Another Delicious Breakfast TEX-MEX POLLO LOCO Perfectly fried Chicken breast between a home made biscuit topped with this outstanding Chorizo gravy along side hash browns and two over medium eggs forgot to mention the grilled Jalapeño pepper This is one of my favorite breakfast Fix Great service friendly Staff Owner DP Always has an exceptionally kind attitude to all the patrons that come in to this cheerful establishment read more

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Visited Southern Cafe (SC) for Father's Day. Understood it would be a longer than average wait but given our previous positive experience, thought it would be worth it. When we arrived, there was no one else waiting and I'd guess that only 75% of the tables had customers. Couldn't have been more wrong in our decision as we waited for over an hour post ordering before we actually received our meal. This is the longest we have waited for breakfast... EVER. Anyone with kids knows having kids sit still and wait with minimal sources of entertainment is hard enough, then add hunger to the equation and it's a recipe for disaster. What could have made our experience better? 1 - Be transparent about your delays upfront -- Empower your diners to make a decision around whether they'd want to wait or not given how busy you are. Don't continue to seat customers when your kitchen is severely behind and hope diners don't notice. 2 - A small gesture goes a long way -- It would have been nice for SC to offer a couple of biscuits given the excessive wait. 3 - Don't add insult to injury... by bringing butter and ketchup 30+ minutes before the meal arrives. It added to the frustration that even my 7yo remarked "what are we going to do with butter, we have no food". They offered more water even when all our water cups were clearly full. Don't really understand how more water would make us less hungry? Looking at another recent 1-star review, I can see the same pattern as our experience. This restaurant clearly doesn't fail gracefully on busy days... and they don't seem to care either. At the conclusion of our meal, we didn't even get the typical "how was your meal" question from anyone. I guess they already knew. read more

The ambience is old fashioned country farmhouse. It's very nice and clean. Lots of seating. I ordered the nasty skillet, it came with sausage, ham, cheese, eggs, biscuit and gravy. It was delicious! And you get a lot! It's a huge dish you can split it with someone. The gravy and biscuit were very tasty. The whole dish was tasty. The waitress was very nice and attentive. Made sure my coffee cup was always filled. read more

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As a former employee of the restaurant, I hope everyone knows that they have a roach infestation, a fruit fly infestation, a rat and mouse Infestation and they sell moldy bread and fruit. read more

I was in the mood for breakfast at 5pm on a Sunday as I work overnights and was not willing to settle for a chain restaurant such as Denny's or IHOP. I have patronized the Tasty Biscuit close by before & love their food but it was closed at this time. I found The Southern Cafe as being open until 9pm which was very convenient. I previously visited the Roselle location & liked it. So I decided to place an online order for pickup which included the Nasty Biscuit & the Cinnamon Roll pancakes, similar to items served at the latter for about the same prices. I picked up my order which was ready at the alloted time. I found the biscuit meal to be quite dry with not enough gravy as the competitor. Also the pancakes tasted burned with just a bunch of cinnamon & glaze atop them. Overall, the quality was not there & I won't be goin back to this location. read more

a nice welcome as soon as we entered and the decor was cute and comfortable helpful and friendly service delicious food and huge portions. we will definitely be back read more

This was our first time trying The Southern Cafe and mentioned it to our server when we arrived because he noticed that we immediately started gawking at the front setup/layout with mimosa/coffee bar along with wall of bagged Kona coffee, hot sauces, and other branded merch. We got sat right away (it was a Wed morning about 930/10am) and our server was very nice and prompt - checked on us often. Decided on ordering the BoNuts to share that comes with a blueberry marscapone and chocolate sauce to dip. They also brought us a complimentary biscuit with cinnamon butter (the manager overhead our conversation about it being our first time there) to share and both were DELICIOUS. The biscuit was fluffy and not dried out and the BoNuts were warm and sweet! I had to try the "Nasty Biscuit" which is their signature. It comes with the biggest juiciest fried chicken breast ever (took me 3 sittings to finish eating haha) between a massive biscuit with cheesy eggs and southern gravy on top of hashbrowns. The seasoning of the batter on the chicken was so good I was tempted to see if I could just order a chicken breast to-go! My BF ordered the Sugga Baby which had bacon, ham, and thick sausage patty between 2 glazed waffles with cheesy eggs and hash browns. Even he had to take leftovers and he NEVER does. It was just the right amount of sweetness and savory, no extra syrup needed. We asked to try their hot sauce so they brought us one of each - cayenne, jalapeno, and habanero chipotle (my fav out of the 3 - flavor profile is excellent). Everything came out quickly and tasted very fresh. The inside is very interestingly laid out and had a chill vibe. We've been looking to replace our old go-to breakfast place since moving to the area and I think this may be it. I honestly wanted to try everything on the menu haha. Great experience so far!! read more

