Absolutely love this restaurant. Good food. Great atmosphere. Nice small town feel read more

My fiancé has a gluten allergy, so we were excited to see that the restaurant offered multiple gluten-free options. Unfortunately, he ordered the gluten-free toast and was served regular toast instead. While his allergy is not life-threatening, consuming gluten still causes him adverse reactions and discomfort. When a restaurant advertises gluten-free options, it is important that staff take those orders seriously and ensure the correct food is served. For someone with a more severe allergy or celiac disease, this mistake could have had much more serious consequences. We hope greater care is taken in the future to prevent this from happening to other customers. read more

GREAT breakfast spot. Amazing food and portions and service! So many locals and first name basis customers! Coffee was so-so but everything else made up for it! read more

Terrible service! We waited for 45 minutes for breakfast food, what came out was burnt and half the food wasn't ready. So half our group finished eating and it took another 20 minutes to get the rest of the food because the waitress didn't enter our entire order. They did nothing to make it right. Skip this place. You can easily get a table for a reason. read more

The server was very friendly, but that was the only posiitve. The food was terrible. I am not sure how so many places around here get away with not knowing how to cook, yet they stay open. The hash was out of a can and burnt. The gravy on the biscuits had a really off aftertaste to it, the worst I have had anywhere. Go to Oaks Eatery or Full Circle. One of the biscuits was really hard in one spot, weird. The server said that the OJ was a Spanish brand. It was terrible and not drinkable. The wait was a bit long. And while it is ok to train kids to work at the register, please train them to have some people skills. Mumbling from a chair when people walk in is not how you greet people. I wasn't even sure that this person worked here at first. You can sit but get them a stool to be eye-level with people. Then another awkward stare as I was cashing out. The whole thing was not a great experience. Go anywhere else. read more

Thornton's Home Town Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Saint Joseph, Michigan

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Great experience here. Go early. Server was friendly and sweet. The prices were great. I would be back.

The best! Amazing prices, incredible service, and we LOVED the food. We will be back. Extremely kid friendly.

The people on here giving five stars must not go for breakfast anywhere. Basically all the food is opening a can of gravy, biscuits, potatoes, eggs and putting in a skillet to warm up and then serving. A veggie omelet (powdered eggs, I'm sure) that had no flavor. Canned biscuits and gravy. Pancakes were okay. The thing that gets me about this place are the prices. I was absolutely floored to spend $55 here for three people to get eggs, biz and gravy, pancakes and an omelet that was absolutely horrible. We've always walked by this place and wondered why we never went. We know now and will not be back. read more

There are several other nearby brunch options; don't waste your time here. I wanted to love it, as I love a great greasy spoon diner. I was grateful to be seated at the last table on Mother's Day, and I could see the place was slammed, which was why I didn't have an issue initially with the food taking so long. But then the place started clearing out, including people parties who'd been seated after us. OUR FOOD WOUND UP TAKING ONE HOUR. And it was mediocre at best, including not having made the cheddar cheese substitute I'd requested for my egg sandwich, overcooked, blackened home fries that tasted like they'd been cooked in old grease, and bare bones faceless Mickey Mouse pancakes for my kids. I'm a complete sucker for courtesy and would not come out of Yelp retirement to write this review if the server had merely acknowledged the delay. We remained kind and our kids well behaved, so I don't think it was personal, just severe ineptitude. read more

Came here based on Yelp reviews and menu choices. Overall it was fine but I was a bit disappointed with the biscuits and gravy that were not made in house. :(. My husbands pancakes were tender and tasty. Here for a week and will try something else tomorrow. read more

Thornton's Home Town Cafe - Little piggie - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Saint Joseph, Michigan

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Service was fast and friendly, it has a small town atmosphere, I had the Little Piggy, Pancakes and eggs were cooked perfect and served hot. Bacon was crisp, I know that the biscuits are not home made but like most places they are looking to hire kitchen help. I don't know if they ever made their own biscuit and gravy. More homemade items would have improved my rating, over all good experience. read more

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Eggs and corned beef hash was awesome! Super nice waitress kept the coffee mug full and hot. Highly recommend!

Really, really enjoyed this breakfast spot. A small group from our car club showed up on Friday morning and they were the perfect hosts! Food was great, service was amazing. Everyone in our group agreed this was the best breakfast of our trip. Keep up the good work - hope to see you soon! read more

When I sit down at this hometown gem, they already know what I am gonna order..."cup of grits in a bowl with two eggs over medium today??" Yep! They make me feel like I've been coming here since the '70s and the food is always delish, hot, timely and served with a smile! read more

This review is during COVID season. Wow! I loved my experience and food here. My daughter stated "this is the best place ever!" Great prices on food. Sausage was not processed. It was delightful. Tasty. Huge! Such a variety in choices for bread for my breakfast sandwich. I was over the moon! My kids were quite pleased with their kids breakfast. Good portion and great taste for a low price. My wife moaned in delight over her patty melt. I had a bite too, and it was a taste explosion. Bread was toasted just right. Homemade chips were a huge win. I'd definitely recommend this place. We had Crystal as a server. Very personable and quite respectful. read more

