Lake and Bryant Cafe — Restaurant in Minneapolis

I was looking for a quick lunch while my wife was having her hair done. I found this place while walking around the uptown area. When I walked in, I immediately felt like this place was a coffee shop. The staff was welcoming and immediately said hello to me. The menus are on the walls behind the front counter. I felt like breakfast so I order a mocha coffee and a breakfast burrito. They'll take your name from the computer when you pay. The tables are first come first server so grab any open table. I was a little concerned about the distance between some of the tables so I grab a table by the windows. My coffee was ready in minutes and my breakfast burrito was ready in about 10 minutes. Very fast. They will call your name when your food is ready. The burrito is not too big and it comes with soft lettuce, slices of avocado, and fingerling potatoes. The burrito was a tasty mix of black beans, bacon, cheese and salsa. The quality of the ingredients is what made this taste so good. Regarding the potatoes, they were lightly covered with a crema/sour cream and chives. The only thing I would add to this a small side of salsa to go with the potatoes. In summary, it was a great experience and the food is really good.

Here are a few tips: Water: This is sitting on a table in large bottles. Just grab a plastic cup and get your water. Utensils: This are in baskets in front of the counter with knifes, forks, ketchup, etc. Bathrooms: These are located in the back of the restaurant. Dishes: There is a tray near the water for dishes. Clear your table and put it on the tray. Juice: There is some fresh juice in a small cooler in front of the counter. I am going to try...

The food here is awesome. Reasonably priced, great lunch spot. Key items to try: the bahn mi (I like the chicken with extra sauce, but that’s just me). the El Paso pork is absolute fire. For breakfast, the sandwich is good (the waffle isn’t my fav, but I recognize it as an awesome waffle that works well with the cheese). Thankfully they allow you to sub for a croissant, which in my opinion brings this sandwich from good to awesome. The shaksuka is great - sometimes needs a little salt, which is conveniently available by the pickup station.

The coffee great! No notes up or down. They do have a unique lineup on their menu - those just aren’t my cup of tea (very much intended).

Love the open kitchen concept. Never change that. The liveliness of the cooks and baristas doing their thing adds to the space in ways that can’t be replicated. If anything; something to reduce the hum from the oven would be one suggestion, if I were being critical.

Great spot, friendly staff, great food.

The one reduction in score on my experience comes in the form of service, but not to imply I had poor service. That’s not the case - everyone here is great! I like counter-self-service models, but the flow and signage has to be perfect. The drink and food pickup process can be confusing when it’s busy. Also, working in the space with a bag is sometimes unnerving to leave for item retrieval. Suggest number and tag system with deliver to table...

Listen. I love this place. I visit fairly often, I’ve brought people here to show them because the food is so good and the atmosphere is nice and chill. But I’ve now had two experiences in a row with general uncleanliness in their kitchen. I ordered a breakfast burrito (which I love! And the roasted potatoes on the side are to die for) and pulled out TWO different long, long hairs from it in the middle of eating. It was a tough one. The next time I came, I ordered the El Paso Pork Sandwich. It’s my favorite thing on the menu and the sandwich itself was great. However, in the little side salad that comes with it I did find a living caterpillar. I showed it to staff and didn’t get much of a response other than “oh no! it happens sometimes”.

With one bad experience, I chalk it up to an off day. But two in a row is enough for me to feel like I should say something. Again, I love this place which is why this is such a bummer. I’ll likely still come back for the coffee, but I don’t know that I’ll...