I get that this place is likely a favorite with the local clientele, but the food here was sub par at best. I had the biscuits and gravy and it was awful. Biscuits seemed like they were just out of the refrigerator and gravy was bland and pasty. No one should go to a regular diner for breakfast and expect 5-star food, but what I experienced would need to be greatly improved just to qualify as bland. [[HIGHLIGHT]]1 star for reasonable service and friendly ambiance.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

One of the better diners I've been to nearby. Generous portions, great service, and traditional diner setting. Maybe a little pricey for high margin breakfast foods, but isn't everything a little inflated these days? [[HIGHLIGHT]]Will definitely return for a family friendly meal.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Don't believe the haters! First of all, ambience is perfectly great, definitely cozy but not cramped by any means. Staff was incredibly friendly throughout whole experience. We had a great waitress. Now the food was exceptional. We came for breakfast. I got the Tex mex omelet which was next level because the geniuses at the kitchen make it with goat cheese which really elevates this dish. My wife got smoked salmon Benedict. Now if you want to know if a diner has good breakfast, order a Benedict. If you get a poached egg with thick gravy on top, that's no good. If you get two perfect eggs with a delicious thin pale yellow hollandaise running down the sides, that's perfection. Needless to say, this place served the latter. It's great, try it! read more

We've had good service. The menu is what you'd expect for a diner /breakfast place in the NE. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's a little congested inside.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Prices are on the high side. Nothing bad but it's basic IMO read more

Food is always good, the staff is very friendly, and [[HIGHLIGHT]]the ambiance gives off comfort vibes.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The service is sometimes slow, though. read more

Waitress was really rude. We used to like this place and come all the time but this girl was nasty for no reason, not sure what that was about. Treat your customers nicely, I was with my 73 year old father and we decided to leave before ordering. She asked him "What would you like to drink?" And hard of hearing he asked "sorry?" And then she replied "What do you WANT. TO. DRINK???" and my father said "um.... Just a coffee" but I guess he took too long to think because she huffed and rolled her eyes and stormed away. What the heck? He's a senior citizen! Look, we eat all over the place, are easy going and don't expect our butts to be kissed, but this girl shouldn't be in food service. Not right to treat an old man like that. Really disgusting and disappointing. Food was never special anyway. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]A no frills breakfast establishment that has a loyal following.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Everything you could possibly ask for from a short order menu. I was intrigued by the variations of eggs Benedict. I landed on the potato pancake Benedict, the eggs were poached nicely, which paired with the salty ham. The potato pancake was overly salty, and tasted prepackaged. My wife ordered an omelette, and it appeared to be completely wrong. The staff is very friendly, and the food is decent. read more

Visited this cafe for the fourth time and while the food is good the service is poor I have had the unfortunate experience to have the same young lady waiting on us. She never smiles and acts like she is doing you a favor to wait on you. The first couple of times I gave her the benefit of the doubt but today she was no better. Not the type of person I would want to represent my establishment. When it came time to pay there were several of us waiting to pay and everyone' commented about the poor service. And on top of this we were charged a cc surcharge that is illegal it CT. The only bright person working there are the ladies that clear the tables read more

Service is appalling. We were on our way back to NYC, stopped in, and a waitress was completely rude to us. We asked a couple of basic questions and she was beyond the pale rude. We decided to leave and ended up at a great place in another town, with very kind and accommodating servers. Bizarre! read more

Ordered swiss omelette. I had to hunt for the cheese and the omelette was thin and small. They only have a plain bagel and do not get daily delivery for this. Asked for toast and carefully reminded them to out butter on the side, it came on it. I did not enjoy my meal. Takes me ten minutes at home to make a better omelette and to defrost a bagelman everything bagel. I will not return. Demitries has a better product and is cleaner and Orems is way ahead in quality and price. read more

The food here is amazing. I tried the pistachio muffin and it was to die for. It tasted exactly like my grandmas homemade pistachio cake she used to make. Amazing. And the french toast sandwich with eggs bacon and cheese was so good as well. The potato's that came on the side were kind of plain but they were good with some pepper. The vanilla crepes were more of a dessert than a breakfast and were really sweet but still really good. The eggs Benedict was normal and was good if you like it. The service was good even when the place was packed with a line out the door. Most of the food is reasonably priced too. And I love the indoor and outdoor seating with the choice of the breakfast bar seating area or normal booths indoor and chairs outside. Will 100% be going back soon. read more