Came here with my family and the serving time was brutally slow! We waited an hour while seated. Many other patrons seemed bothered with the slow service. We received no courtesy explanation for the delay and when the food was served it was cold. The food is just ok. The veggie omelet had watery cheese. I really wanted to like this place, but it was unacceptable. read more

While Thornton's is most known for their breakfast, I tried the quesadilla with chips and salsa, while my husband got a burger. I thought the quesadilla was well made for a non-Mexican restaurant and my husband loved his burger. Next time I go, I'm going to try the burger named after their grandfather, Bobs burger. read more

Thornton's Home Town Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Saint Joseph, Michigan

This place is pretty great! (Atmosphere) The inside is cozy and small, overall. Mostly booth seating and a few tables. Has a nice sort of "boating / lake life" interior design theme. Good for families and friends. But I wouldn't bring a group larger than 6. (Food) The food though! Pretty standard American breakfast fare and it's all really good! Plus the service is really fast. We ordered two pancakes, a belgian waffle, home fries, 2 eggs, and a cup of soup. Had it all in like 10 minutes, maybe less. And it was all really tasty! The home fries were nice and crispy, the pancakes and waffles soft and flavorful, great food overall. My wife and look forward to eating here again. (Overall) Definitely recommend eating here! read more

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It's a cute little cafe with great food. The ladies working we all friendly and pleasant. I had the Farmers omelette with home fries delicious. One son had the 3 meats and cheese omelette with American Fries he loved it. The other son had scrambled eggs with ham also loved it. Husband had biscuit and gravy and everyone else's left overs. Would definitely go back if I find myself in that part of the country again. read more

It's basically a standard breakfast place in an older building with staff that is more worried about maintaining their social life than serving their customers. I totally understand that there are regulars and this is a small town, but our server said maybe two words to us and instead disappeared to talk it up with other tables about everything going on in her life, so it just kind of makes you feel like they don't want you there. And, it wasn't just our server, but the owner of the restaurant was also gossiping with others about other restaurants and how they managed during Covid, old employees (skin color included ) and where they work now, how she runs her business, and how her employees embody her "values." Well, are your values having your wait staff brush off new customers while hugging and falling all over her friends that came in? Because that's basically what I'm experiencing here. The food was fine. It's breakfast. I had the veggie skillet. It wasn't super greasy. My mom had pancakes, eggs, and sausage links. Pancakes were good, but seemed uncooked in the middle. Sausage links were probably what you get at GFS. Coffee wasn't great, but wasn't terrible. The fact of the matter is, I probably would have kept it in my list of breakfast places, but I really felt uncomfortable and unwelcome by the staff. Also, it was really cold in the building, so I just wanted to leave and get to some heat. I won't go back simply because there are so many other really great breakfast places with great coffee, fresh food, and smiling faces. Also, those places have long waits on the weekend, but I'm willing to wait for the quality food and service. read more

This is the best breakfast spot of anywhere, in any state my wife and I have been. We've tried pretty much everything on the menu and they just can't miss, everything is really good and their pancakes are just melt in your mouth, amazing. It's an unassuming place, with a 50s feel to it, the waitresses are very accommodating, helpful and really pleasant and the food is turned out surprisingly fast. It's just one of those places we wish we had in Illinois. I would wholeheartedly recommend THC to anyone who loves breakfast. read more

One of my favorite little breakfast/lunch spots in the town where I was born and raised. It's a little cafe - very "old school" vibe. Always has good breakfast food, hot coffee, reasonable prices, and decent servings. Today I. We're from the norm and had a "country scramble". I highly recommend it! Absolutely hit the spot, and was just the right amount of food for a brunch. I will not be hungry again until dinner, for sure! read more

Not a bad place to eat. Nothing fancy. Food is good, prices are good and service is always good. Busy place on the weekends!

We wanted breakfast and this was the only breakfast place we could find around St. Joseph's downtown area. It is small and simple...and even the menu is simple which I liked. Good: GIANT pancakes....I mean GIANT, healthy options, cute quiet place, great toast, pretty good scramblers, good coffee, and the only breakfast diner around the area Ehhh: Service (slow), no skillets on the menu, way to salty bacon, & some tables are too close. We were hungry and we ate....but besides the giant pancakes nothing was spectacular. Pretty basic breakfast place :-) read more

Thornton's Home Town Cafe - Giant pancakes! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Saint Joseph, Michigan

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Wow what a great find. We went for an early Sunday morning breakfast. The place was very crowded. This didn't stop the service from being wonderful. The wait staff work together. So no waiting for coffee, extra napkins, etc. they even gave us wipes. We had a baby with us. So courteous. They kept the dishes away from him. No waiting for anything. Baby or no baby, it's nice to get my coffee refilled without waiting. Food was delicious. The portions were large. The prices were inexpensive. We definitely will return read more

Food is very bad. Burnt eggs, burnt pancakes, burnt bacon. I'd rather starve. The wait was over an hour and that's after we were seated. Location is the only thing they have here. read more

