I have been going to Carmen's for years and not once was I disappointed. Great atmosphere and super friendly service the ladies that work there are quick and efficient. It is my go to breakfast place because I love their rye bread and their potato pancakes. But the best thing of all to me, is there hamburgers! I think they should win an award for their hamburgers. And their french fries are always done just right. If you want a chef salad with all the fixings, fresh and huge. I highly recommend Carmen's. read more

That was so good! If you want something that's going to make you smile in Muskegon, go to Carmen's Café. It's a beautiful step back into a tried-and-true American diner. It's got the seasoned staff, and great parking too. It feels like a good spot no matter what part of town you're coming from. Did I say the food was good? Because yes, it was outstanding. Ask for the anniversary pancakes! read more

Delicious breakfast, friendly staff, great atmosphere. Denver omelette with potatoes added, We will be back!! read more

Carmen's Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Muskegon, Michigan

Such a good find! We got it to go and ate it on the beach. The omelets are huuugggee and the price is so cheap! The vegetable and Greek omelet were both absolutely loaded inside and we loved it. Some salt packets or hot sauce would've been nice, but still an awesome pick! read more

Carmen's Cafe - Vegetable omelet with gluten free toast! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Muskegon, Michigan

I love the service here staff was super friendly I will be back with you guy soon all my friends enjoy the coffee and breakfast at this location read more

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As an update: I get the same salad every few weeks, still delicious! And good news... they changed the ranch back! I still fully recommend. read more

Carmen's Cafe - Receipt - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Muskegon, Michigan

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Everything good! Clean, attentive service, hot and tasty food. Great place for breakfast! Have not tried them for lunch.

Food is good and reasonably priced. Service is great Reminder though... They are not open on weekends read more

Carmen's is a fixture in the downtown area. Breakfast or lunch you will find a menu with a plethora of choices. Clean, nostalgic atmosphere with accommodating and friendly staff. read more

Just OK - Seemed the sausage links were 'brown and serve'....was asked if I wanted onions on my hash browns and got a glob of raw onion on top. Wished I had heard about "Brunch House" on Henry before I went here. My adult kids went there and raved afterwards- GRRR ! read more

Nice quick service. Fast hot line produced competent omelets but very poor training - manager walked back and forth behind the counter pointing her finger at everyone and everything barking orders (loudly) - Do this! Do that! But never did she pick up a plate or be of service as she marched past. The server teams were pleasant fast and worked well together in this hopping place but training was poor - my cheddar cheeses was described wrong and the corned beef hash is NOT made in house. read more

Carmen's Cafe - a shelf of wine glasses - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Muskegon, Michigan

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Best turkey club ever! 3 egg omelette with fresh mushrooms was awesome. Ketchup without high fructose corn syrup. 9 types of toast including two organic options, 6 types of jelly, fresh veggies and non processed turkey. Very refreshing to find a restaurant that focuses on quality and cares about serving the best to their customers. Servers were friendly and the atmosphere reminded me of an old time diner. We will definetely be back!! read more

It's a locals only greasy spoon. Don't order carry out, they will forget about you. Staff was pleasant.

Great food. It is now my regular stop every time I pass through on business. The omelette was perfect!

Excellent food! Never had a bad meal at Carmen's Café in all the years I have been going there. Even in the last location the food was good and they used to be reasonably priced. The waitstaff has always been excellent as well and I've always wanted to tip them extra for that and due to the circumstances in which they work. I can't imagine an employer yelling at me across the room. There was a sign on the door today indicating they are now closing on Mondays. A lot of places are closed on Mondays in downtown Muskegon, so Carmen's was a good place to frequent on a Monday, but I guess that is over. Makes good business sense. What really got us today was they felt that a to go cup was worth charging for and that we didn't need sauce or ketchup with our fries. They added it to our bill. Twenty five cents for a to go cup wherein I poured my 1/2 leftover drink in it. Fifty cents for a ranch dressing to go with the sweet potato fries I ordered; and $2.50 for a fountain club soda water with a slice of lemon. This was on top of the $5.50 BLT and $2.50 for sweet potato fries. $11.25 + $3 tip=$14.25 for lunch. I could see paying extra for ranch and the cup if people were in there all the time taking advantage, but they aren't McDonalds and they aren't that nice of people. Their saving grace is the great staff and good food. The owners make you not want to come back and put up with their nickel and diming you to death and their disrespectful treatment of their staff. read more

Very old school type of people. You'll never see a black cook working for Carmen. Food is mediocre, lacks flavor. Prices are just right. Needs larger seating areas. I'm not a fan of people constantly walking by me. Felt my personal space and food had been violated. Bathrooms are super clean. I suppose, if you're at the farmers market carmon's would be a great place for a bathroom stop. read more

