Darbi's Cafe — Restaurant in Four Corners States

I’ve always loved this place , we have been going there for years . The food and service were always amazing and it is one of the few places I can get gluten free toast. I have ciliacs and they have always went the extra mile to make sure my food was cooked separately . I never got sick . The service was always outstanding. Until recently . This last time we went it was a sunday and they were busy like every other sunday we have been there . The 3 woman we had the pleasure of having to deal with were very unpleasant . The first girl was young and appeared to be a little overwhelmed . understandably it was busy and she may have been new . She brought us our drinks and was visibly stressed , she wasn't nasty , just short and not how you want to be greeted when on vacation and spending $120 on breakfast but not really a big deal . It’s not something we would usually complain about . The second woman who brought our food was trying to figure out what omelette she was holding and a few of us ordered omlettes so we weren’t sure . Her comment “ you guys don’t know what you ordered “ In a rude tone . we ended up having to open the omelette to see what was in it so it went to the right person . That was an interesting comment being she was the one bringing the food . Again we let it go and said it’s busy and they must be under a lot of pressure . Then our waitress , the third of our less then pleasant trio, brought the rest of the food . They forgot my gluten free toast and I nicely asked if it was coming . There ended up being a miscommunication and she thought I didn’t want it because she asked me if it was ok to put in the toaster with other bread . I told her no so she thought I didn’t want it which is fine but when I asked her if they could make it another way . she replied in a nasty tone “well we only have one toaster” I told her they usually just clean the area on the grill or use a separate pan and toast it on the grill or in the pan . I know this can be a pain in the ass to a busy kitchen but that’s why we go there because they have always been incredibly accommodating making sure Im taken care of . They have done this for me every time I went . I wasn’t upset about that at all . It was the nasty attitude . After I explained to her she walks away from me as i’m telling her i’ll pass on it and it and I didn’t want it . Her tone as she’s walking away . “ no that’s fine i’ll put it in “ and she repeated herself a second time , cutting me off . even after I said I didn’t want it . she put it in anyway to be spiteful and then came back to me to try to explain why she was so nasty and told me she was just looking out for me . Ok all good , no problem . I just wanted to have a nice breakfast with my family without people being rude and nasty , especially when your paying for it . we are certainly living in different times and as consumers we continue to buy and pay even in spite of . It is possible that this was just a one off bad experience. It’s hard to imagine 3 people having a bad day at the same time . Being busy is no excuse, but I will go back again I’m not going to write them off because of one bad experience. However if it happens again we will know the place we knew as Darbies , awsome food , great atmosphere , friendly faces, amazing service and a place we always look forward to going too had changed . Our family trips to show low wouldn't be complete if we didn’t go . If we have a similar experience we will know that place we knew and cherished is gone and is no longer. At that point we will take our business elsewhere or cook breakfast at home . Lately the latter seems the...

I've very happy with Darbi's and will be back! I called in a to-go order and they answered the phone very quickly and were very friendly. The food was ready when I arrived in the time promised. There was a line (moving quickly) of people waiting to pay but the host was still attentive to the fact I was waiting for my order and was ale to get that for me while still keeping the dine in patrons moving. Major perk you can get burgers and fries during breakfast hours! As a side note... the parking lot is a bit weird and one way. Turn in near the big sign on the highway. There is parking on both sides of the building.

The menu seemed very large and diverse and our food did not disappoint. We ordered the Jalapeno Burger, the Western Burger, the Country Scramble, and the Corned Beef Hash.

The Jalapeno Burger was a pretty decent size (1/2 lb per the menu). The bun was SUPER soft inside. As per the menu it was cooked medium well since we didn't specify otherwise. There were a ton of jalapeno rings on the burger... and they are raw with seeds so prepare for the heat. There was a good dollop of whipped cream cheese, 2 large slices of bacon, and a beautiful bacon wrapped jalapeno popper on top. The straight fries had a wonderful thick crunchy exterior and there were plenty of them. The burger to go was served with lettuce, tomato, and red onion on the side.

The Western Burger was also decent size (again a 1/2 lb patty per the menu). Bun was super soft inside. As per the menu it was cooked medium well since we didn't specify otherwise. It had 2 large slices of bacon, cheddar cheese, onion straw type things, and a hefty amount of BBQ sauce. We did get our food to go and by the time we got home the bun had become a bit soggy from the excess run off of BBQ sauce down one side and there were plenty of them. The curly fries were very good and cooked crispy on the outside. The burger to go was served with lettuce, tomato, and red onion on the side.

The Country Scramble was really good. The gravy had a bit of a pepper undertone without being overpowering. It says it is sausage gravy but I only found 2 chunks about the size of a ping pong ball so if you're looking for a meaty breakfast I'd suggest something else. HOWEVER, I thought the gravy was still very good. The biscuit on the bottom was super fluffy and thick (even served open face). It came with a potato of choice and we chose the Potato Cake. The Potato Cake was good but different than I expected. I imagine it's mashed potatoes or compressed hash browns with cheese, seasoning, green onions and then formed into a cake and covered with cheese.

The last food item was the Corned Beef Hash. It is different than canned version for sure but good. It came with 2 eggs (cooked your way) and a potato of choice (in this case hash browns). It came with a choice of sides the mini pancakes we chose were about 3 or 4 inches and came with your choice of maple or boysenberry syrup.

They asked if we needed napkins and utensils for the to-go order and we did not so they were not provided but we still got mayo, ketchup, and mustard in the bag. All around. I'm pretty happy with it and the pricing was very affordable especially considering...

I'm so honored that my Aunt took me to this gem of a breakfast place last month. During my 2-week visit to AZ to reconnect with family, we spent a few days up north. She told me that we HAD to hit the BEST breakfast place EVER on our first morning there. I certainly wasn't going to argue with her!

The place has oodles of charm, and I enjoyed my Aunt recounting the story of the owner opening the place as an 18-year-old and really making a booming business out of it. Please forgive me if I've gotten some of the details incorrect, but you've got the gist at least!

She also told me that the place started off much smaller at first, but that they've kind of been adding on additions to the building over the years. The result is a fascinating layout that kinda reminds me of the hodgepodge feel that Hogwarts must've had on set!

The decor is incredibly fun and I swear, you could spend an entire year there and never see everything that decorates the place. Our waiters were attentive even though they were extremely busy. I don't know how they managed it, but they zoomed about and nailed our orders perfectly!

I ended up ordering a custom pecan waffle with chocolate chips and whipped cream on top. SO GOOD! My Aunt ordered her favorite, the Florentine Crepes with home fries. Absolutely delicious! My hot chocolate was scrumptious and her hot tea was divine, as well.

One of the coolest things was, Ms. Darbi herself waited on us! My Aunt pointed her out to me. I believe she checked us out, as well. All in all, the experience was amazing and again, I feel very lucky to be one of the patrons who have attended Darbi's Cafe in Pinetop, AZ. I certainly have it on my wishlist for return trips. I hope to bring my parents there next time!

{BTW, my picture of my waffle here...I had accidentally cut off a piece but then I put it back because I realized I wanted to snap a quick photo of it 😆. That's why it looks like it does! I swear I hadn't taken a bite of it up to that...