What a nice small town diner feel, you walk in and have a seat the locals are there good coffee and the waitress was friendly and quick to serve you, but didn't rush me out which was nice, a very steady crowd kept the place going The food came out hot I was missing some southern comfort food so I ordered a side of grits with cheddar cheese and their biscuits and gravy side was 3- 1/2 biscuits smothered in a creamy sausage gravy that was on point Great food, great service at a decent price in today's world see you again soon... read more

Came here for a quick breakfast and got a combo meal with eggs, bacon, and hash browns. Coffee was OK, but it's your typical diner coffee Food came out hot and fresh read more

Rise & Shine Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

It's a cute out of the way 10 table restaurant in Middletown. We went because I love sausage and gravy. I'm from the south where it's common. Not so much up here. I read they had a Cajun gravy the got high marks so we went. My wife is just as crazy for eggs Benedict. We were both so very, highly disappointed. The gravy had zero Cajun fly. Actually very little flavor at all. The biscuit was just a cold dense lump someone ladled bad gravy on top of. My wife ordered the regular Benedict but got florentine with spinach. Not the worst thing but the egg yolks were so overcooked and hard she commented they could be used as golf balls. And even though less than half full of customers we had to wait nearly half a for expensive bad food. The one waitress was nice. Seemed to only have one cook. Won't be going back. My search for good biscuits and gravy in Connecticut continues. read more

Rise & Shine Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

Small breakfast spot. Quick service and friendly staff. Ordered bacon egg and cheese on Croissant, the lumberjack omelette, pancakes , and a cup of coffee. Prices are fair and food is good. Quick in and out restaurant. read more

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Just was not impressed. Very mediocre at best. The place was empty and my toast was burnt.

The owner is a wonderful person that cares about her business and customers, but the kitchen is super small with limited storage capacity. They get by with what they have and are reasonably capable of doing so. I can't knock them for doing what they do with what they have. It's not IHOP or fast food. So if you're looking for that, that's maybe what you should do. If you're willing to wait a tiny bit and have time to hang around in the morning to iron your day out, or whatever - and get what you want, she'll take care of you and you'll have a great breakfast in a reasonable time. But don't expect to come in on short notice if you have an appointment you have to go to as it may be busy, or maybe not. The owner Claudia busts her ass off for her business, family and customers, and that's why I give this 4.5 stars. Support your local businesses. They need it and will treat you correctly. read more

It's terrible, wait staff unfriendly, maybe because she's alone take 15 tables, but still. Good is mediocre Debs down the street is better Walked out after 15 minutes of her taking care of other read more

This is the best breakfast place in the Middletown area. My cheddar cheese and corned beef omelet was superb! The corned beef was the actual product shredded, not small cubes from a can. And the omelet was large and filled with both cheese and beef. Definitely worth a stop in this modest, strip mall location. read more

Rise & Shine Cafe - cheddar and corned beef omelet - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

I have tried this place twice. Once to eat in and oncd for takeout. Its a small place but still is very slow. The service was extremely slow. Took 35 minutes for 2 BLT sandwiches for takeout and they werent good. The bread and bacon were burnt and the sandwich had a funny taste. I think it was cheap mayonnaise. The owner was cooking but would come out to the tables slowing things down even more. I do not tecommend this place and will never go back read more

Food tasted fresh and the service was kind. The place is cute and has a friendly neighborhood vibe! Price was also very reasonable! Full omelet homefries toast and coffee for less than 15.00! read more

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One of my favorites in Middletown. Good food and very friendly service with nice country decor. Would recommend to any who asks about it

I absolutely love Rise and Shine. I love the atmosphere and the staff there are so friendly. The food is so good. I love to go there in the morning to get my freshly baked muffins. You get a lot of food and the prices are great Too. My co-workers order food there also. You must try it. It's a very cozy and friendly place to just sit and chat with the regulars that go there. read more

Nine of us had breakfast today at this friendly spot with delicious food. Everyone liked their meal, and the prices were reasonable. Although there was only one server and one cook, they kept up well with the orders. I didn't try the banana bread French toast because I don't like walnuts, but the two people who tried it raved about it. I wasn't so hungry so I just ordered the fruit cup and some cinnamon raisin toast. What an attractive presentation - many fruits layered in a Mason jar - even a fruit I had never tried before, gooseberries! I ended up dumping the jar out on a dish and it is really a substantial portion, much larger than what you usually get when you order fruit. read more

