I have now eaten here 2 times. Dinner and breakfast. Outstanding! Very tasty food. Great atmosphere. Friendly and efficient service. I cleaned my plates which I don't often do at a restaurant. I wish my parents were still here ( passed on ) because they would've loved this place. Since moving to Arlington this will be a favorite restaurant. If I lived closer I'd eat here maybe 4 times a week. Can't wait to go back. I love it!!!! read more

If you're expecting anything other than a greasy spoon you'll be disappointed. That being said, it's a good one. Fast service and good portions. Prices are decent. One of our favorite local breakfast places. read more

Food was good. Service was not. Waitress was not friendly and couldn't manage to refill my water in 40 min. Will not return.

Very good food . One of those awesome small town diners with local feel . My only complaint was the staff was very young and did not fill our coffee/ water without us asking ...;-) maybe some better training from the old timers on staff .... read more

For $7.06 out the door you get 2 eggs, hashed browns, and toast. Good food but when you order to go you must ask for utensils, ketchup and jam. I like it better when i don't have to go back after i have discovered the missing items. I did get napkins though. And when I did go back they gave me 4 jams, and 9 packets of ketchup way more than I needed. read more

I usually don't go all out with the stars but this place is the best! Great food, fantastic atmosphere and great service. Feels like you are stepping back in time when you walk in and you are always greeted with a cup of coffee. Food is priced right and if you walk away hungry it is your fault. Don't miss an opportunity to dine here the food is fantastic! Great Job! read more

Horrible service and wait time, screwed up Father's Day plans should have just left. Food was ok.

Worst experience I've had in a long time. The food was absolutely horrible. We barely took 2 bites out of our food when we decided it was to disgusting to finish when we told one of the servers she stormed off another lady came back and told us we had to pay for what we ate and charged us $20 when our total would have been around $30 worst service I've ever had do your self a favor and avoid this place!! read more

Best place in Arlington for breakfast. Ok, pretty much the only place in Arlington for breakfast. My wife and I come here often. They have good specials, and reasonable prices. read more

Been going in to this café many years, but after last Sunday my husband and I will never go again. We go for the breakfasts but there seems to have been a complete turnover of staff. The old servers were great some had been there 15 or more years. They're gone so is the great cook. What happened????? Then the food seems to be slapped together and put on a plate. The cheese on my omelet was so thick it was just way to much. Then there was the freezing condition of the place. It was so cold in there that your food got cold before you could eat it. When we asked about it we were told there was nothing they could do. This will be our last experience there. There has been others but this was the latest. read more

We decided to go out for a Sunday breakfast last weekend and came upon the Blue Bird Cafe. The place was really busy and there was only seating on the bar area. We figured that it must be good food if it is so busy, so we sat down and began to review the menu. There was a sign on the wall advertising homemade cinnamon rolls. We spotted some sitting in a container on the counter behind the bar. I made a comment to my boyfriend that they looked absolutely delicious! I kid you not, right after I said that, one of the employees (a young man) walked by, stuck his bare fingers in the container, grabbed a piece of the cinnamon roll and put it in his mouth...... Okay, a little grazing during work hours... that's fine.... BUT NOT STICKING YOUR BARE FINGERS IN FOOD THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE FOR THE CUSTOMERS!! Right after that he went to the kitchen and grabbed a couple plates to take to their tables..... I couldn't believe what I had seen! I was so grossed out, I vowed to never eat at this restaurant again. There are just some things that employees DO NOT DO! read more

Very pleasant. Prices reasonable. Small pancakes are not small but they are very very tasty. Food and service are excellent.

I really wanted to go have a good breakfast this morning and after reviewing yelp, thought we would go try this place... When we walked in it came across as a cozy little diner, cute and homey like. The waitress lady was very nice and the prices seemed way reasonable.. I ordered chicken fried steak with sausage gravy and the sides and my husband ordered a waffle with eggs and bacon. I was extremely disappointed with my chicken fried streak, as far as to say it was THE WORST I have ever had (and we order that any new place we go to know how to compare) had no flavor and was super chewy and just plain gross, took all I had to take a second or third bite in hopes that it would get better... Hash browns, eggs and toast were the typical sides for breakfast. My husband said that the bacon was not good at all either, waffle was just okay... We did order a bran muffin and it was good! Unfortunately we will not be returning to this cute local downtown diner :/ read more