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Went this past Friday night... 6pm!! 1 table occupied, we walked in, got seated right away... then sat there for 12 minutes without anyone approaching our table... I had to yell to one of 5 or 6 employees!!! "Hey how about a water, menu or something... even a Hello!!" We finally just got up and walked out!!! Just terrible service.... Now I know why there was only one table occupied!!!! read more

DP and his entire team at The Southern Cafe were so wonderful to work with, and the food is AMAZING! When the caterer for our huge event of 120 people failed to show up at 6:30am, we were at a loss. I called around and the only restaurant able to assist on such a last minute-large scale event was The Southern Cafe. Without hesitation, DP said that he would do everything he could and cook not only our breakfast meals, but our lunch and two meals for the next day's event as well! In quick turnaround, he and his entire staffed worked hard and cooked up some great food. Thick bacon, great flavor, and phenomenal service. We nearly everything on the menu, and all of our guests loved everything! I can only imagine what they could do in restaurant if the food was this good and flavorful for 120 people on such short notice. So many people asked where the food was from so they can visit the restaurant and get more! I cannot express enough gratitude for the kind hospitality and delicious food service that The Southern Cafe provided. Truly, THANK YOU!! read more

We chose Southern Cafe for Mother's Day full well knowing it would likely be busy, which is exactly why we arrived at 10:00 AM to plan ahead. We were quoted a 90-minute wait, which we accepted without complaint. However, after waiting the full 90 minutes, we were then told it would be another 30 minutes, all while repeatedly watching multiple parties who arrived well after us get seated first and hearing the hostess tell customers it would be 30 minutes. How could it possible only be a 30-minute wait for someone who just walked in when we had sat there for 90 minutes and still hadn't been served. After a while, it no longer felt like disorganization; it felt completely unacceptable and incredibly disrespectful to customers who had already been patiently waiting for hours. Unfortunately, being seated was only the beginning of the problems. Clearly having children in our party, we were never given a kid's menu and had to wait to request one ourselves. Once our server finally came to take our order, it then took an additional hour for our food to arrive. By the time the food came out, two of our egg orders were barely even warm, and my child's chocolate chip pancakes were covered in an absurd amount of chocolate chips to the point it was excessive and unappetizing. What was most frustrating was the complete lack of attentiveness or customer service throughout the entire experience. Not once were we asked if we needed drink refills, how our food was, or whether anything could be corrected. After spending nearly 3.5 hours there for what should have been a simple breakfast, we left feeling ignored and extremely disappointed. To make matters worse, when we paid and left, the hostess/cashier made no effort to acknowledge the experience, apologize for the excessive delays, or ask how anything was. On one of the busiest family holidays of the year, customers understand there may be delays, but there is no excuse for the lack of communication, organization, and basic customer service we experienced. This was hands down one of the most frustrating and worst dining experiences we have had, especially on a day that was supposed to be special for our family. We will absolutely not be returning. read more

I LOVE the loaded cornmeal pancakes with the pork belly bacon. Freaking delicious. Hubs got the breakfast tacos and would get again! The restaurant itself is a nice brunch spot. We've been to its sister restaurant in Barrington (The Southern Belle) and both were fantastic food wise. Drink wise we got a hot vanilla latte and a cold brew coffee, and both were fine. Interestingly Southern rustic in decor, and very pleasant staff. Definitely going on our shortlist for warm comforting brunch food! The next real test will be when we bring the chaos toddlers. But I saw some lids on cups of the kiddos at the next table over and that's always a good family friendly sign! read more

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C'MON PEOPLE, WAKE UP! THEY'RE NOW OPEN FOR DINNER!!! Sorry for yelling, but my wife and I love this place. we've been coming here for breakfast for a couple of years now, and the food is great.... but their newly available dinner menu is next level. Try the Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese and then try not coming back for it for a whole week. -I bet ya can't do it! The catfish is better than Fisherman's Inn from back in the day. Their onion rings... and I never thought I'd say this... blow Portillo's out of the water. At this very moment I'm typing this out in between greedy spoonfuls of the best Chicken Tortilla Soup I've ever tasted. The prices are beyond fair. The servers are all sweet as pie and the manager, DP, is the most personable gentleman as you'll ever hope to meet. Let's give The Southern Cafe a boost, Fox Valley!! read more