This review is very late, and was for an experience that I had in July/August 2016. My group waited 1.5 hours for our food. Even on a busy day, no person should have to wait 1.5 hours for a couple pancakes and some eggs. All the tables around us also looked like they had been waiting for a very long time. I could have taken over as the cook and whipped up something mediocre to serve instead of making my customers wait so long... When the food arrived, it tasted pretty decent, warranting the review of 2 stars and not just one. However, for the 1.5 hour wait time, I should have received a delicate French pastry baked from scratch, not just some pancakes, meat and eggs. Hope that the service and speed will be much better next time I visit! I would love to support this local business, but cannot deal with understaffed, slow service :/ read more

Had a really lousy experience. My omelette was slimy-raw inside. I showed the waitress and she disagreed saying "That just looks like cheese." It was not cheese. My buddy had fried potatoes with his breakfast. First, he pulled a 5" hair out of his mouth from the potatoes, then found another potato with a hair cooked right in it. He showed the waitress and had to insist three times that she go tell someone. When she came back, she said the manager thought it was a bristle from a cleaning brush (5", super thin bristles?) and gave $1.50 off. The manager couldn't come out and say something? Wow. I know I focused a lot on service, but that's a transient situation in the summer. My real complaint is for lousy food, poor hygiene, and a manager who clearly doesn't care about either. read more

This is a local spot in the downtown St Joe area. The place has a lot of cute local decor and pictures. Our experience was going well right up until we noticed all the dead sewer flies on the window sill inches away from our food that was just served. My friend and I each had one of the "skillet" breakfasts. Our meals came out within a couple minutes and were greasy and tasted old leaving a bad aftertaste. A couple hours later we had terrible sour tummies and were eating Tums by the handful. Will not return and wouldn't recommend. read more

We were visiting and had literally the very best breakfast we have ever had. The service was good. This place is very small and was very busy but worth the wait. The omelets were amazing. read more

While I understand restaurants are understaffed, the wait time to get our food was over an hour. We were a party of four and watched 4 tables with the same or more amount of people arrive and leave before us. Our waitress did not keep us abreast of the situation or how much longer it would be. We ordered simple items, none of which would require the amount of wait time we encountered. One of our orders was incorrect but we were so impatient and ate it anyways. My group was so anxious to leave, I ended up finishing my plate alone while they payed for the bill. Food was decent but nothing special. read more

I will rate this place 5 stars. If uncertain what to get, GET THEIR PANCAKES!!!! I am not a pancake fanatic, but what I ordered had pancakes included. I have NEVER tasted such greatness. It almost tastes like a cake. And they are HUGE. Bigger than my head!!! I was already full, but kept trying to eat more because they're JUST THAT GOOD. They are busy busy busy. We came on a Wed. AM, can't imagine how busy they are on a weekend morn! read more

Service was very poor. Our waitress could not explain what the special was. The tablets might help on accuracy but don't feel we got personal attention. I wanted to put down money for coffee and leave, took so long. Wasn't busy, was Monday morning. Will go elsewhere next visit in St. Joseph. read more

Least favorite breakfast in the area, and it's a shame since it's in a great spot. Maybe it's just me cause everyone else seems to always want to go there. Gravy tastes like it's out of a bag, into a steam table. Service is never that great. Maybe I'll try again someday soon. read more

We waited about 20 minutes on a Sunday morning. Once we were seated, the service was quick, friendly and attentive. The spinach, mushroom and Asiago egg scramble was delicious. My husband enjoyed his eggs and hash. Coffee was always refilled. read more

I have traveled all over the world, and have American breakfast in more than 100 city's in Us and in foreign countries, they have the beat omelets, biscuits and gravy and the best atmosphere every!!! read more

If you are staying in St. Joseph and looking for a breakfast spot...come here! It was around 11ish and we were obviously having a late breakfast... Someone had recommended this place but said there was usually a long wait. However, at the time we went there was not wait and we were seated immediately. It is indeed quite a small but spacious diner. This is exactly what I was in the mood for. We had our typical eggs, sausage and toast type of breakfast and it was perfect. The customer service was just as great. Highly recommend! oh yea... talk about reasonable prices! read more

AWFUL service & cold food! My husband & I are pretty tolerant & forgiving when we eat out, especially when the restaurant is busy. Sometimes the staff can become overwhelmed but sincere apologies & kindness can make up for slow service or little mistakes - not the case here. When you have to ask 3x for your first coffee refill after waiting 10 minutes with empty cups only to hear muttering & a sarcastic "you're welcome" as opposed to an "I'm sorry" when the waitress finally returned, you've gone out of your way to earn a 1-star review & ZERO tip (first time ever!), especially after serving cold eggs & disgusting sausage patties. read more

This place is solid but very average but I would choose it again over a chain any day. Food was good and quick but like some comments say it was nothing special. The interior is lacking charm for a local place which seems hard. read more

Thornton's Home Town Cafe - Scrambled eggs, hash browns (under cooked) & a biscuit - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Saint Joseph, Michigan

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Went a couple days ago and this was honestly the best breakfast place I've ever been to. The place was homey, it's very affordable, the portions were huge, and service was FAST. Would definitely recommend! read more