Excellent food. Friendly and efficient staff. Great small town cafe/diner! Convenient location.

How do you dare serve a bad cup of coffee in this day and age. Went for breakfast and had eggs, hash and toast. The eegs were done correctly but had the flavor of everything else that had been on the grill that day. The corn beef had no texture. Corn Beef paste and potatoes is not hash. Maybe that is why they burned it to give you something to chew. Two hundred feet away is a McDonalds and that is a better option read more

This place opened in 1968 and I've been coming here for years. Clean, locally owned and huge portions. No fancy offerings, that's for sure, but a good old small town cafe serving Minnesota comfort food. Omelets are big enough for two and, as a two pot a day coffee drinker, I found the coffee to be fine. The wait staff alternates between those who have been here for years and the local high school kids, but I'm not picky enough to be unable to accept a misstep here and there. I kind of like supporting the home town folks and this little place is just fine. read more

Your basic Mark I, Mod 0 greasy spoon breakfast. Basic eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast. Basic coffee. Wallet friendly. Sometimes simple is good in the AM. read more

A no-frills cafe. Service was fast and friendly. Friday night buffet was very limited to fish, a couple casseroles, Mac and Cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy. Salad bar very good with lots of different toppings. For $8.95 it was ok. I still think we'll keep going to Monti's Cornerstone Cafe or Pizza Ranch for a buffet. We may be back to check out their breakfast, though. read more

I ordered the 21 Shrimp, it came out breaded yet the menu didn't state that. What if someone had an alergy? Talk about a liability. Then others at our table ordered the special for Tuesday, and the vegetable stated didn't come out on plates. When I asked the waitress she stated she didn't know they were out. I then said the shef should have advised you and you should have come out and advised us and offer alternatives. Then I inquired about the canned mushrooms instead of fresh mushrooms with the owner, all he could say was "I've been successful for 50 years.'" Clearly not willing to hear me or change or improve. The other food was just "okay." There are better restaurants in Big Lake to eat where an owner has an open mind and is open to "fresh food". read more

my hubs & I went there ONCE I felt like I was in my servers way. the food was well portioned but very tasteless. I just don't want to go back to a place I'm made to feel like I shouldn't be in in the first place. Not withstanding the food that was just in my opinion well below par. Not going again & could never recommend them. read more

Fish buffet on Friday night was awesome. Lots of hot crispy lightly breaded Alaskan fish and wide assortment of hot freshly prepared side dishes. Salad bar was very cold with crispy veggies and nice soft bread rolls Nice waitress - cheerful and accommodating read more

Had Dinner last night and breakfast for lunch today. Both were very good. Hot, tasty, and very generous portions for reasonable prices. $10 gets a very good meal (not incl drink). Well worth it! I love local "mom & pop" places. read more

Lake Cafe - Big breakfast, takes 2 plates! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Big Lake, Minnesota

The Mexican Omelet at the BL cafe is something to write home about. I've traveled all over the country and had breakfast in some 4 and 5 star hotels but Tim serves up the best Mexican Omelet I have ever eaten around the lower 48. I can only eat the 1/2 order but you better have a hungry appetite if you are going for the full order. Wait staff are 5 star also and know their stuff. Great place to go for lunch, breakfast or dinner. The buffets are awesome also! read more

Ok meals but always make my eggs scrambled eventhough I say sunny- side-up and they always burn my hashbrowns. The service is horrible they allways take 40+ mins to get my food to me read more

Driving by Coborn's Riverside (locally affectionately known as "Little Coborn's:) I see a sign in a window in the part of the old shopping center on the back side of Coborn's that says COMING SOON - CORNERSTONE BUFFET. If this is the same CORNERSTONE BUFFET in Melrose, MN then the local food scene is about to feel an earthquake. If I owned a place in Sartell, I would take note and start worrying! This place has been reviewed favorably many times in Melrose MN. Hope it is the same owners!!!!! read more

Great food and service, nice surprise! They had pop overs on the Friday fish buffet and the hamburger buns are fresh and bakery made, not factory made. Servings are very generous. Will go ack often. read more

Been coming here for breakfast since the early-70's. Great grilled ham and hashbrowns, and good scrambled eggs, too. Pancakes are large and tasty. Staff is generally friendly and quick; Deb, who has worked there for many, many years, is the best. Highly recommended for breakfast (I have never eaten lunch or dinner there, but they may be equally good). read more

