"Consistent, hearty breakfasts with a side of kindness! The food here was always hot and delicious - we ate here every morning of our trip to Show Low, except for that one day when we *briefly* lost our minds and tried somewhere else (big mistake, huge!). The coffee? So good it could probably convince you to run a marathon... or at least consider it while you sit and enjoy a second cup. Fresh food, served piping hot, and always with a smile - what more could you ask for?" read more

Tasty, well portioned food !! Love the service! Love the ambiance!! Best locals spot here Whoever this bad reviewer is below (carol/karen) seems to be on crack. Even in their busiest day I've never had any of these issues ‍ read more

Service and ambiance were good. Food varied from OK to good. Deep fried items tasted a bit like the grease was old. Coffee is not a strength (you might bring your own). I would have given it a 3.5 if I could, but gave them a 4. read more

Wonderful food and so reasonably priced. Love their breakfast menu, oh lunch for breakfast is always yummy. Service is fast and attentive read more

This place is a hidden gem, was coming home from our friends cabin when we stopped for a quick breakfast. Our server Victoria made us feel welcome and at home. Food was very good and affordable. My friends were shocked by how much food they got for so cheap. Honestly I'll be back everytime I go to the cabin just to experience the amazing feeling again. read more

Excellent food I had the huevos rancheros green chile was amazing love our server she was sooo good. We live in phoenix I will recommend this place to all. Thank you for a good breakfast read more

We just found out new favorite breakfast joint in the white mountains. We arrived about 10am on a Sunday. Despite being a rather large restaurant, it was packed out and there was a line. That's good sign #1. Seemed like it was full with locals- good sign #2. Clean environment that smelled of green chilis- good sign # 3. Ordered Huevos Rancheros. Perfectly cooked eggs, delicious green chili sauce, crispy hash browns and refried beans on the side that were to die for. Wifey got bacon eggs and pancakes. All cooked to perfection. Fluffy pancake, hot syrup and again, bacon and eggs cooked to perfection. Checks off all the boxes of a great breakfast restaurant. Next we have to try their lunch. read more

Great food and service, will definitely be back!! Recommend the chicken fried steak, biscuits and gravy, & breakfast burrito. The monte cristo was just ok, it needed something else, like deep fried, but still good! read more

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Nothing better than driving through magnificent valleys and mountains and rock formations and various levels of flora and fauna, arriving at a small town called Show Low, Arizona, and having some of the best huevos rancheros ever. Breakfast is served all day there - so you have multiple chances to order this fantastic meal! Service was great! Thank you Monica's Cafe! read more

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Nice clean and roomy. Our waitresses were very attentive and friendly. Food was delicious we will definitely be back. Price was excellent for the amount of food you received. read more

Monica’s Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Show Low, Arizona

I'll preface this review which I really was reluctant to share by saying Holidays are not a great time to find a restaurant at their best! Crowds arrive and kitchen and servers easily get maxed out. A little effort to prepare waitstaff goes a very long way! More on this later. The parking lot had two cars in it. Getting there took a little thought but believe me when the hostess seemed annoyed that we arrived I was wondering if we had made a huge error. Maybe they were closing. Nope we were fine. But a smile or a happy welcome could have gone a long way!!! C'mon say "Hi, we are so Glad you chose Monica's" The young folks taking orders and delivering meals and tending to the needs of customers acted like they had never seen a child or a person with specific dietary needs! When those special requests of a person requiring vegan, gluten free or low carb plates are made clear instructions to the kitchen need to be made! Servers should not be rattled by such requests! When a child is at the table and beverage orders are taken it's always better to be save to put a lid on that beverage! Yep... especially when the child is wearing WHITE and has ordered Chocolate milk! Yep! Coulda been handled so much better when the tall cup which the lip was four inches higher than the kids nose spilled all over the kid table and floor as the food was delivered! 16. - 20 ounces is a lot of beverage to flood the customers. How about offering a clean dry towel instead of a handful of napkins? How about grabbing a mop while the kid is whisked to the bathroom to wash up! How about not standing there with a blank expression on your face when the customer hands you back the soggy napkins used to clean up the mess with. What's the worst accident that can possibly happen during service? Please plan for the every day mishap and at least be graceful and efficient in getting the customers meal experience back on track! Customers can be rude, they shouldn't! No one has to make the effort to come to Monica's or any of the other dining establishments in the area. The cost of eating out isn't the issue here. It's the ambiance the service and the food and the memories folks associate with Monica's or any other restaurant that will bring business back again and again! I'd love to hear that issues have been resolved and that caring for customers/guests is made a priority and part of the training program for all employees! Food was okay. read more

As an Alabama native I have ordered biscuits n gravy all over Az and this place is hands down the BEST!!! Homemade biscuits and gravy, awesome staff and great food!!! read more

Went for breakfast- we were seated right away. Classic diner breakfast the chicken fried steak was delish, loved my extra crispy hashbrowns. Husband enjoyed his omelette breakfast, the pancake was huge and tasty! Western vibe- good country music and very friendly staff. We will be back and are happy to have a yummy breakfast place in show low. read more

This place is fantastic! Great lunch, great bfast, good service, it's fun. There's easy parking and plenty of room inside.

