I come here for the waffles and the potatoes!! The coco loco happens to be my personal favorite but all the waffles are worthy here. Not sure what the seasoning is on the potatoes but it is outstanding. Throw in a couple mimosas and you've started your day perfectly!! read more

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We had a bit of a wait but it was worth it. A lot of great healthy options and just really good food. I recommend this place often to guests who stay at our home. It's a nice drive out to Occidental for a great breakfast. read more

Not the same as I remembered it. I don't know if it's because of COVID, the quality of the food just wasn't on par, thrown in the Togo food box or not. Sad because my husband and I got excited to eat here again and it was such a disappointment. read more

Howard's is tops in my opinion. The menu has fewer items since the pandemic started but everything is still really good here. The portions are also large. They don't take credit cards so be sure to bring cash. There are lots of healthy options and my husband loves the eggs Benedict. read more

Great food! Healthy too. Probably our favorite restaurant in Occidental. Very good and friendly service. We love to bring our guests here, as it is a real treat for all. I am a big fan of the Red Ferrari and the breakfast burrito! ENJOY read more

After staying the night in Nowhere BFE, we knew that one of the small towns had to have a decent brunch joint. That is when we took to Yelp in search of yummy breakfast food and mimosas. The wait here was only 10 minutes, but the place was packed. We were happy to see that we could bring our puppy for dining on the front porch if we chose to, but it was pretty cold that day so we decided to leave him in the car. We were seated pretty quickly and our waitress was super attentive from the beginning. She brought our drinks out right away, and made sure that we felt taken care of. We ordered the breakfast burrito, half order of biscuits and gravy, and French toast. The biscuits and gravy really hit the spot! We practically fought over them. My French toast was pretty standard, but very satisfying. The breakfast burrito was very very tasty, but I wanted to punch someone in the face when I saw there were mushrooms inside. On the other hand, I will let it go due to the fact that the potatoes were outstanding. So many options here! We would've loved to see a good bloody Mary on the menu, and the place is cash only. But overall it was an excellent choice! read more

Howard Station Cafe - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Occidental, California

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Being local, I have gone to this cafe many times over the years. Their space is tight and at peak times/days it is crowded with a wait. But their food is solid comfort food with a nod to some dishes catering to specific dietary needs. My experience is occasionally an order will be slightly incorrect, but staff has always been helpful and accommodating attempting to make it right. It is a busy place, so totally understandable. But this morning, well...not so much. I order a croissant sandwich to go from the walk-up window. Now, I was totally prepared to overpay for this because I just wanted regular bread not the croissant if possible. And that is what I asked staff member #1: Is it possible to have regular bread, like a whole wheat bread for this sandwich. I was told, "yes". So, I opted for over easy/med egg w/ bacon sandwich. I just needed something I could eat with my hands. When the order came up, staff member #2 opens it up, closed it and pushed it to me with the words: egg breakfast. My hands hesitated. I say, "I ordered an egg sandwich", staff member #1 opens up the box and indicates it is my order I say, "Egg sandwich, right'?" And he confirms. Now, I am back to my car, thinking, "OK" a few bites now, a few bits when I get to work". I open up the box and no sandwich! Here is what I got: 2 eggs, bacon, fried potatoes and two small pieces of toast. In other words a breakfast requiring sitting down with utensils. I go back in and talk to staff member #1 who attempts to absolve himself of any responsibility by saying he ordered what I asked for, yet deflects when I asked him about checking the order when he handed it to me at the window and showing him that it is not a sandwich. Staff member #2 intervenes offering to take it back and have the kitchen redo the order, or at least give me a couple slices of bread with melted cheese, so I can make my own sandwich?!?! Either way, I don't have any more time. I just want a refund and they can keep the food. Nope to the refund. So, in the end, I paid for a croissant egg sandwich, but got a lesser priced egg breakfast, that I had to throw away. I should have been given a refund. Yeah, I can't get past it. I won't be going back. read more

Delicious food, great ambiance and really nice staff. Always have a great breakfast when I'm there and love it.