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First (and last) visit to this establishment. Food was average (what you would expect for a diner). I ordered a turkey sandwich (on the menu for $9.95) and was charged $1.50 extra for tomatoes, $1.50 extra for onions and, here is the clincher, 50 cents extra for the bread. What?! I pointed this out to the server thinking it must be a mistake. It was not. She reluctantly took off one dollar. Needless to say, I won't be going back. read more

Always a great meal here. Can not wait to get back to full on normalcy. Try The Godfather omelette , my personal fav! read more

Early Bird Cafe has served us in many ways from special family celebrations, and social and business gatherings, to Halloween dress-ups with staff. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The entire cafe is decorated to the 9's with decorations for every holiday.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Aside from the delicious well-prepared varied menus, this establishment is owned by Judy. She genuinely invests herself in every person who passes through her doors and treats them like family. The staff is "second to none!" They actually remember individuals' likes and dislikes; how they like their coffee or toast and take time to serve them with a personal touch. In today's busy world, it is nice to know there are still people who take the time and effort to personalize their services to meet their customers' needs in every way possible and want to make a difference. [[HIGHLIGHT]]If you are looking for a warm, inviting place to go for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just a snack, try this little spot of heaven![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] From 2 Very Grateful Customers read more

In looking over the Yelp entry for this restaurant, I see a lot of negative reviews; not sure I get it, although...in fairness...I've only eaten there once. But I enjoyed it. I was doing part 2 of my "helping some relatives" in the area, and the same relative who picked up the tab for me the last time I was up (we ate at Venice down the street) was picking it up again. This time, though, she didn't want to eat Italian. Ok with me. Beggars can't be choosers, and given that she was picking up the tab, it was up to her to make the selection. The Early Bird Café was what she picked (she ate there previously with my brother). It's in what appears to be a mini mall (with maybe some offices), and there's not a ton of space inside the actual restaurant. Table space is particularly tight. If I had really wanted to eavesdrop on the conversation of the group at the next table, I assuredly could have, but I've got my own life and my own problems...thank you...and, more to the point, I was hungry. The waiter was friendly, and service was quick. My companion/relative/benefactor ordered meal loaf with mashed potatoes and peas. I considered this, but I've had meat loaf recently (I like it, but I don't like it too often) and decided to try something different. A Reuben isn't really different for me...I order them all the time...but a Turkey Reuben is new, so I ordered that, along with fries and a Coke. I can't say the Turkey Reuben will replace the regular Reuben as far as I'm concerned, but as a change of pace, it was very good, very tasty, and the fries were crisp, the way I like them (I hate thick, soggy fries). My companion was only able to eat a small portion of her meal, so she had the rest put in a doggie bag and gave it to me for the next day's lunch. The next day, I had the re-heated meat loaf for lunch, and I thought it was excellent, and plentiful. I'd like to try this restaurant out again, the next time I'm up in Ridgefield. But based on my one experience there, I thought everything was delicious, service was good, and the atmosphere was cozy (it helped that the day was cloudy, cold, and there was sleet coming down; "cozy" worked better under those circumstances than they might on a hot, summer day). It looks like a "locals" kind of place, but obviously they're welcoming to those from out of town (or out of state, as I was). So...as I've said...not sure I get all the negativity, but I'm a fan. I'll assuredly be back. read more

I'd like to give more stars, maybe a 2.5.. the staff are always friendly and the service is decent. It's a cute little place with a comfortable Cafe feel. I have a thing for scrapple. Since I'm in south west Connecticut and not Pennsylvania, I did a search for scrapple near me.. this was the closest location to me. I've eaten there 3 times. I've only had the scrapple with eggs.. Each time my order was not filled correctly. This time it was an early Sunday morning with almost no one else in the place.. three other people that came in after me got their meal before me.. It took a half hour to get my meal and of course, right on que, my meal came out wrong.. Eggs over cooked and cold, scrapple under cooked but hot. It's simple enough to figure out what happened. The cook didn't know what scrapple is and probably didn't know how to cook it. He made the eggs first and didn't know what to do from there. They most likely left my eggs under a heat lamp while someone eventually realized they had a customer waiting a half hour for his meal. They finally figured out my plate was missing the scrapple. They rushed cooking it.. plated the meal and out it came Look, I paid for my meal in full and still left an 18% tip for the help. I'm just not a vindictive person.. but here's my advice. Next tell the customer the truth. We F'd up your order and we're gonna have to start over. Sending out a bad meal only amplifies the screw up and will probably make you lose a repeat customer read more