I do not ever write bad reviews because I know people have bad days and things can happen, but I went to breakfast with my friend today, and we received the worst service I have ever seen. Maybe this lady had a bad day, but she did the absolute bare minimum. She dropped our food off and ran off didn't say a word. She never refilled our drinks or got what we asked for another waitress had to. She dropped our bills off before we even started eating, again didn't say a word. She never asked about how our food was or anything. She only had one other table besides us. My potatoes weren't done and I couldn't even tell her about it because she never came back (I still had to pay for them even without eating them). Other than that the food was okay, but we even said something to the owners husband and he didn't even ask any questions or tried to make it better by even apologizing. He just said "oh". AND they were not social distancing tables and they didn't wipe down any of the salt, pepper, or sugar on the table. read more

Great food ! Family owed. Great waitstaff and cooks . Love the Greek omelette , cooked to perfection. And this from a very picky egg eater . read more

Wait staff very nice but manager or owner was an aweful rude witch. I would never in a million years eat at this place. Why would I spend my money here when they're so many places that will treat you nice & not be rude. We left & went to the brunch house where they are actually glad to see you... read more

Best place for breakfast and lunch! Food is fresh and all their breads are always really special. Service is amazing because the owners care so much about how you're treated. The paintings on the walls are of what Muskegon used to be. That in itself is worth the trip be sure to check them out. Very clean! They did amazing during covid and followed all the health department rules. read more

This is one of my favourite local restaurants to go to for lunch. Staff is very friendly and food always tastes great.

Clean, cute, good prices, and straight up great breakfast. What more could you want? Had a great omelet (the fajita chicken) and it was fresh and big. read more

Their hash and Swiss omelet honestly deserves 1 star. It was inedible and in fact made me a little sick trying to take it down. Basically looked like dog food wrapped in a very thin layer of egg and what seemed like 15 pieces of deli Swiss cheese. Kind of looked like a cheese-mummy The two stars are for the service from my waitress, she was nice. Although I saw plenty of unnecessary stress and yelling happening from everyone working there like they were disarming a nuclear missile. I felt it was a civil duty to notify the public about this monstrosity of an omelet. read more

OUT OF ALL THE PLACES IN MUSKEGON, THIS WAS THE ONLY PLACE WE FOUND EDITBLE FOOD! The customer service here was amazing and our waitress was phenomenal. My friend and I were there for a competition and this ended up being the only food that was edible in Muskegon. We ordered a fair amount of food and coffee, we were taken care of. We took a lot to go otherwise we would not have eaten that weekend. I hate Muskegon but I would go again just to eat here read more

I just love Carmen's,there breakfast is amazing,the Rye bread is extrodonary,I had a Rye melt and it was like having a patty melt for the first time;I can't wait for my next visit read more

Fantastic food, great character, and even better service. Definitely a great find. I'll be back for sure.

This place was GREAT! The food was good and the server (Brandi) was awesome! She had a great attitude, smiled when talking with us and never seemed to be in a hurry. She kept our water glasses full and checked on us often. This place is now on my "Places To Eat At" list that I give to our out-of-town visitors. read more

I love their food here and I always have to come here when I visit. I've never had the lunch here just the breakfast but I'm sure that's good too. The wait staff is great and it's not expensive. What more can I say about this place. Oh the pancakes are really huge here but good!!! You have been warned. read more

Came to Muskegon today for an appointment but arrived with enough time to have lunch first. A quick look on Yelp and we found Carmen's Cafe. Went inside and found a very nice cafe. As I walked to our table I found other patrons enjoying large portions of salads, sandwiches, and breakfast items. Our waitress came to our table and we placed orders for coffee all around. I had my travel cup on the table and my waitress offered to fill it. What a great start! We ordered after hearing the lunch specials. I ordered the turkey club on Euro Grain bread with pepper and sea salt fries. My wife ordered breakfast but cannot have the bread (GF). They offered her several options in place of the bread like cottage cheese, fruit cup, or their GF bread. She chose the fruit cup. Within 10 minutes our lunch arrived and it was great!! The fried are the best I have had in a restaurant. Cooked perfectly. My sandwich was enormous and I only finished 1/4th of it. My wife enjoyed her breakfast and the fruit cup was extremely fresh. Attentive wait staff. Friendly environment. EXCELLENT food. Wish this restaurant and quality of food was available in my neighborhood. I will definitely come back. Trust. read more