Rise & Shine Cafe - Fruit salad side order for breakfast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

Great food made to order!! Southern style grits, and several types of eggs Benedict. Breakfast and lunch specials every day Home made soups by Becky. Always great service with a smile! Middletown's best kept secret!! Stop in and say hello to Claudia and Paula, you'll be glad you did! read more

Love this place I lived in the south for years eating here brings be back servers are polite and pleasant, food prices are exactly what breakfast should cost. It's the best breakfast place in Middletown. Good atmosphere people seem happy I always leave full. Also on the last review that I just read only crappie/poor people don't leave tips after getting served don't eat out if you can't afford it. read more

Having the little prince for a weekend, I DD'd this place. I do not recommend delivery. But this could be due to breakfast not being a deliverable meal! It was congealed and not quite the best, but I think that's a reflection of the time delivered more than the quality of food. Leave something sitting for 30 minutes and it will all be sub par. Will try again in-house and see if this improves my opinion. read more

The most amazing biscuits and gravy I have ever had, and I used to live in the south. All of the food is amazing and its a nice hometown feel read more

I want to say that the business is very well thought of. This is my first time coming in and I love the fact that it's women owned and it's really cool. I highly recommend this place. read more

Food is great always recommend their breakfast the meat lovers omelet is amazing, as well for lunch their patty melt is great! Service is amazing and fast. While the vibe of the restaurant is always great! An amazing place to grab a coffee and some food and enjoy your morning! read more

Usually good food but keeps forgetting the salsa with the California omlette. It's happened a few times before This was a pick up order & asked me if I wanted salsa I said yes get home not in the bag read more

We've always liked this little breakfast place. Since we moved from the other side of town, we've been visiting a lot more. This is a small restaurant where you seat yourself and there is often a paper or two laying around. A comfortable sort of place, where you get to know the people sitting around you. While the standards never disappoint, we look forward to the weekend specials. My son and I love the Banana Bread French Toast. The omelets are fluffy and full of fresh ingredients. The coffee is good and refills are poured frequently. read more

This has always been a nice place to have breakfast. Been going here as long as its been open, and it took 40 minutes for one person to get one sandwich. Waitress was too busy waiting on take-out orders and larger orders at the tables and filling OTHER customers coffee cups. They need more help, its not like they can't afford it, the place was plenty busy enough. Did not refill my coffee cup as that is a great service that they always offer. There was no cheese on sandwich as requested. It felt bad not leaving a tip but could not do that in good conscience. Get more waitress staff please or risk losing customers. read more

A locals-type-feel dinette in a plaza where Saybrook and Randolph meet. Waitress knew the usuals seated at the counter. Cook came out to chat with the regulars at the counter once all orders were out. You can see him place the order up after every meal he completes. This truly is cook to order. I stopped in as I was nearby and hungry. The nice lady who took my order was very welcoming and cook had an inviting smile. Friendliness exuded from this place form the second you walk in the door. The menu says "all orders are made to order so we appreciate your patience". I just want to point that out to the reviews that complained about it taking too long on a busy weekend morning. Sign at register says charge cards for $5 and over please. This is not cash only. Bacon was delicious. Toast was fluffy inside, not thin. Home fries were fresh cut potatoes. The meal was great. I will go back. [Delivery at a later date was through door dash. Photos of what I received are attached.] read more

Rise & Shine Cafe - French Toast and a side of Home Fries - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

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This restaurant missed the mark a little bit for me. I ordered the eggs Benedict. One of my poached eggs had no yolk in it. The hollandaise was a bit thin. But came out hot and very quickly. Ordered a sandwich to go for my wife with a dairy allergy it was made correctly. Give them credit for that. I will go back at some point and hopefully upgrade this review. read more

Rise & Shine Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

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My terminally ill and disabled husband and I visited this restaurant today and it was not busy at all, good sign. My husband was hungry another good sign. However, we must have waited 15 minutes for the waitress that was doing other tasks like putting away inventory, taking care of other tables and forgot to take our order. She seemed to look over at us but walked the other direction. She made us feel like we were not important and that we did not deserve service. Might I repeat, my husband is terminally ill and was hungry which is not very often. This small diner missed the mark BIG TIME. It wasn't even busy! "0" stars. Terrible service and very upset that my husband did not get to eat this morning. read more