Stumbled upon this searching for brunch places in the area. I was so happy to get an outdoor table. Our waiter was so friendly and attentive. I asked for the eggs Benedict with spinach and feta instead of Canadian bacon and thankfully they obliged. It was very good. read more

Don't even bother. This place is tired and sad and in need of an intervention. Everything from the kitchen staff to front do the house needs to be refreshed. A makeover is necessary! Like one of those shows on TV that turns it all around. Food is served in a happy friendly environment but it is old and wilted and tired. Please pull Your staff together and start by cleaning your kitchen and throwing out old food and not serving it. Get a designer and lay out the entire Resturant in a smarter design! It is gross, no charm and it doesn't appear to be fresh or clean. Early Bird has been around since the early 90s when it was the Moodus Cafe (I think) and then it became Early Bird. The bird flew away or died please make some changes! There is no reason for me to send my food back. Time to re- create yourself. read more

I've been going to early bird cafe since I was a little kid and I just have to say, this place is an absolute gem. I've never had such good breakfast food in my life. Eggs Benedict are incredible and the staff has always been extremely friendly and I've been going for 26 years! My absolute favorite place to eat in Ridgefield. read more

This place must be doing pretty well because the wait for a table at 10am in this cozy eatery was quite long, and their prices for breakfast are more expensive than every diner within 7 miles, and everyone seems to be paying their tabs, so kudos to Early Bird for putting together something that has demand. I ordered biscuits and gravy ($13) and a TALL orange juice ($4) . My TALL orange juice was about 10oz in size, so I'm curious to know what the small size was - a shot? The sausage gravy was OUT OF THIS WORLD DELICIOUS, the eggs were on the runny side for scrambled, but still tasty, and the biscuit was the consistency of concrete. I pulled over the first team member I could find and expressed my concern over the biscuit, and to their credit, had a new plate made for me in record time. My brother ordered some egg omelet dish for $13, he said it was decent. My daughter ordered silver dollar chocolate chip pancakes ($5) and a kids chocolate milk ($4) which was the same size and price as my tall OJ. She enjoyed the pancakes. Including tax and tip, breakfast was a $50 ordeal, whereas the local diners would be about half price. Once my food was corrected it was good, but not worth $50 given the concrete biscuit issue. I recommend this place, it has charm, but come prepared to spend a good penny. read more

We tried to have breakfast here this morning for Father's Day and after waiting for 40 minutes for 3 meals, we were told that the kitchen had lost our ticket and then we were all served food we didnt order. My toddler was hungry and frustrated and we ended up having to leave without eating. I don't think I've ever had such horrible service. Maybe they're overwhelmed because it's Father's Day but come on... read more

I like this diner a lot. The food is good, I love their avocado toast, and the eggs and omelets are great too. The service also has always been perfect, quick, efficient, kind. It's clean, nice, good food, good service, not incredibly expensive - exactly how a diner should be. Definitely recommend. read more

Staff was friendly but food missed the mark. Do not like being delivered burnt food. Will not return

In my opinion this place is just OK at best. I was surprised to see that on a saturday 7:00-8:00 am this place was not very busy. I would expect a lot of people to be here if this place was any good. The first thing I noticed was that the seat was a bit sticky and had crumbs on it. I noticed this after sitting down. It was 7am though, and the only thing on my mind was getting coffee. I got the coffee. The coffee was good but not great. Speaking of coffee... I was never asked if I needed more. Any halfway decent place will come around frequently, looking for the opportunity to fill you up. The menu looked appealing though. I settled on the breakfast burrito. It came out and it did look nice on the surface. The hashbrowns also looked nice... on the top. On the bottom they were burnt. The burrito was served with sour cream and a very watery, near flavorless salsa on the side. I asked for hot sauce. Instead of bringing out a bottle of something I was given some mystery sauce in a small plastic cup. It was gross and did nothing to help the burrito. The burrito itself was very flavorless. The consistency was nice but it was just missing any sort of flavor at all. The salsa did not help as it was so watery. The "hot sauce" was borderline inedible. At the end of the meal I regretted it. It was passable for breakfast but in Ridgefield and at that price I would expect a LOT better. I typically go to Wooster Hollow Cafe but it was a little bit out of the way today. I FAR prefer the food there. It is a night and day difference in quality of food and service. Furthermore I will just add, I was not turned off by the dated atmosphere and well worn seating etc. It does look like an oldschool small town diner place, but it did not feel or taste that way AT ALL to me. Perhaps some day if someone insists on comig back here I will try this place again but they need to step up their game BIG TIME. read more