CASH ONLY! They have ATM inside the cafe. Was recommended by one of the staff from Sonoma Canopy Tour. I can honestly say my boyfriend and I had an amazing brunch experience here. Food was amazing. Although one of my problem was I saw couple utensils being dirty. read more

Howard Station Cafe - Fresh strawberries and blueberries waffles - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Occidental, California

Great place! Love the history about this restaurant and the setting is a perfect location for this storied business. The help waa very knowledgeable about the menu and she offered some wonderful suggestions for me. I settled on salmon benedic with coffee and for me it was very flavorful. It seems that the locals support the restaurant and so do the tourist (me). Actually this is my fourth or fifth time here, but my first time to review it. Enjoy. read more

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I don't understand the good reviews. This place has never been better than average and lately it has slipped to mediocre. The food preparation is careless to the point of disgusting in some cases. The coffee is weak drip coffee. Nothing good to say about this place. read more

This is our first time here. We got there at 1030am. There was a 30 min wait. It was cold outside. Luckily they had a couple of heat lamps. There were lot of options on the menu. I decided to order the Crab Eggs Benedict. Wow, this is the best Crab Eggs Benedict I had so far. The crab is so fresh and moist! The hollandaise sauce was creamy and flavorful. What a great brunch spot. It's pretty loud inside, but I don't mind it. Be prepared to sit next to strangers, because there are tables that are very close to each other. We didn't mind it at all. We were super hungry and didn't care where we sat. Overall, great experience. read more

Jill is so wonderful and very friendly!! We were visiting from out of town and she gave us lots of recommendations. Cute atmosphere! Get the green goddess juice! read more

Howard Station Cafe - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Occidental, California

Don't let the ordering at the counter fool you. The food was amazing! I had a veggie crunch sandwich and I can easily say this was hands down the best veggie sandwich I've ever had. I'm a vegetarian so I've tried a lot of veggie sandwiches-- this one beats them all. The flavor of the pickled onions, garlic aioli, and pepperchinis are unreal! I also split the chocolate chip and cream waffle which was also good. I wish I didn't live in Los Angeles and could come here more often! read more

Excellent breakfast menu including pastries to go and a juice smoothie bar. I tend to get a cup of black coffee and a glass of fresh orange juice! Pancakes to Eggs Benedict come in traditional versions as well as versions with local character, vegans and Vegetarians will find plenty of options on the menu. The down side to this old establishment is the weekend crowd is thick and backs up. Oh yes you might get there at breakfast time but not actually get seated until the kitchen has discontinued a good portion of the breakfast menu in which case French fries and a hamburger might appease you. And which point you might also have to press nicely not once or twice but a few times for a cup of coffee or a refill, the downside of being well loved read more

I came to Howard Station based on friends' recommendation that it served the best waffles in the Bay Area. Occidental is not someplace I would stumble upon on accident (I am from the East Bay and it's far) but as I was on my way to Healdsberg with family we decided it was close enough to try. Pros: The waffle was delicious. I got a plain jane waffle with no frills and was very satisfied with the external crunch and the internal fluff. Maybe the best waffle I've had in a long time. Cute place with good parking and they were open on Black Friday morning. Cons: A drive through an area with no cell service to a destination with no cell service. The drive up wasn't terrible but if it weren't for the wifi from the neighboring library I would not have been able to pull up directions and I would have had to get home by feel. Maybe invest in some wifi for the customers that come from afar and are unfamiliar with the locale. Cash only. I can understand why it might be hard to get support to repair a point of sale system for card transactions if the system went down since it's so remote but it's still not super convenient. read more

Howard Station Cafe - I luffluffluff waffles - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Occidental, California

Or breakfast go to every time we're in Bodega Bay-yummy food, big portions and reasonable prices. Win all the way around. Cash only, but they've got you covered with an ATM on site. read more

Delicious food and friendly staff. We came in for breakfast on our last trip to the area.

Hubby and trade off finding different places to eat and experience the area. What a find Howard Station Cafe is!!! I didn't even read the Yelp reviews since it was 4 1/2 stars and the breakfast menu was so eclectic! I couldn't wait to go. This cafe is located in the small town of Occidental. We arrived around 8:30 am and we're a bit confused. But figured out quickly the wonderful safety measures they have in place for COVID-19. You need to order at the outside window. Once you order you can choose to go inside with your order number on a stand, we chose to eat inside. Once inside the waitress finds you table and delivers your food in to go boxes. There is very little interaction. What a creative business! You can also choose to eat outside at their many picnic benches or take the food to go. By the time we left the place was safely packed and many people had come and gone with to go orders. Now for the food OH MY GOD the food was amazing! I got the Protein quinoa bowl. Hubby ordered the breakfast special. The quinoa bowl was to die for. They served an amazing dressing on the side that really wasn't even needed. But I added a small bit with each bite because it was delicious. Besides the special hubby ordered a side of potatoes. We split the pancakes which were fabulous, hubby and I agree they are some of the best we've ever had. Hubby is picky about Scrambled eggs. He said these did not have an aftertaste they were very fresh. The potatoes and sausage . We will definitely be back! read more

