Fort Jesse Cafe
Fort Jesse Cafe things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
Plan your stay
Posts
The location for this newest spot for my husband and I was a little unexpected. If your familiar with Cute As A Button's location then you can understand that finding this place was def not what we thought to look for it's located in a little strip location kinda off to the side of the road and if your not looking you'll surely miss you turn. Let me tell you traffic for this place during a Friday around 8 was not easy when we missed our turn. The resturaunt itself was pretty busy as well with just about every seat taken with the exception of about maybe 2-3 tables. When entering your greeted by a makeshift stand where you can then be seated. We waited about 5-7 mins before our order was taken which for us wasn't too bad since you could see it was obviously busy. Once our order was taken it was about 10-15 mins before we got our plates which I have to say the portions are amazing I def ended up taking food home. The food was delicious, hot and fresh. The pancakes I could have eaten twice over they were fluffy and thick. It was my first time trying a Bruschetta palette which I choose a scrambled egg, gouda cheese melted down on it, cheese curds and roasted tomatoes which were seasoned. I enjoyed every bit of my food. The waitress was pretty nice to a point at times I felt somewhat ignored when she asked my husband for a refill I later came to find out that I would have needed to repurchase another drink if I wanted a refill when I asked for my drink to go and it would have been nice to know that beforehand so I didn't feel that way during our visit especially it being our first time. Otherwise the staff was friendly. I will say if you are going there to have conversation I wouldn't say you'll be able to have one since the place is pretty small and compact it's about the side of a living room and dining room combined maybe a tad bigger with about 20 or so tables in it and they are pretty closely placed to one another so the conversation could easily be drowned out by the other conversations going on. Overall it wasn't too bad a visit and again the food was delicious.
Jess RJess R
00
Fort Jesse Cafe is a standout in a sea of big chain restaurants. Big taste for a reasonable cost in a modest an unassuming atmosphere. I've been here a few times and never left disappointed in the quality of the food or service. I really need to eat here more often than I do. The restaurant closes at 2 PM, so get in there for your breakfast/lunch. Call ahead for reservations unless you're willing to wait, especially on the weekends. I ordered the Chicken Waffle Benedict with a side of grits during my last visit. I could have easily eaten two orders—it was that good. The eggs were poached properly and weren't a watery, coagulated mess, the chicken was great, smoked bacon bits were a nice complement, and the hollandaise was well made without being too thick or heavy. Change out the poached egg for an over medium, slap the egg, chicken, bacon, and sauce between two waffle quarters — voila — an awesome breakfast sandwich is born. The grits. OK, I'm not from the South and wasn't raised on grits. But I spend an awful lot of time down there for work, and I'm comfortable stating that I've gotten the hang of grits. The South has good grits. Grits that supposedly set the benchmark. I can tell you this: there are absolutely no grits that are so good that you'd want to slap yo' mamma. But I can also tell you this: the grits at Fort Jesse are as close as grits can get to making one want to channel their inner John Witherspoon. They're *that* good. Start here if you don't like grits. You're forever not going to like them if Fort Jesse's offering doesn't convert you. A definite must have if you're looking for good food in the BloNo area.
D KD K
00
This place is truly one of a kind here in Bloomington/Normal. If you haven't eaten here, it is definitely an experience you're missing out on. The seating area is small but has been utilized to the best of their abilities. If you're coming here over a holiday or a weekend, expect a long wait as Ft. Jesse Cafe draws quite the crowd. I've been here 6 different times now and the experience is always great. The servers are always accommodating and as quick as they can be. More recently I have been following their social media accounts to see what the weekly feature is/are. I was there a couple weeks ago to try their smoked salmon benedict which was on special. This was absolutely a treat. This was of course paired with their homemade cinnamon roll. My wife had their harvest skillet which was also on special. Both plates are picture below. The pricing is also very fair to say the least. If you're willing to wait around for a great breakfast or brunch in Bloomington/Normal, this is the place to go. Great job guys!
Jason BrownJason Brown
00
Line to get in was short this day, but still a wait. Staff is very friendly and ready to attend you. Menu is limited but interesting, and I can highly recommend the Eggs Benedict. Wide open dining area. Lots of bright light and a convivial atmosphere. Conversation is easy to hold with an ongoing volume of sound in the room at the same time. A number of unique aspects include the serve yourself coffee station, the pile of comic books, the bags game outside, and benches... All for those in line to be seated. Most tables are for four, and many only had two at them, which makes me wonder if a communal table might not be a good idea as an option here. The parking lot is not as large as it could be for the crowds that flock to this cafe, and large vehicles would be hard pressed to maneuver the lot when full. Probably one of the best breakfast spots in the twin cities, but the lines and parking definitely put me off frequent return visits. Although the turkey sausage option is definite plus for us too.
Carrie O'RourkeCarrie O'Rourke
00
Back at it again! Absolutely love this place, the service, the food, on and on!!! Mixed it up this time! My wife got the chicken and waffles! The syrup, butter, and all the flavors that go on the chicken bring you straight to flavor town! My mother in law got the GLUTEN FREE cornmeal pancakes and said that it was a flavor explosion! Also... we had a reservation and had a bit of a wait (which was not proble) but fort jesse hooked us up with a surpirse cinnamon roll. NEXT LEVEL! Don't miss out on this place if you are in Bloomington-Normal! Another Great Experience at Fort Jesse Cafe today! Great food and great service! Best Breakfast spot in the Bloomington-Normal area in my humble opinion! Potentially best resturant period! Always an awesome meal whether you dine in or get take-out! If you are vegetarian/vegan I highly recommend the Southwest Tofu skillet. Out of this world good!
Jake GerdesJake Gerdes
00
The food here was really good. The breakfast burrito was extremely filling, as I was only able to finish half. It was covered in a gravy sauce that brought all the flavors together and the eggs were cooked perfectly. The biscuits were delicious—they were soft and fell apart in my hands—but the blackberry jam was a tad too tart to go great with it. My main concern was the wait time. We came close to close and the wait time was still 45 minutes long. So be prepared for that. We drove around and grabbed a snack at Taco Bell in the meantime. Service was average: nothing special, but nothing to complain about. We were quick in and out, though. No waiting around. I would recommend to a friend, but only if they could stomach the food and the wait time. I would come back, but make a reservation next time. Is it worth the wait? Maybe. You’ll have to see for yourself.
Nick StulgaNick Stulga
00
Nearby Attractions Of Fort Jesse Cafe
Sherman's
The Home Depot
Kroger
High Haven Dispensary - Normal
Goodwill Bloomington-Normal IL - Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries
The Olive Bin
Office Depot
Spice Venue