Been going there for years in the past, they had good food then. I stopped going for awhile and now since started going again, the food quality has "REALLY DROPPED OFF!!" I will be saving my hard earned money for good food elsewhere. Sorry but this place only cares about money Not food quality!!!!! The ONLY reason this place is still in business is that it is the only place in town! :( read more

This was our second time dining at Lake Cafe. We arrived on a Sunday around 10:30. We came through the back entrance, which appears to be the norm, as it connects to the parking lot. There was a breakfast buffet awkwardly placed just inside the foyer, near the restrooms. It seemed to create a traffic jam with the customers entering and exiting the restaurant. While waiting for our table, we watched the buffet being refilled by dumping the fresh new food on top, and leaving the old food buried below. This happened a few times, so I am assuming the food at the bottom of each dish was from this mornings first batch. There was a man who appeared to be the owner who was seating and clearing tables. This guy really hustled, and made everyone feel welcome and important. We opted against the buffet for obvious reasons. We ordered from the menu instead. The food was good, the price was right, and the staff was attentive enough considering how busy the place was. They did a great job of turning tables quickly, and the food seemed to be coming out of the kitchen at a good pace. Lose the buffet, and I have no complaints. read more

By FAR my favorite cafe in town! The service is amazing, especially April. I've never had to wait more than 30 seconds to be served. As for the food, it always comes exactly as ordered and the portion sizes are super generous! My husband and I no longer live in Big Lake, but you better believe every time we visit, we're having breakfast at the Lake Cafe! Nothing beats it! read more

Would not suggest due to poor serving staff, and lack of attention to detail while preparing and flavor of food

Old school burgers and milkshakes not to be missed - factor in a friendly wait staff and you have a winning combination.

My husband and I brought our kids to this cafe this morning. The restaurant had a nice small town vibe to it, exactly what we wanted. The menus were clean and they offer a nice selection of breakfast lunch and dinner options. We were able to order drinks shortly after we were seated, I was told they serve coke products so I decided to have a water with lemon and my husband ordered a coffee. I was served a water with two packets of concentrated lemon juice. We were not quite ready to order food do we asked our server to give us a few more minutes to browse the menu, she didn't return for nearly 20 min. I ordered the chicken philly sandwich and a cup of chili to serve as an appetizer and my husband ordered a bbq chicken sandwich. My kids had already eaten but we ordered a side of tatter tots for them to snack on. My cup of chili was more like a chili bomb went off in a cup and then someone piled a fist full of shredded cheese and onions on the top. Crackers were very stale and the ground beef tasted like I was eating school lunch again. My sandwich had a few large chunks of grilled chicken, grilled onions, green peppers and melted cheese on a hoagie bun. Sounds great right? No, it was completely flavorless. The hoagie was the headliner of my plate and only because it was the largest component. My husband decided on his sandwich because it was described as a chicken breast with bbq sauce bacon and cheese it was right up his alley. He was served a giant ciabatta bun with a thin layer of diced chicken mixed in bbq sauce cheese and diced bacon. He also said it was completely flavorless and not worth the price. Tatter tots were overlooked and super greasy. Our server never smiled. She dropped our food off at our table we said thank you and she just walked away, we didn't see her again until she dropped off the check. I was a server for 9 years, I don't understand how those servers make money. The food is blah, felt like I was eating because it was lunch time and I was paying for the food, our server was blah .. We won't go back. read more

I have been going to this restaurant since I was young and came with my family. Over the years the quality of the food has unfortunately gone down and the prices have gone up. I used to just love having breakfasts here and the hashbrowns were fantastic. Now they are so poorly made that they taste dry and as if they have sat on the flattop precooked and not to order. My son ordered tator tots and he received eight tots for his order and they were served on an oval plate that made the order look just that much worse. When we have ordered the buffet, they have had popovers on it and they look amazing. The problem is that they are stone cold and that is NOT how popovers should be served. I do not write this review easily and I have defiantly given this place several chances thinking that maybe it was just an "off" day. Sorry to say that has not been true. I will be giving a two star rating and the only reason for two rather than one is because they still have wonderful caramel rolls and that is the only thing that I will ever order from this point on. Sorry, I really hope that things get back to where they once were. read more