Had my daughter's bridal shower and it was amazing. Perfect setting for it , so cute. Food was great and the service was outstanding. Would recommend this place to anyone. read more

The Southern Cafe - Upstairs deco for private party - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - St. Charles, Illinois

It had been quite awhile since we were last here. So round 2, this time I got the Chicken Fried Chicken skillet with a side of specialty pancakes the Granny's Streusel cakes with apple butter and fried apples and a lot of Streusel. They were pretty good, that's what their pancakes needs....a bunch of stuff on them. There still huge and i took home half and they were still good the next day. On to the skillet, it was a good size, the chicken was well cooked, not too dry. My wife loves their catshead drop biscuits, they have a lot of surface area that gets nice and crunchy. Eggs were cooked to order, they have really good sausage gravy. Overall its a really good skillet. My wife likes her omelets cooked soft and they did a good job of cooking it the way she wanted it. He grits were creamy and good. The sizes of the portions are large and its not cheap, but the food is very good and fun and unique read more

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Order two Big South on DoorDash. One with chicken breast, which cost $2 EXTRA. These proportions are unjust and borderline a scam. You get more chicken when you order the thigh and drum, than a $2 UPGRADE for a chicken breast. They did not include butter or syrup on the side, as described online. The food tastes good, but this is just upsetting and I feel scammed out of my money. Edit: both came with orders of sausage links, and we were missing two out of the four that should've come with it! This place needs to get their stuff together! read more

Thoroughly enjoyed my visit at the Southern Cafe in St Charles. With a delicate southern vibe, the restaurant does a good job of providing the southern elements but still keeping it bright and modern. The daddy breakfast was delicious and extremely filling. It was a great combination of sweet and savory, come hungry because it is a huge portion. The service was fast and friendly. Definitely will stop by again! read more

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Amazing food quality - excellent menu options! Lovely atmosphere. Homemade jam and syrup were outstanding! We'll be back AND bring friends with us. Everyone needs to know about this gem of a restaurant! read more

Food was great, our server was super friendly. I recommend trying their homemade hot sauces!

My family and I eagerly awaited our visit to the southern cafe for months, finally we got the opportunity on Memorial Weekend. However, our experience fell short. 15-20 minute wait for our server, Grace. The coffee tasted burnt, and my sister's skirt steak skillet was off. Despite Grace's efforts, the manager's response was dismissive. manager's response left us disappointed. Only a 20% discount was offered, despite the unpleasant taste of the meat. Overall The experience was not pleasant and with the indifferent management, we won't be returning. We'll be seeking better dining experiences elsewhere, like across the street at Colonial Cafe. read more

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If you're looking for southern style cooking and large portions to start your day, I recommend this place. The farm style decor was charming, and the vast breakfast menu is sure to satisfy most. They proudly boast they are home of the Big Nasty Biscuit, so I opted for the biscuit and gravy with 2 eggs and hash browns. My husband selected the chicken and waffles. The waffles had a unique twist and had bacon in it. His dish was topped with cheesy scrambled eggs. Both were very fulfilling with generous portions. Although we did not enjoy any of their unique coffees and beverages, they had what looked like many delicious offerings. read more

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From walking in the door we were greeted immediately. Party of 5 and all our food was delicious and hot. Big difference than when we were there couple of years ago. Front of the house vibe was totally different. We will be returning. read more

Food - this is the second time we tried this place. Food was worse than that of IHOP (if you're in debate go to IHOP). 1st time tried French toast. Was okay. Nothing memorable. 2nd time was an omelet, avocado, bacon, tomato, onion, and pepper jack cheese. Avocado should never be baked into anything. The texture is that of baby food. All the cheese was in the middle and basically made it inedible. Hash browns were burnt beyond belief, also inedible. Only thing that was good was the bacon and the toast... I'll include price here. Very overpriced for the quality. Not worth the $70 for something I could mess up on my own at home. Will NEVER come back. Everyone gets one... never a second. Service - very polite and kind staff. Food was pretty quick. Ambiance - a mix of Hispanic and popular pop music playing. Looks modern and nice! read more

The Southern Cafe - This is how much you waste - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - St. Charles, Illinois