Sherman's
4.7
(902)Click for details

The Home Depot
4.2
(490)Click for details

Kroger
4.1
(280)Click for details

High Haven Dispensary - Normal
4.9
(216)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Fort Jesse Cafe
Portillo's Normal
Alexander's Steakhouse
Los Potrillos
The Original Pancake House
Jack's Restaurant
Super Gyros
Blaze Pizza
Chick-fil-A
CoreLife Eatery
Kochi

Portillo's Normal
4.3
(2K)Click for details

Alexander's Steakhouse
4.3
(372)$$$
Click for details

Los Potrillos
4.5
(634)Click for details

The Original Pancake House
4.5
(637)Click for details
Basic Info
Address
1531 Fort Jesse Rd #1, Normal, IL 61761, United States
Map
Phone
+1 309-451-5656
Call
Website
ftjessecafe.com
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.8
(823 reviews)
Ratings & Description
Description
Cheerful cafe serving hearty, diner-style breakfast, burgers & salads in bright, welcoming digs.
attractions: Sherman's, The Home Depot, Kroger, High Haven Dispensary - Normal, Goodwill Bloomington-Normal IL - Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries, The Olive Bin, Office Depot, Spice Venue, restaurants: Portillo's Normal, Alexander's Steakhouse, Los Potrillos, The Original Pancake House, Jack's Restaurant, Super Gyros, Blaze Pizza, Chick-fil-A, CoreLife Eatery, Kochi

- Please manually select your location for better experience