I hate diners. Dennys is my nemesis. But If every diner rose to Carmen's level, America would be great again. Even the coffee was good diner coffee. It was perfect, understated, yet exceptionally flavorful simple classic diner food. This is obviously a local favorite, cheap enough for the retired folk but tasty enough for the millenials. The service was super fast and kid friendly. Don't miss this Muskegon treasure. Trust me, this is ACTUALLY delicious diner food. read more

We were three for three with breakfast joints on our little fall get away to Muskegon and Carmen's was the last place we ate at on our way out of town. The place is a cute little diner complete with a counter and Formica tables. Actually, I have no idea if they were actually Formica or not but they are in my memory as I felt a little transported back in time. An impressive balance of old fashion diner with a modern twist, Carmen's is crisp, clean and cheerful. The staff is efficient and friendly, the type of serve you'd go back for again and again. My first sip of coffee got my attention... I'm the furthest thing from a coffee snob. I know a bad cup of coffee and I know a good cup of coffee but I can drink anything that falls in between. This coffee was good. Strong but not bitter, full bodied flavor. I went simple, French toast and bacon. "Would I like real maple syrup for $1?" Of course! My friend got eggs, hash browns, toast (they only have about 10 different types) and would she like onions in her hash browns? Duh! Come on Southeast Detroit... can we please make this a thing? Food was great. Portions were great, although my side of bacon was only 2 slices... I think 3 is more appropriate but I really have no idea how much the side of bacon was. The total with tip (and I tip breakfast well) was $12.00. Headed back home with a fully belly. My son taught me that you should always save your last bite of food to be the tastiest and I think that goes for places you eat on vacation... Carmen's was a great last stop and I would be a regular if I was from the area. read more

I dug it. Seems to be the one restaurant that everyone we met recommended for breakfast. Diner basics done basically well - which is to say, exactly how they should be. We all tried something, everyone left stuffed, and the staff was able to accommodate a few requests. Crowded but not packed, the multiple recommendations seemed to fit my fellow eaters, who seemed to come from all walks, just as I like it. One of the few places in town where everyone in Muskegon seems comfortable to get down with some diner classics. read more

Basic greasy spoon breakfast joint that also serves lunch. Prices are very reasonable. Service is fast and friendly-ish. If you are downtown Muskegon and need a quick breakfast this place will do, it's better than the Holiday Inn and just as close. read more

I seriously wish that I took a photo of our food. This is a quaint neighborhood diner. Food was very reasonably priced and absolutely delicious! Staff friendly and very accommodating. I frequent the area often and am sad I haven't found it sooner. This place is a must try. We will be back. read more

Holy crap! We sat down 30 seconds in front of another couple. They had their coffee and order in before anyone even came to our table. Now, if you like watching glaciers thaw, you're in the right place. Our comparative couple finished eating and left before our food came. Granted, eggs and toast can be a complex process. One hour after sitting, our breakfast has yet to arrive...we'll go to the farmers market another day. Well, after my nap, the food arrived and wasn't half bad. The toast was a nice room temperature and went well with my special over easy eggs that somehow had cooked through yolk. Amazing!! The aggravating thing is during my nap hearing "HEATHER!!" "JULIE!!" And other names else being yelled across the restaurant every 10 seconds. No REM cycle for me. No competition situation...enjoy. read more

My favorite go to place to each lunch. Would go EVERY day if my wallet agreed with me.

One of my favorite places in town. Carmen's is always busy, especially on the weekend. But I've never had to wait more than 5 or 10 minutes on those few occasions. The service is always good and after having had almost everything on the menu I haven't found one thing that wasn't great. Breakfast or lunch you won't be disappointed. Ask about the specialty fries. read more

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Great diner, good service. Carmen's is the kind of local gem that makes traveling fun. Feeling like a savory breakfast (or lunch for that matter)? The Greek omelette is a winner. Spiced gyro meat, spinach, tomato, feta topped with a dollop of tsatziki. This is the best omelet I have ever had. Now I am hungry just thinking about it. read more

Very very popular but managed to get us seated and food ordered efficiently. I can't think of a good reason not to give 5 stars - except that it's obviously not a fine dining restaurant - but for what it is - a nice local corner dinner it's very nice. To keep my review credible, I'm going 4 stars. Server, Roberta, was obviously a career waitress, she had a very sweet disposition coupled with excellent proficiency - rarely do you get both. Good menu, fair prices, some unique items (pickle fries, nitrate free meats, etc) Food was fast, hot, fresh and cooked very nicely. read more

My first visit. It's clean, attractive and the service was excellent. Eggs were perfectly cooked. A great experience all round.