We were looking for a place to eat on Labor Day and unfortunately, this was the only place open. I do not recommend eating at the Blue Bird Cafe. Our server was and elderly woman who was less than charming, I will refer to her as Biatris. I asked Biatris if they served beer, expecting a "no" as this is a family dinner, but instead I have a handed a extremely sarcastic "no, thank GGGAAAWWWDDDD". I didn't realize that one beer was going to turn me into a drunken lunatic that was going to rip the walls down, but apparently it would. The menu was basic diner fair, which it is as we all know can be very hit-or-miss. I attempted to stay conservative with a burger, but I was very hungry and didn't want leave with a 1/3 lb hockey puck patty leaving my stomach grumbling the rest of the day. Biatris approaches. R - "How big your your burgers?" Biatris - "Small".... a glowing endorsement indeed. R - "How about your steak burger?" Biatris - "That is a whole dinner"... Well that didn't answer the question. R - "Good thing, because I'm a whole hungry person. I'll take it." Biatris - "Soup or salad?" R- "What kind of soup do you have?" Biatris - rolling eyes and snatching the menus "I am just amazed that people never read the specials board when they walk in the door. The specials are posted right when you want in the door and over there over the counter. The soups are listed on those boards, we have ____ and _____." R - About ready to punch Biatris in the Panini "Well, I figured as my waitress you could inform me of the soups." Biatris - "That's not my job, my job is to wait on you." huh? R - "I'll have the salad, do you have some sort of vinaigrette?" Prior to asking I examined every inch of the restaurant to make sure that I didn't miss a board that had the salad dressing listed. Biatris - "We have 'I'-talian" R - "I'll have that." Wait, wait, wait... here comes the food. My dinner was supposed to include a the entree, vegetable, potato (I ordered mashed), roll, and a small dessert. The results: Salad - iceberg, dressing Hidden Valley. Steak burger - slightly larger hockey puck than i would have expected the hamburger to be, and certainly over-cooked. Green beans - straight out of the Green Giant can and into the microwave. Potatoes - not sure where they came from but the gravy was definitely out of a can. Roll - straight from Costco. Dessert - *blink* No excuse. I have no idea how this place stays in business as I have had infinitely better food for less money that was actually prepared in the kitchen from fresh ingredients, oh yeah and the servers were friendly/helpful. Allowing this sort of fair and service to stay in business is simply because the "diner" is an American Tradition. Hopefully the owners either wake up and start serving quality food to their patrons or fold and allow a worthwhile restaurant to occupy this space. read more

We have eaten here at least three times. This place could only exist in a small town or at a truck stop. Lots of things in the environment need a touch of DIY. There were no surprises on the menu. However, there are a loyal core of "come as you are" supporters that don't expect updated decor to be served the type of comfort food they favor. This time we had Swedish pancakes, eggs and bacon that were filling and the coffee came non stop. The waitstaff was attentive and connected with their customers. read more

My girlfriend and I ate here for lunch 4/6/2013. The service was great the older lady that was our waitress was very cool. BUT!!! The food was HORRIBLE!!!! The chicken sandwich I had was obviously a reheated frozen cosco round shaped chicken portion pattie, it was on a REALLY cheap white bread bun with a thin layer of mayo and a tiny amount of wilted chopped lettuce. My girlfriend had a reuben sandwich that was crappy toasted bread with a couple thin slices of pastrami and a layer of very bad saurkraut, and some undistinguishable white cheese layer. As another reviewer described she had crinkle cut fries but they were raw instead of burnt. I had some cabbage patch soup as a side to my bad chicken sandwich and it was the only real edible thing we were served. We will never be back, and if i pass the place in conversation with friends or drive by with relatives or whatever I will describe how crappy it was again. read more

Love the 1950's décor, touches of local history and local touches throughout. Food was good, fries were a compromise between skinny fries and larger crinkly. Hamburger patty was thin but it has flavor! My dad had Steak, eggs, hash browns and toast. He said the eggs and hash browns were cooked well with crunchy on the outside. We took apple pie to go and later reheated in the oven at home. Crust is flaky, I have not found flaky crust like this anywhere other than my mother's. Crust is the hardest part to get right and this is not store bought, apples were tender and a slight aroma of cinnamon, everything just right. Place is like Cheers, everyone knows each other and greets them as the arrive or leave. Waitresses were providing quick services, attentive and all with a smile. Sign outside says Family owned since 1958...too bad they are so far away from us. We will be back when we're back in town. read more