Great place for a brunch date or for a group of friends! Off the beaten path if you are coming from Santa Rosa. Huge menu so it's impossible to not find something you want. They even have a separate menu for smoothies. Came in with some friends today and I had the ham Benedict plate with potatoes. Highly recommend read more

Howard Station Cafe - Benedict - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Occidental, California

There are not enough great things I can say about this place. For years has been my favorite breakfast spot! I cannot resist their Huevos Rancheros. Benedicts are great. Their French Toast has a slight orange flare to it, so scrumptious. Veggie Sandwich is perfection. I have not had one thing there that I didn't like. Great Service. The only thing (I'm sure it's been mentioned a few times) i wish they took credit cards.....5 stars still! ;) read more

First time here. Read in advance that it's cash only. There is an ATM on site for those who need cash. A little conflicted: downsides: cash only, so be prepared or use the ATM (see above) lunch starts at 12:30 on weekends. We were there just before noon on a Saturday. Partner ordered eggs benedict. I wanted a chicken salad. But couldn't get it because it wasn't time for lunch yet. (A couple came in after us and sat at the next table. He wanted waffles, she wanted a burger. Waiter told them they'd have to wait 8 minutes to order the burger, as it was 12:22 p.m.) That said, upsides: Food was good. (I ended up ordering just two eggs over hard -- can't really mess that up.) Benedict was good, served with a fruit cup. Service was fast, friendly, efficient. Prices very reasonable. I'd go back, but I'd be very aware of the timing. read more

I am in love with this place. It has such a humbling feeling when you enter. I absolutely LOVED the veggie crunch sandwich. It was so good I totally forgot to take a picture but it has the perfect amount of moisture, crunch, texture and flavor. Hands down, one of the best veggie sandwiches I've EVER had. I also had the blueberry waffles and waffle fries. Absolutely amazing as well as their mimosas and mango madness smoothie. It is reasonably priced and absolutely delicious! I highly recommend this place especially after zip lining! read more

How have I missed this place. I live in Forestville for heavens sake. I met up with my daughter here for breakfast at her recommendation. Will definitely go back and really can't wait to get a chance. Good food with good ingredients. Kind staff. There was plenty of room for us with no wait. Thanks. read more

My breakfast review for this place was great, my thoughts on lunch were less than spectacular. The chicken wrap was nothing appealing for me and the special sauce on the burger was taking away from the meal. I have a big complaint about the fries as well, no on the oil and still looking for the salt; the sweet potato fries were cut so small that there was nothing left to taste. I will have to stick with the breakfast club. read more

Great restaurant for breakfast and lunch. Service was quick and friendly. Would definitely make a point to go in next time I am in the area. read more

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Had to wait awhile and I'm pretty sure the hostess forgot about us. The place was PACKED so I know our server was overwhelmed, but she was sweet. The food was great! Delicious waffle and smoothie. read more

Howard Station Cafe - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Occidental, California

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STEPH JUDGEMENT: A lovely breakfast/brunch spot in the picturesque country-chic town of Occidental. Some local friends suggested we meet here for a weekend breakfast and they didn't steer us wrong! It IS a very popular place, so be prepared to wait unless you get there at the crack of dawn, and they won't seat you without everyone in your party present. We did have to wait a while to get seated, but it gave us time to chat and catch up so the time went by pretty quickly. Once inside, I enjoyed the old timey country railway station decor (hence its name) and the comfortable, jovial vibe. They have an extensive breakfast/brunch menu with something for everyone. I got the crab benedict and it was fab! Their coffee was quite good as well, and the the service was friendly and efficient. Everyone enjoyed the food and atmosphere--a great destination breakfast overall. read more

Well the food still good only is that now you don't get a full service have to stand on line wait and later the only bring the food to you so they say is hard to get people to work I don't know is that or they like to have small payrollHuevos Ranchero's read more

I don't know what happened to this place but it is not what is use to be. I had pancakes and the were dry and I was unable to eat them.