Early Bird Cafe - Diners Near Me - Ridgefield, Connecticut

I have been here few times and never got disappointed with my orders. Their food is always good and I tried their fried chicken today that it is soooo good! I love it! The staff is always friendly and welcoming. I wish I live closer to here, so I can come here more often! read more

Early Bird Cafe - a christmas tree in the corner - Diners Near Me - Ridgefield, Connecticut

The food was delicious, the service was quick, and everyone there was very pleasant. Highly recommend for a cozy brunch with friends and family. read more

Totally recommend this place for breakfast, their pancakes are simply the best around. Service is surprisingly friendly for a diner. Unfortunately, I've never been here for lunch or dinner, so I can't say anything about that. read more

Early Bird Cafe - Classic diner style pancakes with a side of hash browns. Delicious! - Diners Near Me - Ridgefield, Connecticut

Had a very nice breakfast this morning, good service, good food, fair prices. Give them a shot I think you will enjoy also

Love this place. I jokingly asked them if they could make something off the menu, and they absolutely tried to make it. A+ for effort and the good laugh on how it came out... love it here. read more

Food, as usual, was well prepared and quickly delivered. Breakfast, however, shouldn't be a "special occasion" and the prices here are simply too high. And then, there is the sneaky practice of slapping on an additional (almost) 5% if you pay by debit or credit card. After a good meal, settling the bill unfortunately leaves a bad taste in the mouth. read more

We have been searching for a great breakfast place when we moved to Wilton and finally found "Early Bird" not far from the Ridgefield Dog Park. The food was great and was a surprise to see our favorite waitstaff from the last diner that we used to frequent. Told her since she left, the food there just seemed to have deteriorated to a point of us needing to find a new place to go to for our Sunday brunch. I had the eggwhite scramble with lox - egg was perfectly cooked (I like them soft with nice cooked edges). Hubby had the eggs benedict and he, too, enjoyed it. Going back to try other interesting dishes like the crepes, chicken & waffle, pancake taco and more.... Only criticism is if you like your breakfast potatoes crunchy well done... then I suggest askig them to replace it with fries... Breakfast potatoes are great but not the crunchy kind. Can't wait to try the other items on the menu. An added bonus was stumbling into an Italian Deli and Bakeshop next door which we will also frequent. read more

Early Bird Cafe - Diners Near Me - Ridgefield, Connecticut

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I have supported this restaurant since it's conception - over 30 years. Never had a complaint until now. Service was lacking - surprising but it happens. I was excited to get my omelette and I enjoyed the first two bites. It was the third bite I bit into that grossed me out - it was RAW bacon fat. Opps - a slip in the kitchen. Second time - What? Third time - I was Done. The owner came over after the girl clearing the food told her my remark " no I don't want it wrapped to go, it was disgusting ". I explained to the owner " there was bacon fat " she cut me off and replied " bacon has fat !" She had a few more remarks. When she was done - I proceeded to finished my explanation, concluding " that it was RAW ( uncooked )" pointing to piece's in front of me. She offered not to charge for it. I was not looking for compensation Or a confrontation. Professionalism and Respect would have been nice. Henceforth the one star. read more

There's a handful of places to get your hangover breakfast on in Ridgefield. In my 14-year veteran opinion, this is the best of the lot. Unfortunately, it's small... too small. You'd think that once they moved from Copps Hill Plaza, and I mean the OLD Copps Hill Plaza before they rebuilt practically everything, they'd choose a larger location. They didn't. Sometimes, the waits are higher than desired (i.e. longer than zero minutes), not good when you need the most fattening meal possible to cure what ails you. But it's worth the wait usually; this is just a solid breakfast and lunch diner. I love any diner that does a We'll-just-give-you-some-of-everything combo. They don't disappoint, with "The Hungry Man," offering bacon, eggs, pancakes, juice, coffee... heck, I can't even remember the rest... it's a lot of food, okay? :) Just remember, this is Ridgefield, so it's only a breakfast/lunch place. You'll have to go to Danbury or Bethel if you want a 24-hour joint. read more