Fast service! Good was great - a wide variety of breakfast and lunch options for a late brunch! We were seated in 15 minutes compared to the hour wait elsewhere... read more

We had such a great lunch here! Service and food was awesome such a good serving size on all our orders. Really enjoyed the food here. I love that they have daily specials. See the pictures with descriptions. I'm definitely eating here again read more

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Well, another day...another trip to Show Low. Have to eat lunch, right? So, Bonnie and I stopped at one of my favorite spots...Monica's Cafe! Why is this one of my favorite spots? Besides the great choices of food, besides the wonderful decorations on the wall, besides the friendliness of the staff? A big reason is Monica herself! She greeted us and gave me a big hug with an equally big smile! Muchas gracias, Señora Monica! Soooo, get to it, Alli...what did you eat? Ohhhhh, get your drool towels out, read, and look! The special was a Chili Size but, but I chose to order a Jalapeño Cheeseburger! By the pictures, you can see the jalapeños and cheese! A handmade patty, a slice of red onion, lettuce, and...did I mention jalapeños? Monica asked me "it wasn't to spicy"? Uh, Monica, it was delicious and it can't ever be too spicy!!! The meat was cooked as ordered...medium. Aroma was...oh, my, it was wonderful! The red onion gave a nice added bite to the meat and jalapeños and that American cheese melts so nicely on the meat! A little bit of mayo on one bun, and some yeller mustard on the other, it hit the spot! The sweet potato fries are, as always, great! Very distinctive sweet potato flavor! Flavor that you can taste! Bonnie had the Grilled Ham & Cheese sandwich with a side of cole slaw. Wow! Just look at how much filling there is! And, I have to say...this Grilled Ham & Cheese sandwich is on my list to order next time I stop at Monica's Cafe! The lemonade was a nice, refreshing drink to go along with the meal. read more

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We went for breakfast and it was amazing, good food, and good service, even though it was a holiday weekend.

If you go to Wendy's do you get greeted by Wendy? I know, stupid question, but there is something about being greeted by the person whose name is on the sign. Monica really was at Monica's. My wife, who gets stuck in going to the same place time and time again, got adventurous...ok, I dragged her in one afternoon for some lunch. One way I kind of judge a Mom and Pop cafe is by how long my iced tea glass or coffee cup sits empty. Mine never got less than half full. The staff was friendly and efficient, and while we both were thinking of ordering breakfast, which is served all day, we overheard the special for the day - BBQ ribs, potato salad and beans. SOLD! We both got the special, a picture of which is on this review. The potato salad tasted homemade, with a secret ingredient that it shared with my family's recipe, and the beans had just the right about of spice. I could have set down with a bowl of beans followed by a piece of pie, but there were also the ribs. Juicy and smothered in BBQ sauce, the meat just fell off the bone. My wife was able to eat hers with a knife and fork. Such a novice! You can use a knife to cut the ribs off, but they're meant to be eaten with your hands, each finger licked afterward to remind you how good each rib was. They were very, very good. We had planned on having a piece of pie, but there just wasn't room for it, so pie will have to wait until next time. And there will be a next time. Hopefully, my wife's tendency to go to the same place again and again will kick in. She won't get any complaints from me. read more

Fast friendly service, seated rather quickly but I could tell on the weekends it's probably going to be busy. The tables and menus were clean, as well as the bathrooms. The food arrived hot and it was delicious with leftovers to be taken home. Fair prices with a varied menu. read more

We showed up shortly before closing, apologized and asked if we were too late and we were kindly greeted by our waitress Denise who assured us "It's never too late!" We ordered the Reuben and the Chicken Fried Steak Sandwich. It was all so good. And the coffee was refilled as often as we liked. The service was great, we were well taken care of, and even though we left after they closed, they never made us feel rushed, quite the opposite! We simply loved our experience. Looking forward to going back! (But next time we'll get there earlier. ) read more

Monica’s Cafe - Chicken fried steak sandwich was the bomb.com - Cafes Near Me - Show Low, Arizona

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We had a wonderful breakfast/lunch at Monica's cafe. The Reuben sandwich was excellent with lots of meat & sauerkraut, curly fries were fabulous too. The chicken fried steak, potatoes & biscuit was great! Our waitress Charlie was very kind & working hard. We will definitely be back. This is a must if you are in Show Low. read more

Monica’s Cafe - Chicken fried steak, potatoes, scrambled eggs with a biscuit & gravy. - Cafes Near Me - Show Low, Arizona

The food was amazing and the service was even better! We loved the ambiance too! Super cute, fun, and filled our bellies good for not much money at all! You MUST try the biscuits! So good!! read more

We were there for breakfast. Menu had a good variety. Food was great, it came out fast. The waitress was very attentive.