Always amazing, banana bread French toast is mind blowing must try !! Quick and easy pick up

A locals-type-feel dinette in a plaza where Saybrook and Randolph meet. Waitress knew the usuals seated at the counter. Cook came out to chat with the regulars at the counter once all orders were out. You can see him place the order up after every meal he completes. This truly is cook to order. I stopped in as I was nearby and hungry. The nice lady who took my order was very welcoming and cook had an inviting smile. Friendliness exuded from this place form the second you walk in the door. The menu says "all orders are made to order so we appreciate your patience". I just want to point that out to the reviews that complained about it taking too long on a busy weekend morning. Sign at register says charge cards for $5 and over please. This is not cash only. Bacon was delicious. Toast was fluffy inside, not thin. Home fries were fresh cut potatoes. The meal was great. I will go back. In my photos I put a little syrup on my potatoes. That is what is glistening on the potato, not grease. Same with the plate, it's not grease leftover but a little syrup. read more

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Great little spot, had breakfast on 2/11/22. Amazing how our server was running the front and all to go orders and still did it with a smile on her face! Food was very good! Great service , great food ! read more

Best Breakfast Sampler and cornedbeef hash. Love the service. The people (Claudia, and Paula) are the nicest

Best Very Berry French toast I've ever eaten. The staff are the nicest people I've ever met

Found this hidden gem via Yelp. Great Breakfast without a lot of fuss. The decor was nice and the service was spot on. Look forward to going back! read more

Ordered for delivery on 2/25/22. Food was extremely bland. Eggs were rubbery. Grits were flavorless. French toast was cold and soggy on arrival (only a 5 min drive from where I live). read more

It's a great place to stop by for a quick grab, or to sit down and take your time. The staff there is wonderful and the atmosphere is just relaxing. This small family-like dinner is one I see myself coming back for more! read more

Warm welcome from friendly staff and really like it. Food quality is good and quick. Staff is patiently explained American breakfast for Indian :) But this place is cash only!!!! So 4 stars otherwise 5 stars read more

Rise & Shine Cafe - Inside raise and shine :) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

Poor service !! 45 minutes to get my sausage sandwich! Server lied and said the cook was busy with takeout. All she had to say was she or the cook forgot to make my order. Gave her the opportunity to come clean but no use. If the cook was so overwhelmed with take out orders why did she have time to take a phone call? Well I can't go back. Shame because it looked like a good breakfast spot. Claudia the owner did reach out to me which I appreciate. I will give it another shot when she is there. Thanks Claudia read more

HIDDEN GEM! Loved this place. It's not much to look at, just a quaint little dinette style place. But don't let that fool you. The food was fantastic and the service was even better. Our server, also the owner, was one of the sweetest ladies I've ever met. I had the Italian Sausage egg and cheese on a roll. Fantastic! My colleague had the banana french toast. Also amazing. To top it off, they had a wonderful fresh fruit cup (large serving) that was really good. 100% I would recommend this place if you are looking for a great quality breakfast and pleasant conversation. read more

Ordered hallah french toast got regular smashed french toast with no butter and they used the butt piece I spent 25$ on french toast cause I used grub hub but I've been a short order cook for 30 years my restaurant closed recently due to covid so I'm trying to support the local food industry I literally could have walked to 3 places on main St. It was fine it's french toast it's just I know places are begging for business and if I was cooking even if we didn't have it or whatever I would make sure the customer knew 1st not just send it and it would be perfect places begging for business!!!!! read more

Rise & Shine Cafe - 'hallah french toast" - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

Had a great omelet here. Eggs very well done. Hash browns had large chunks of potato. I liked the way they prepare them. Server was very pleasant and kept my coffee cup filled. Will come back for sure. read more

Service. Staff was friendly and cheerful, which helps in a world where people have become so angry. Got an egg sandwich and a fresh out of the oven apple muffin. Both were delicious! read more

Solid breakfast spot. Banana bread french toast is delicious. It's 5 stars for the type of place that it is; pretty standard breakfast and lunch food. Not going to see duck confit on the menu, but you don't come to a place like this for those things. People complain that it's cash only. Maybe the 3% or so that they save on the bills helps them keep the prices reasonable. Bottom line: try it, you won't regret. read more