If I had 24 hours to live, and one last meal to eat, it would be the Summer Salad at the Early Bird. When you hear people talk of the nectar and ambrosia of the gods, its really means the Early Bird summer salad. Imagine this: You walk in, and you're greeted by a beautiful specimen of life and vitality by first name. You don't get assigned a table, you sit at the table of your choosing. You browse the menu, but you already know you're going to order - the summer salad. You place your order, all the while avoiding eye contact with the creepy Philippino guy prancing around, and you wait patiently for paradise on a plate to be brought to you. No more than 90 seconds passes before being served the most expertly crafted blend of fresh greens, mangos, strawberries, grilled chicken, with a lite raspberry vinaigrette. Sound too good be true? Think again! Maybe other places you can't get something like that, but at the Early Bird, that's a typical Tuesday. read more

I think the majority of my love for the Early Bird Cafe comes from nostalgia. I spent many a high school morning here and this is where we all convened for the first day of Senior year to paint our cars etc. It's now where I go post-Thanksgiving to catch up with out of town friends when people need to leave early on Friday. They have a pretty robust menu, classic diner style, and they sling their dishes pretty quickly considering the number of customers they have. The staff is friendly and they can greet regulars by name which really always gets me. It's such a nice touch. As far as the food goes it's tasty and served warm and is exactly what you'd expect for a diner. They're not breaking any new ground with exciting flavors or interesting combinations but that's not what you come here for. If you want a classic small town diner experience for breakfast this is your spot. But be prepared to wait for a table on the weekends as it gets pretty crowded and it can be a bit of a free-for-all to get your name on a list if you're not aware. read more

Hair in my food. This place is not too clean. The food is average at best. The clientele are all sheep flocking to the "hip" place in town. The wait staff was friendly. The cashier didn't say a word, nothing. Not even a thank you. The locals are not much better. They are all sprawled out like they own the joint and make you feel like you are intruding on their domain when you just want a seat at the counter. Typical Ridgefield wannabe. Ridgefield has always been a wannabe kind of town. If you like hair in your food then by all means eat here. Just shove the local yokels stuff back to their side and take a seat. UPDATE 3/22/16: So the owner contacts me to "chew" me out for my honest review. I hope he didn't loose any hair over it. Don't worry pal, your place doesn't require a second visit. read more

I went in for lunch with the kids.... Grilled cheese for them Philly cheese steak for me.... For the price of 8.95. It was a pretty poor sandwich greasy... Not much meat, meat looked like steakums or similar ... Fries well no complaints there... Kids s Grilled cheese was fine.... Waiter disappeared no chance for a refill on my coke.... I. Would have to say. Skip the lunch I suppose breakfast would be much better here.....I'll have to give it a try and repost... read more

If you dropped out of the sky into the restaurant you'd probably think you were in some small town diner in the midwest. Lots of families eating, waitresses constantly pouring coffee, locals at the counter. Food comes out in big portions, and it's really good. Then you look at the prices and realize you are in fact in Ridgefield. I guess they probably have to charge higher given the location, but that's what prevents me from eating here on a regular basis. One funny story to relate. I had asked our waitress for something, and she went off to get it. Then I saw her and told her nevermind, but she just looked at me with a blank stare. I realized shortly after that the person I was talking to was our waitress' twin sister, who also works there. read more

This was our second breakfast visit and we had dinner here once. We love this place, but be sure to get here early for breakfast as the place jams up. I had a really good pastrami Reuben one time. I think I had the biscuits and gravy but honestly can't remember if I liked or not - I am pretty finicky. Today I had Huevos rancheros and it was excellent! I do not care for the coffee. It was too strong for me, not my thing. read more

This has become my go-to place for brunch after my gym workout nearby. In candor, probably four stars for the food and an extra star for wonderful service, always friendly and cheerful. Of the items I've had, the Denver omelet is superb, Tex-Mex omelet is very good, Stuffed Portuguese french toast was excellent (filled with fresh peaches, bathed in home-made strawberry sauce the day I had it). I've tried other diners in the area, and Early Bird has the best food, the best coffee, and the friendliest service of any of them. This morning was my fourth trip there. Not a place for after every gym workout, that would defeat the purpose, but I will become a regular! read more