We ordered on Saturday morning and did a to go order. We got back to our event and the corned beef hash was black. We had sourdough bread untoasted with no butter. The porkchops were overcooked like rubber and eggs were not over medium like ordered. We had no utensils to eat with and when we called we were told there was no manager there and we needed to call back the next day. I stated no we needed this fixed now. We were then told to bring it back and I advised we were stuck at an event til 4 and they closed at 2. The girl "Nancy" said she would replace the order and to call in next morning. So this morning I called and spoke to the manager who didn't give her name and was told" I spoke to the girls and they said the food wasn't burned so I won't be comping anything and were out of porkchops". I said yes the food was burned and her reply was" well you should have taken a picture". I said Nancy told me yesterday this was all taken care of and her reply was " Nancy cant make that call" Service on this mountain in some places has gone sadly downhill.monicas used to be our go to breakfast place... not anymore I wouldn't recommend this restaurant as they 1. Don't take accountability for poor food served 2. Horrible customer service read more

Great food, and great service. Order came out slightly wrong, but was quickly corrected. Will go again next time I'm in the area! read more

Quick and friendly service with a yummy breakfast! Hometown feel and easy access despite nearby construction

The staff was sweet accommodating our large group on a Sunday. The food was hot and quick. We could tell this was a local favorite. We will be back on our next visit read more

We love their breakfast and the service is always top notch. The atmosphere is like most diners but the food is delicious.

Monica's Cafe is the old Sweethearts Cafe (after it moved.) I hadn't been there since it closed, but went with a friend on Labor Day. As was Sweethearts, it is very clean and neat, and decorated "Western," with pics of old cars in the desert, etc. I miss the old 50's memorbelia and such, but Monica's food and service is just as good as Sweetheart's used to be! They were extremally busy, due to the holiday, but the service was reasonably quick and friendly. I had to try the Chicken Fried Steak and eggs (my favorite at Sweethearts), which came with biscuits and gravy (or toast.) My friend just had biscuits and gravy. All was excellent. Biscuits were huge and tasty. The gravy was excellent. The steak was excellent and came with choice of potatoes. Prices are in line with the last two year's massive inflation. Nothing is cheap anymore, but for what I got, it was reasonable for today at $15. Just Biscuits and Gravy was about $9. I would recommend Monica's to anyone for a great breakfast or lunch. read more

The food was delicious! It deserves 5 stars. We were seated right away but the wait to order was quite some time. We were a party of two and people were seated after us and had their food before we even had the chance to order. Turned out our waitress had a huge party to take care of. Fortunately, we weren't in a hurry and were drawn to the place by the number of stars it had. We got the chicken fried steak and the breakfast burrito. We'd definitely go back again. read more

Excellent food and our favorite waitress is Denise she is an amazing waitress we go here almost every time we are in show low

We were visiting from Phoenix with a large group of family. Great location, super friendly staff, the food was really salty and the oil used to cook everything tasted old and unchanged. read more

We went for breakfast before a large crowd came. My potatoes were the worst I've ever had; cold, dry, hard and no flavor. Tasted like they were a day old. Biscuits and gravy were just okay. Again, not much flavor and tasted like a very cheap sausage and "water" was used. My sister asked for eggs over easy and had to send it back for a redo because the whites of the eggs were clear and runny. Waitress said they would comp the hash browns, but no one was there to work the register, so I paid full price. We will not go back. read more

Extremely slow service, but the food was well worth the wait. Highly recommend the chicken fried steak sandwich.

The breakfast is outstanding, especially chicken fried steak and eggs! Very crispy! Service is speedy!

Monica's is the best diner to grace this location. The food is delicious, the staff are so kind, and the overall feel of the place is what you look for up here. It is a highly recommend spot from myself and my boyfriend. read more

Best breakfast and lunch on the mountain! Been searching for years for a go to place... I finally found it! Thank you Monica, for opening Monica's café read more

Food quantity was not great and the service was very slow. A mistake was made on one of the orders and took forever to bring the out a the burger that was under cooked recooked and dry. read more

This is the second time my wife and I have come to Monica's and have been seated after another person coming in after us. This time we got seated and had no service for an extended period of time and watch people coming in after us getting served without anyone coming to our table. This time we walked out and went to Bertie's where we got excellent service. read more