When we drove into Occidental, the evening of Saturday night and I saw Howard's Cafe across the street from our hotel, the Occidental Lodge, I had visions of primrose's and sugar plums in my head for coffee and muffins in the morning. All I talked about in evening time, is what we would do in the morning. All I can say is. . .I have never been so disappointed in coffee and muffins in my life. There was nothing good. My husband had regular coffee, he hated it. I had the mocha coffee with steamed almond milk. It was awful. I also had the last muffin, cherry chocolate muffin. It literally tasted like mud. My husband had a regular breakfast roll and we both felt it was a blandest roll we've ever had. My husband ate some of my muffin and wouldn't finish it and he always finishes sweets I don't finish. Super expensive as well! I'm sorry to be such a negative Nelly but boy was I disappointed and so was my husband. read more

Stopped by Howard's the other day, was hyped to learn that they now make their own veggie burgers in house. I ordered one, it was perfect. Found my new non-commercially made Veggie Burger! read more

This really should not reflect upon the restaurant as a whole, but instead as a little survey of my experience of just getting a simple small coffee and a cookie. I must've stood in line for 10 minutes while the young man from both about trying to get too many things done for which the establish seemed ill equipped to handle. That being said, the place had a lot of people there for the breakfasts which looked really very very tasty and they seem to be handling the sitdown table crowd much better than those of us standing in line. Oh, and my coffee was good and so was the cookie but waiting for so long for something so simple just somehow it did not seem right. So in stead what I would like to do is to return to this place and update my review accordingly read more

Howard Station Cafe - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Occidental, California

WEEKEND GETAWAY IN SONOMA: November 20, 2010 Finding Howard Station Cafe was like finding a precious gem when you are not looking for one. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/grSb4Ae0NUnouNZEOJC7Pg?select=P0vQg3ny0wnYaJckrQ5caw http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/grSb4Ae0NUnouNZEOJC7Pg?select=Q7K7zO0APIjsj1T-kpOGjQ People at work raved about the City of Occidental when I told them I was going to Sonoma for a weekend getaway. Occidental was tall order for me to fulfill and report back. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/grSb4Ae0NUnouNZEOJC7Pg?select=cYrbwLl7E4-a_QEypZl1zg http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/grSb4Ae0NUnouNZEOJC7Pg?select=Wi8kbo2UUAU2SJTfovslJA And true to their words, Occidental is a sweet little town nestled with an old country charm in every nook of this very short street full of boutiques, old-style Italian family restaurants and a white church perched on top of a hill. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/grSb4Ae0NUnouNZEOJC7Pg?select=nLbWYRuugf0eEsHIpwC9Cw Our GPS stopped working at this point after going through the majestic redwoods. We took the scenic route among the woods and it was breathtaking. We were tempted to try the family-style Italian restaurants which were rumored to be run by families from the old country but we randomly picked Howard Station Cafe. We found a brunch treasure. Howard Station is cutely decorated as train depot with lots of shabby chic country furniture and real giant pumpkins. Everybody knew everybody. A staff asked a customer how her job interview went. It was just charming and very cozy. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/grSb4Ae0NUnouNZEOJC7Pg?select=hnKaojqMNaVL756dMNqClA http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/grSb4Ae0NUnouNZEOJC7Pg?select=YEbl7BBMKU3cBXQxtLmDhA My fiance had PLAIN WAFFLES and HUEVOS RANCHEROS. I had the PUMPKIN WAFFLES. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/grSb4Ae0NUnouNZEOJC7Pg?select=fExu9X5JuXdQP3o1JZDoTA http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/grSb4Ae0NUnouNZEOJC7Pg?select=aWJFwymRRV9CYIaJiyr_1Q We were very impressed with our food. My fiance who is a third generation Latino thought the Huevos Rancheros was very delicious and loaded with spices. The staff were very honest in telling us which waffle flavor was from a can or made with fresh fruit. They have glass cabinet full of cookies including the TRAIN WRECK COMPOST COOKIES which as bad as it sounds was actually pretty tasty with kitchen-sinkful of nuts, pretzels, fruits, chocolate chips,etc. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/grSb4Ae0NUnouNZEOJC7Pg?select=aWJFwymRRV9CYIaJiyr_1Q Tab was $37 for two which was not bad including tip and a Diet Coke. If you happen to find yourself among the redwoods of Sonoma and come out hungry, make sure to have brunch at this magical place with friendly people. (Go during the fall. The colors were magnificent!) You are still not convinced, they also serve Mimosas and Bloody Mary. Add this to your "MUST VISIT IN SONOMA" list. read more