This establishment does have some creative items on the menu such as the Nasty Biscuit and the Sausage Head Biscuit. The Nasty Biscuit is topped with Southern fried chicken, cheesy eggs, and country gravy on top of a bed of hash browns. The Sausage Head Biscuit is topped with andouille sausage, crumbled chorizo, topped with eggs and a jack cheese sauce. One time I had some delicious pork chops with eggs, but I'm not seeing it on the menu. Please take the time to examine the creative selections and you will find something. read more

The Southern Cafe - Cajun Cheese steak biscuit - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - St. Charles, Illinois

A reliable breakfast spot. We love the chicken fried chicken because it is exactly what you'd expect, but better! Perfectly fried chicken every time - we love the side selection. And their skillets are excellent. Their coffee is a little on the watery side some days but generally good. Overall great value for your money and excellent portion size. The restaurant interior is so nice I love the upper area and it's a very comfortable atmosphere with plenty of booths. The staff is courteous and friendly. They're very efficient and on top of things. read more

Starting to slip , quality is not there anymore. Had stale rye bread and a watery omelette. Biscuit and gravy was lacking dept of flavor.

This location only recently opened, but the secret is out; when my friend and I went recently it was very busy, with a brief wait (they told us it would be 20 minutes but it was more like 5), and the restaurant isn't tiny! It's hard to decide what to get from their giant menu. They're known for the "nasty biscuit" but neither of us got that, though my friend had the biscuit omelet which she enjoyed (sounded strange but ended up being successful). I dithered between chicken & waffles and shrimp & grits, finally going with the latter; very tasty, though quite spicy! Did i mention these portions are huge?? Our waitress was busy and never got back to me with a water refill (which i really did need with the spicy dish!) But she made up for it by bringing both a refill of water and my friend's tea in to go cups with our bill. Nice touch, and it ended up being helpful too since it was a HOT day. Overall, a nice spot for brunch: we are already planning a return visit! read more

The Southern Cafe - Biscuit omelet - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - St. Charles, Illinois

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Our server Liam was good. The Bloody Mary was fair, the bacon had no flavor, eggs were cold. The crab cake benny was decent. It's a southern kitchen feel and open and bright environment. We would come back. read more

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This is an awesome place to go for brunch. The decor is really cool, it gives you a, "eating in a barn" vibe. But also, the menu itself is plentiful but easy to understand. The food portions are pretty big and definitely worth the price too! All that food on my Louisiana Skillet for $15? Get outta here! Also, they have a great brunch menu for mimosas as well as coffee with alcohol in it! I got a frappe with kahlua in it so it was really good! The service is great too. They came quickly, food was served in great time, and our server checked on us frequently. 5/5 can't wait to come back! read more

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The Irishman! Corned beef shredded from the brisket, potatoes, onions, 2 perfect poached eggs on top and then the best biscuit (and biggest) and enough for two. Grandkids meals were wonderful and very generous!! Everyone was very happy!!!!! read more

Stopped in for brunch a little while ago. The restaurant is very clean. Service was prompt and friendly. My wife ordered the Nasty Biscuit, and I had the Tex Mex Pollo Loco. Let me just say the portions are huge. Like so big we both had it for breakfast again. The hash browns were good. Eggs were cooked perfectly. The biscuits were light and fluffy. The chicken in both dishes were aggressively seasoned and a bit heavy handed with the salt. Overall, a really good breakfast. My only complaint is for two breakfast, a soda, a couple of take home biscuits, and a tip, our bill was over $50. Way more than I like to pay for breakfast, but overall a very good experience. read more

The "host" I assume manager, took my place to be seated and told me 10-15 minutes. I sat closest to the hosts desk and proceeded to wait an hour before being seated and only because I asked when I was going to be seated. I explained I watched people seated that arrived after me and another group. He scratched my spot with someone he didn't give a pager to and sat 5 other groups that arrived well after me. The food is great but this will be my last time. If you run this place and read this review through those thick framed glasses please understand I will continue to word of mouth your establishment to anyone that asks about the place. read more

owner of the place pulled a 12inch knife out on me. the reason was because of a misunderstanding on the phone. he was threating to kill me over not understanding the price of the meal. DO NOT BRING YOUR KIDS HERE!! BE AWARE!! read more

The ambiance of this restaurant is wonderful- it feels cozy, warm, modern, and adorable. Our server was absolutely wonderful and very attentive the whole meal. We had pop and she was speedy with the refills. For me, the 3 stars here is for the food. I got the country fried steak which came with a biscuit and eggs. My eggs were cooked perfectly, but I found that the gravy, biscuit, and steak all were a little lacking in flavor for me. If invited back I'd come give it another try, but might go the pancakes or waffles route instead. Overall, a fine experience with excellent service. read more

The food is so great! Come hungry because the food portions are huge! The omelettes are so good.

