Harbor View Cafe

If I could give a negative stars, I would give –5 stars. My instinct was to leave before we ordered. I should’ve followed my instinct. We had a party of 4. Walked in to one couple eating breakfast, nobody else in the restaurant. The unfriendly waiter walks to our table, and this was his greeting «I notice that you are all looking at the breakfast side of the menu and we are done serving breakfast». That was pleasant. We ordered drinks, and I ordered water, 2 of our party ordered tea. My water looked brown. Needless to say, I didn’t drink it.
My husband and I both ordered the chef salad. We literally watch the lady in the back get a bag of salad out and with her bare hands, put it on a plate. At the same time, one of the other workers was at the counter counting money. After he was done counting, he pulls out silverware and starts rolling silverware without washing his hands in between. Not only that, but his hands were all over the tongs of the fork, spoon and knife. It was truly gross and my second gut impulse to leave kicked in.
Got our salads, one at our table got a sandwich, the other a bowl of soup. I asked for lemon and balsamic vinegar. The waiter states they used the last lemons on the tea and he had no balsamic. The 2 that got tea pulled their lemons from the tea and handed them to me. They looked brown and old. They were disgusting. I asked for oil and vinegar. I was brought a gross set of oil and vinegar containers. They looked like they had never, ever been washed. Then the waiter says «that’s vegetable oil». Seriously? There was only a selection of salad, sandwich or soup on the menu and you don’t even have the condiments for a salad? The final straw was when one gentleman in our party went to the restroom. If he had went before we were served food, we definitely would have walked out. He came back and said that he couldn’t wash his hands because there was feces on the facet. Where the heck is the health department ?? We left obviously feeling grossed out and sick. And lesson learned. Listen to my FIRST instinct !!!
I don’t understand all of the positive reviews on here. The waiter was NOT FRIENDLY and acted as though we were bothering him. Do yourself a favor and go around the corner. There are TONS of other more appealing restaurants there!!! j

This is a small mom & pops shop; very good food!
Had the biscuits and gravy with house fries and some bacon… DELISH! I’m not the biscuits and gravy type girl but these were so good! Biscuit was cooked perfectly and the gravy had small chunks of sausage, enough to give it a small kick.
Service was good, had to wait for about 20 mins outside but it was well worth it. Where I sat you could see the owner of this place cooking. Maybe that’s why the food took so long to come out (it’s only her cooking) but it is worth the wait.
Must come here for some breakfast! & not to mention the view you have outside! Gorg.
Enjoy!

Great location on the harbor with a nice view if you sit right by the windows up front (those are just tables for two, though). Small place with no frills. We went pretty early, so were seated and served rather quickly. Nice!
I had «Mary’s Eggs Benedict» which was a kind of southern-​style benedict with biscuits instead of english muffins. They will substitute the muffins on request, but the biscuits are big and fluffy and worth a try. That was tasty, but the accompanying breakfast potatoes looked much better than they tasted. Pretty much flavorless. But the the breakfast was still very filling even without the potatoes.
Husband had the western omelet and said it was cooked really well. It had red bell peppers instead of green (not his favorite), but he still finished it so I guess it was pretty good!
Server was friendly, coffee was good… all-​in-​all a good breakfast for the price.

Best. Biscuits. Ever! Charming place with fast and friendly service. Can’t beat the view. And those biscuits!

Very good home cooking right in the harbor with a great view. I like trying places that feels like a local hangout. This is one of them. Not fancy but delicious.

Totally edible and totally uninspiring. If you like Denny’s type food and drinking out of styrofoam cups then this is the spot for you. If you like food with any type of imagination then look elsewhere. If you are downtown without a car then this place could be a possibility.

I walked in hoping to have breakfast. The place is small and very «Mom and Pop». Normally that’s great. There were two ladies working. The one who seated us was nice. The other lady wasn’t very friendly. She came by and told us «no more breakfast». I was disappointed since I was one of two tables. The place was empty. I ordered a grilled cheese which was «okay». There’s really no ambiance and my sandwich was nothing memorable.
Maybe I would’ve had better luck for breakfast?

Great little cozy spot right on the harbor… Mary is a hoot and the food is alway good, the Eggs Benedict are phenomenal and their biscuits are always on point… always!

I hate giving bad reviews but I’ve been to this place twice. Both times staff seem unfriendly, service is very slow, and food is not that good (except for their biscuits lol). Also it’s expensive, The quality of this place is too low for downtown St. Augustine.

Totally agree. Great place. Prices are about $ 10 for a plate. Add ons line bacon or sausage are a TOUCH pricey at $ 3 or $ 4 instead of $ 1 – 2. Good quality is great. There are only eight tables and some barstools, though, timing may be important.

We made new friends here at Mary’s Harbor View Café! A passerby recommended the Eggs Benedict and I was not disappointed. And they readily accommodated my wife’s dietary needs. Just tell them what you can eat and they’ll work with you. We will be back again tomorrow for breakfast.

Conveniently located right in front of the harbor, this spot offers a cozy environment for the customers. However, you don’t really get to have a «harbor view» once you go in.
Servers were very friendly and kind, but the dishes took forever! We waited 10 minutes to be seated because the place was full. Then, we ordered our omelettes, but it wasn’t until an hour and a half that our plates were delivered! Either they’ve got to expand the kitchen, or they seriously have to check what’s delaying it all. Plus, it was cold and too expensive. Twenty seven dollars for two omelettes and two coffees…

Wow best omelet ive ever had. Very courtesy staff. Food came out quick. Beautiful views of the Bridge of Lions. Highly Recommend!
Coffee cup stayed full!

Such a great breakfast spot but even better service. We had a large group (9) and the gals at HarborView were so accommodating.
The biscuits are out of this world. Try the eggs Benedict. You won’t regret it!
Thank you Laurie for your service and recommendations on what to do while in the city!
Make sure to stop here for breakfast!

Got here at 7:30 am. Before I sat down 4 other people came in. By 8:30 there were about a dozen here. The little lady was spectacular darting all around tending to everyone. I had the Little Bubba breakfast — biscuit & gravy, 2 eggs over easy, & bacon. Biscuit was HUGE; gravy was delicious — thick & very peppered; eggs were done perfectly; and the bacon was crisp. I am FULL! Makes me wonder what the Big Bubba breakfast is! The view of the harbor is beautiful — makes for great ambiance! All this for $ 11. How can you do better???

Excellent breakfast spot. Everything on the menu sounded great, but the specials sounded even better. Five adults and two kids and everyone loved everything. Service was excellent as well.
The space is a bit cozy, so if you have a large party be prepared to wait a bit or split up.

Found it on Unilocal.It hit the spot. Daughter actually finished all of her French Toast. That is as rare as a Yeti sighting. Walked across the street when the Castillo opened. Everyone working was extremely friendly. Great start to the day.

The best damn breakfast place in St Augustine! I have been coming back for the last 30 years. Super friendly and great service. I highly recommend the fresh home made biscuits and gravy!

After reading the dreck from the guy who talked about the things you need to do in life… I’m wondering if he’s eaten anywhere else in his life…
This place is nothing special, not special at all.

5 THINGS you should do at least once in your life:
* Run a marathon
* Volunteer at a shelter
* Travel someplace new without any planning… just go!
* Perform a kind deed for a total stranger without expecting anything in return.
* Get the Eggs Benedict here @ Harbor View Café.