more often than not, we end up wishing we would have just gone to the Crystal Café. Great portions, great prices, great grub.

Very traditional family diner. You can tell that the servers have been waiting on the regulars for years and years. Inside was just updated; booths and regular tables, great for families and children (they have a kids menu). My family and I live close so it’s our regular weekend breakfast stop. Haven’t been there for lunch or dinner.
We’re always pleased with our meals. Greasy, homestyle cooking. I’ve tried the omelets, breakfast sandwiches, eggs Benedict, etc. I’m not really a pancake person but I always order a side of cakes. Something about their recipe is unlike anything I’ve ever hard. My husband likes the breakfast sandwich or something from the ‘specials’ menu which is always seasonal and unique.
My one complaint is that their pricing structure is very strange. Depending on the dish, ordering everything a la carte is sometimes cheaper than ordering the meal.

Great breakfast and interesting choices. Hole in the wall in a strip mall but worth it.

One of my favorite breakfast joints. Huge portions, ingredients are fresh, coffee is good. I usually order the carnivore omelette, A+. Prices are reasonable and the staff seem pretty friendly.

No service at all. Three waitress chit chatting about the snow and gossiping behind the counter only 3 tables filled on the side we were sitting on and they all had food or had at least beverages. After 10 minutes of of watching the servers socializing, we had to leave with a hungry toddler.

Got the #11
Maple «black pepper» bacon potatoes
Jo-​Jo potatoes
Home style eatery, packed on the weekends. definitely a local spot & while a greasy spoon a pretty good greasy spoon. I’d come back again when i’m in the area.

Crystal Café is simple, clean, and fun. Their food is wonderful and their portions are absolutely huge. They DO have the best pancakes in the Twin Cities, or anywhere else.
The prices were normal, but considering the huge quantity of food, it’s actually cheap. You should expect leftovers.
The wait staff were friendly, helpful, and quick. They really seemed to buy into the whole «customer service first» thing.
My only complaint would be the small coffee cups and sub-​par coffee.

I am never going back. I ordered french dip. There was a hint of spoiled oil which completely ruined the entire sand which. Fries were ok but unseasoned. The cole slaw was the highlight of the meal for me. My mother had the pork tenderloin sand which. It was fat and burnt. The kids had pancakes. These were delicious. Hole in the wall dive with below standard mediocre food. Each sand which was gross and $ 10. Better off at Perkins. Ugh.

A buddy of mine told me about this place, a «hole in the wall» in a strip mall… I got the French toast, eggs and bacon… My server Michelle, was quick and very polite… Always making sure my coffee cup was full and checking in on me…
The atmosphere is homely and inviting, and the food was EXACTLY what I was craving this morning…
Strawberry french toast, 2 eggs and bacon extra crispy. I appreciate the option of getting 2, 3 or 4 slices of french toast… i was starving so i got the max! oh so yummy good! This bacon was D’lish and the coffee was tasty too!!!
As I look around at other peoples plates (as i always do to stake out what looks good) the portions are VERY generous…
If your in the neighborhood and looking for a yummy hole in the wall, come here! You won’t be disappointed!

Crystal Café is almost the perfect example of a neighborhood diner. The portions are good and the service is good. The food is solid and there’s a little creativity in the kitchen. I get the feeling that most of the food probably comes right out of the Cisco bag, but the cooks do a good job of using their ingredients to come up with some clever and interesting specials. Like most diners, the breakfasts are especially tasty.

Don’t know what makes their pancake recipe so special, but these are THE BEST pancakes in town — especially the blues.

doesn’t look like much from the outside, but it’s actually quite good! I ordered lunch at breakfast hours with no problem-​o. Overall — yum!

Hella good breakfast.
This place is an awesome old school diner in a strip mall. You can choose to sit in a private table or pull up a stool at the bar and watch the cooks brown your browns.
My man and I sidled up to the bar one hung over morning and had the best breakfast. The coffee was fresh and piping hot and our mugs were in a constant state of full. A lot of the meals here have an italian flair to them with the spice level and such.
I ordered the Italian Eggs which was basically eggs benedict with italian sausage and a lot of italian flavor in the hollandaise. It was spicy and the hollandaise was one of the best I have ever had. The eggs were also poached to perfection. My fiancé got biscuits and gravy (which he always orders) and raved about them.
You go Crystal Café.

It’s a great breakfast place that is close to home. Has your standard options with a few down home choices like the Southern Country Fried Steak breakfast special. Very well priced. Definitely worth checking out.

It’s ALMOST an «A-​ok», but I really can only give this one a «Meh».
The pancakes were indeed good. My man had no complaints about his «Belly Buster» breakfast.
I got the Rachel ($ 9), which was fine. There was a lot of kraut (I’m pretty sure from a can) and an appropriate amount of thinly sliced turkey and cheese. The «Thousand Island» came on the side, which was fine, because it tasted more like Miracle Whip, than any 1000 Island, I’ve ever tasted. Yuck.
The coleslaw was not good. The fries were as plain as any other uneasoned frozen fries, and the $ 5 malt was good AFTER I got past the non-​dairy «whipped cream» CRAP that they put on top.
The service was good, as was the airconditioning.
I may come back again for the reasonably priced weekday lunch specials (5 options available from 11:30−2p), since I’m in the area often, but I was totally un-​impressed with my regular priced sandwich.
It’s nice to have little all-​american neighborhood diners, I just get bored by them so I know my standards may be a little jilted. It’s not bad… just not my cup-​o-​tea.

I’m a bit surprised there is only 1 review. Just down road from Fat Nat’s and nearly as good. It’s a classic breakfast diner with good greasey food and black coffee.
My breakfast dish of choice is Biscuits and Gravy and there’s has been spot on everytime. I did however once order Southern Biscuits and Gray, which I’ve decided is nothing more than Biscuits and Gravy with A LOT of salt. I mean A LOT. I wouldn’t recommend.
Their omlettes are solid and good pancakes.

Sometimes the service is not the greatest due to it being such a great place to eat, It’s very busy. Yet they make many of their own meat products. Very flavorful sausage links.
I had a pumpkin French toast last fall and licked the plate clean. The only bummer is they have things like that seasonally. The Cinnamon Apple French toast was a very large cut of homemade cinnamon bread. So big I couldn’t even 1 of the 2 slices. So, I reheated the leftovers for breakfast the next day.
Reasonably priced. And I love to support the local businesses