Half Day Cafe — Restaurant in Deerfield Township

Half Day Cafe was sooooo good! We sat at the bar and were lucky not to wait for a table. They had about a 25-minute wait for seating. Our server was super cute and friendly. She did a great job really. We did not have to look for her or wait for anything. She kept the cups full and cleared the empty plates quickly. Just attentive enough even though she was pretty busy. I had some sort of cocoa french toast with marshmallows. I can't remember what it was called, but it was a seasonal item. It was very sweet and tasty. Almost more of a dessert rather than breakfast but very delicious. My husband had a traditional breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage patties, fried potatoes, and pancakes. The eggs weren't great but were ok. He thought they should have cooked a little longer. I tried his potatoes and sausage. I'm not a big fan of any sausage, but don't hate it. I will say it was hands down the best sausage patty I've had. Probably ever. The potatoes were nothing to write home about but were also nothing to complain about. I liked them. Pancakes were just average but cooked well. The coffee was probably the best diner coffee I've had in a pretty long time. The only complaint or rather negative thing I can speak of is that it was kind of difficult to get to the bar to sit and eat. The place was really crowded, as you would expect on a Sunday at 10 am. The tables were all full and really close together. It made it some what of an obstacle course to navigate our way to the open counter seats. As we were trying to leave, there was quite a cluster of people everywhere near the doors. Some were waiting for the host to seat them, standing room only, and bursting out the door. Others were just walking in needing to get on the wait list with the host. There were also people leaving needing to pay the host. She seemed to be doing a good job. The best she could. But what a stressful position when it's so busy like it was this morning. Overall, it was pretty good, and we definitely would return! Just probably not on a Sunday...

UPDATE: Have now been ~7 times and the experience continues to be excellent. Saturdays are a little less congested than Sundays so still plan accordingly. Weekdays, especially around brunch time, are a great time to go as it isn't as busy (immediate seating) and the turnaround time from ordering to eating is 15-mins tops. Also, note that you cannot be seated until the entire party has arrived. Barista is consistently good as well. I do love trying new places but feeling like you're getting to know the staff, owner, and are a part of the family from the get go makes this place a standout and one that insists you return again and again.

ORIGINAL: Very busy Sunday around 11am but can understand the demand. Good and unique options for breakfast (all day) and lunch (begins at 11) with some basic fare (eg Biscuits and gravy) available for those unwilling to try something new. All items are made in house (no opening of bags here) and it's done well. There is a small alcoholic drink menu (eg Mimosas, Bloody Marys, Screwdrivers to name a few) and a good list of barista coffee options to accompany regular iced/hot tea or coffee.

Server and owner were very friendly and helpful. For Sunday's, expect at least 20-30 min wait times to be seated and another 20-30 min until food is served. No way to pre-check in online.

I need to go back another 6-7 times to try all of the tasty sounding entrees and definitely will do so. Mango pancakes, bacon, and sausage gravy w/ biscuits were exceptional. Eggs Benedict with Prosciutto over split croissant is tasty but the croissant quickly fell apart (you can ask for a biscuit or English muffin base instead) and the meat wasn't real prosciutto - more like thinly sliced American ham. Again, tasted good but I was a bit disappointed. I'd rather real prosciutto AND it be over something more hardy like an English Muffin or, better yet, a slice of ciabatta - which would match the...

Stopped in today around 10 am for the first time. I was a party of one and went on the recommendation of friends. The menu is standard for most of the area restaurants that are open for breakfast/brunch/lunch; sweet and savory breakfast items and lunch items.

There weren't many people in at this time, so I was seated right away and had a very nice server who took my order. I explained that it was my first time there and she asked if it was okay if she recommended some of her favorites........well, sure!!! I went with the egg strata (individually baked egg casserole layered with egg bread, pepperjack cheese, sage sausage & caramelized onion). I opted for the white cheddar grits (for a slight upcharge) in lieu of the rosemary potatoes. I also ordered a side of wheat toast and coffee. The food arrived quickly and was hot.

Food review: Egg strata: relatively tasty, but it was definitely dry. What it needed more of was the pepperjack cheese and carmelized onion. I couldn't taste either of those. White cheddar grits: very good. For my personal tastes, it was a bit heavy on the garlic, but that's me. It's hard to find good cheese grits up north, and they didn't disappoint. Toast: well, it was crunchy, I can say that -- not overdone, but almost like a brick. They used some type of oil instead of butter. Coffee: this was the biggest surprise because coffee in most restaurants is usually too strong. This was okay, but not quite strong enough for my personal tastes.

Value: It was inline for this type of restaurant. My bill, including tax, upcharge for the grits, coffee, and add-on of the toast, was $18.12.

If I could have, I would have rated the food at a 3.5, but I didn't have that option. I would most definitely return and try something else......one of the many tasty looking items...