This cafe has been around for a good number of years. It is not a fancy dining establishment but meal quality and portions are consistently good. All of the wait staff are friendly while providing good service. read more

Our first time to the BlueBird and we weren't disappointed. We arrived about 10:30 am on a Saturday and the place was full-it is seat yourself, so. we found the only empty booth and were greeted w/in a minute or two of seating. A hostess brought us water and menus and asked if we had any other beverage requests...of course, coffee was in order. We requested cream and the hostess pointed out the cream pitcher near the back of the booth. Our waitress arrived minutes later to take our orders and bring coffee and we had to request cream again, as the pitcher was nearly empty. Our food arrived w/in 15 minutes of ordering, not bad, given the place was packed. I ordered the veggie omelet, which came w/ hashbrowns and a side choice of bread, biscuit or muffin. I chose the blueberry muffin. My husband ordered ham and eggs over easy, which came w/ hashbrowns and toast. Servings were generous, not huge and we both loved the creaminess of the hashbrowns, with a complete golden crust...as if they shred partially baked spuds...and use butter to fry them...very tasty. The ham steak was thick and of very good quality. The omelet was full of crisp peppers, fresh mushroom, onion, tomato and black olive. Also very tasty. My only complaints would be the blueberry muffin completely fell apart. I had to simply lay the butter on each half and ate it w/ a fork, it could not be picked up...that said, it was delicious. And we had to request additional coffee. In my opinion, a diner's charm is always enhanced by waitresses and staff who never have to be asked for a refill. They should have a pot in hand and ask you every time they pass tables. That is why I only gave the review 3 stars. We will come back to try their lunch fare the next time we're in the area, but this is an excellent breakfast stop and I would definitely recommend giving it a try. read more

We enjoy this local cafe, friendly service and food is good. Iced tea is a little strong, but always has been. Great blueberry pancakes.

Have been here for breakfast and lunch, both times were great! Good diner food! Potato salad was awesome!

My dad use to take me to the blue bird when I was younger and now im taking my kids to the blue bird. Its still the best.

Food is always very consistent! What a wonderful atmosphere at any time of the day. Pancakes are monsterous and delicious!! Highly recommend! read more

we decide to try this place out for the first time hoping it would be good but it wasn't. the food is so bland and cheap that I think McDonald's is actually better then this place. there is nothing special about this cafe unless you like oily foods. it made our stomachs so upset after eating here. save yourself the trouble and go across the street to stillys diner where there food is actually real food not canned or frozen. read more

Ok i am a dishwasher at the blue bird. I have been there for almost a year now and i know for a fact that most things we serve are homemaid. I have no interest in helping the business (i mean come on i just need a job for highschool i dont care) but i want people to know what they are having and dealing with before they go. If you want to eat i would not choose a weekend morning. These are the busiest days and you are lucky to get a seat. I know, i work both these days. Although i think the staff is more friendly on these days. The food unlike what others say is fresh. We do make the gravy. It is not canned all the soups are homemade and deserts so are dressings bbq mashed potatoes. There are some things that are store bought and frozen but its a really small list. All i can think of is he chicken burgers are from costco but all the other frozen stuff are meats or things you need to freeze. Lettuce is cut every morning. Amazing hash browns. Overall i think amazing southern food. Cooks are best on weekends and mornings. Definately go read more

I had the turkey dinner and it was so bad I am nauseas! I'm 4 months pregnant too so I will pretty much eat anything. The service was absolutely terrible! I mean the woman was HORRIBLE! It was our first time at the restaurant so I asked what was in the Turkey Dinner and she rolled her eyes and became VERY irritated with me. She said that it was a full dinner and when I asked her what a full dinner consisted of she got even more irritated with me and said that it was turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and that was it. Well when I got my dinner (After a horrible bagged iceburg salad with saltines for crutons) It was Turkey, Mashed potatos, corn and cranberry sauce all smothered in gravy! Now I have a problem eating a plate that is all the same color. It just doesn't look appealing. The potatos were instant powdered potatos (they were grey!) the corn was obviously from a can and had that really bad preservative taste and the turkey was so dry I had to dip it in gravy then the cranberry sauce just to be able to swallow it. My husband tried some and had to dip it in his au jus. It was bad. When the lady finally came back and asked me if I wanted a box she got pissed when I didn't want a box. OF COURSE I DIDNT WANT A BOX! lol. We are local and like to support local businesses and I am sad to say that Blue Bird Cafe will NOT be on our list! read more