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OMG, this place is amazing! First off the curb appeal is just darling. It is an old building with a story to tell, look at the old photos scattered around the room. My son and I went on a Monday morning and it was busy, but we got a table. What we ordered: I had the veggie scramble and it was so good. It came with big tasty potatoes and a cute heart biscuit which was moist and yummy! I had to order some pancakes of course but could not decide. So I ordered one of the walnut banana and one cornmeal blueberry. Both were good, but the walnut banana was by far my favorite. You have to try it! If for whatever reason you find yourself in this charming little town YOU MUST GO HERE! I only wish it was closer to me. read more

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Cannot say enough about this place. Cash only!!!! So bring the $$. The omelet was amazing!!!! I made my own with feta and other veggies. Delicious! Coffee was bold and strong. Juices are fresh squeezed. Fresh toast has a little orange flavor made with zest. I didn't eat their cookies but they looked amazing. The history of the town is all over the walls in photographs etc..... The best part of this place is that it's still family run. You can tell they take a lot of pride in preserving the history of their amazing town. Must go see Occidental and HOWARDS for sure. read more

Howard Station Cafe - Front of the restaurant. - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Occidental, California

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Short version -- We liked our breakfast experience and we will definitely return some day. Long version -- We were staying right across the street from this cafe and had planned on breakfast at award winning Howard Station as part of our trip. A dense damp fog engulfed Occidental this morning. Coffee would be welcomed to help cut the slight chill on this summer morning. The building is ancient. The tables and chairs thankfully are not. Though the room is large with high ceilings the tables are pretty much crammed together making somewhat cozy. We grabbed some menus and seated ourselves but no one seemed to mind. We had expected a crowd but there were only a few tables occupied at 7:30 on a Saturday. Our server was pleasant and it seemed she expected us to have our decisions made immediately. This menu demanded a little more time. I went for the Serious Sausage Special, opting for the chicken apple sausage. One of the eggs was broken, the biscuit was dry and the veggie mix on top of the sausage was kind of cooked out. The grilled potatoes were exquisite. My wife had two eggs and potatoes. Loved the potatoes, disliked the dry biscuit. Our son had the Station Special with pancake option. He loved the pancakes and shared bites around. We could not identify the source of the unique texture. It was really unusual and very good. Quality maple syrup and butter put the pancakes in the all star camp. If I had to rate this cafe on the biscuits and gravy it would rate very low. The gravy is tragically bland. It's shame. We liked the coffee, we liked the setting and we especially liked watching the barista behind the bakery counter working her machines. She made a lot of noise but no one seemed to mind the grinding and steaming noises emanating from her station. We paid (cash only) and I can't say we paid too much. Even though the food was not great we enjoyed the meal experience. As we stepped off the semi-rickety wooded boardwalk (and rail less stairs) we found ourselves in the parking lot looking across the street into redwood trees on the hill shrouded in the still dense fog. We were truly dining in a redwood forest. We checked out of our hotel an hour later and noticed a line of folks standing in the fog waiting for their breakfast in the redwoods. read more

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This place is packed on the weekends and always a line out side but its worth the wait.. I brought my 5 year old Son here for the first time. Being that he was there before but only as an embryo when my wife and I announced to our family that we were pregnant. Service is quick and friendly here. The food is great I always order the same breakfast witch is the Crab Eggs Benedict served with a herb country potatoes complimented with a blood orange mimosa. Howard Station Cafe makes the best hollandaise sauce I've ever tasted. You get a good bang for your buck with the prices but if you go here you must bring cash. read more

Howard Station Cafe - pomegranate mimosa goes well with Crab Benedict and country potatoes - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Occidental, California

Excellent food and great service. The turkey sausage was very good. But be prepared that it's cash only. read more

Howard Station Cafe - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Occidental, California

Awesome place to grab breakfast. Very fast but great quality as well. It was very busy on a Sunday morning but we were able to find a seat. Not a traditional restaurant style. You order at the counter and they bring it out to you. Veggie Benedict and Quinoa Bowl are very good! read more