The PERFECT brunch location! More than 10 mimosa flavors to choose from! I recommend the pomegranate or hibiscus!! All the choices are amazing! Be prepared for a large choice on the menu but you can't go wrong with anything! There was a 20 min wait but really only took 10 mins! Alsoooo at the table the service is so fast that it makes up for the wait! Amazing service!! Ask for Valerie she is great! read more

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Had lunch here today, and it was GREAT! Turns out that 1:30 PM on a Saturday is an ideal time to go - not crowded, plenty of staff, and food arrives quickly. I ordered the cajun shrimp with jalapeño cheddar grits, which also comes with 2 eggs your way. (Mine were perfectly poached.) When this spicy dish arrives, you may be tempted to grab a fork. However, a spoon should be your attack weapon of choice on this spicy dishspoon to grab every yummy bit. The shrimp were tender and flavorful; the grits were creamy. We did try a biscuit. It was just okay; I honestly prefer the ones I make at home. There are 2 huge problems with this restaurant. * PORTIONS are much too large. Few foods taste good as tomorrow's rewarmed leftovers. I only ate about a third of my meal... Such a waste. * SUGARBOMBED food and drinks dominate the menu. Smoothies start with ice cream. That's called a milkshake, folks. That drink menu should be labeled "diabetes." Most of the pancakes and waffles are topped and drizzled with layers of sweetness. It's all a bit too much. Know that they automatically add 3% to your bill to cover the credit card transaction fee. Pay with cash to avoid the charge. Staff was friendly and attentive. Table was clean; restaurant was tidy. You pay at the register, and it was quick. Although we enjoyed our meal, it's unlikely that we'll ever return. Oversized portions mean we pay for plates of food that will largely end up in the garbage. One more tiny thing. The menu says BENNY'S instead of BENNYS. I assure you that no one named Benny is in possession of the Eggs Benedict. Grammar matters. read more

The Southern Cafe - Looks like a giant iced sweet roll, but it's Cajun shrimp & jalapeño cheesy grits, covered in a spicy cream sauce. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - St. Charles, Illinois

Having eaten here a few times in the past week we have thoroughly enjoyed the food, the service, and the ambiance. While there are quite a few delicious and unhealthy choices, there are also multiple healthy options that are also quite tasty. Service has been consistently thoughtful and kind along with being patient and very generous with coffee refills. read more

My family had a day trip in the fox valley area today and for lunch, we decided to try The Southern Cafe. The atmosphere inside is very welcoming while also being modern and chic. We were surprised when we were walked upstairs to our table overlooking the parking lot and Rt. 64. But it was a fun experience sitting on floor 2 in the burbs. We tried a number of items including salted caramel hot chocolate, bonuts (biscuit donuts), the nasty biscuit (their signature dish), a bacon burger with house made chips, cinnamon swirl pancakes, and a kid's "Mickey Mouse" pancake. Everything tasted amazing and was cooked to perfection. Our server was okay. He forgot our bonuts and when we brought that up, he asked if we still wanted them, and we said yes, and he looked like he was judging us which I didn't like. Kinda confirmed it when he brought them back and made a point of saying, "Now you have dessert!" Like we asked his opinion on the matter. I'd expect that service at Ed Debevicks, but in this case, I think it was just the particular server we had. read more

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Southern Cafe Wow--we are thrilled to have Southern Cafe joining the St. Charles restaurant scene! This place was beautifully renovated and had a diverse, delicious menu. Our server, Joshua was awesome. Super attentive and friendly! We all enjoyed a beverage from the coffee menu--highly recommend you try this, as they put your drinks in to go cups! For our entrees, we tried the skirt steak skillet and the Tex Mex Pollo Loco. Both were phenomenal and packed with flavor. We do caution, however, the serving sizes are quite large! With your meal you get a biscuit and a side of toast/pancakes/hash Browns, so it is a lot of food. We cannot wait to come back and try more items, as many on the menu caught our eye. Highly recommend you check this place out! read more

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I can only give this place a poor rating because their burgers are dry and tasteless. They stack 2 thin burgers together instead of having one thick juicy one. The smaller 2 burgers add up to a half pound but all the juices are cooked out and it is tough to chew. They are too arrogant to listen to their customers because they think they know it all. read more