Banana River Cafe — Restaurant in Satellite Beach

Banana River Cafe, 1301 S. Patrick Dr., Satellite Beach, FL 32937

5 Stars

I swore four years ago I would never go back, yet here I am like fish from yesterfang in the parking lot of a restaurant that at one time (under previous ownership) was my number one breakfast place in Brevard County. After it was sold, it was turned into a joint that wallowed in bad food and even worse service. As I said, that was four years ago. I have since deleted that review. Now, I can say that it is safe to return to the water, but I get ahead of myself.

What changed? The new owner/chef is a CIA graduate who did his externship at Michelin Star restaurant Gramercy Tavern in New York City. Emerson Krause turned down a position at the famed restaurant upon graduation to return home and bring Brevard a taste of things seldom sampled in this part of the Sunshine State. I can safely speak for all of my fellow Floridians on the Space Coast when I say, “Thank you, Emerson and welcome home!”

After being seated at a delightfully decorated table (I love the paint scheme on the chairs), we were approached by a charming lady named Nicole. Nicole was outstanding in every way a service professional should be. I asked Nicole for an order of the Bacon Sea Salt French Toast, one Texan Potato Stack and a San Antonio Biscuit Bennie.

Snapping a few quick pics of the warm environs, I sat back, soaked in the peaceable atmosphere and awaited Nicole’s return. The aromas were enticing to such a degree; it was all I could do to take some pictures before digging into the edible artwork before me.

First to saunter across my palate was a taste of the Bacon Sea Salt French Toast. One taste and I was deep in Hog Heaven. That bacon! While I love “meat candy” more than almost any other animal flesh, that is not what set this order of the tried and true breakfast staple of French Toast apart. It was the bread and execution. This bread was fresh, thick and griddled to a delightful golden brown. The outside had just the right amount of crunch, while the inside was airy, fresh and wonderfully warm. I could eat this every day and never tire of it.

Heaving a sad sigh of regret, I moved on to the next dish to be sampled, the Texan Potato Stack. Every Potato Stack is served with eggs over easy on herb roasted potatoes and topped with jack cheddar cheese sauce with your choice of toast or biscuit. The Texan came with added chorizo, onion, peppers, salsa, guacamole and sour cream. One bite and again, I was done. The flavors cascaded down my gullet like so many drops of gastronomical gratification.

The last to dance across my taste buds this morning was the San Antonio Biscuit Bennie. I won’t bore you with any more details; suffice it to say that this was on par with the rest of the meal. Everything was cooked to perfection and the flavor combinations were unparalleled in a breakfast biscuit (if this still qualifies as such).

The Big Boy says, “If it is breakfast or lunchtime, stop what you are doing and go...

Found this spot after doing a Google search for breakfast restaurants.. the menu and everything looked amazing online. .. As with everything else I've driven by this place I don't know how many times! A nice little diner in a plaza with a bagel shop and a few other stores. When we arrived they weren't very busy it took a few minutes for the server to get our drink orders to be honest the server was probably a friend of the family's or very new.. asking her for a recommendation she just drugged the special of the day was the lemon blueberry risotto pancakes after asking her about it she said that it they've been very popular and looked very good so we ordered that as well as the stuff French toast and a side of biscuits and gravy. For the drinks we had coffee sweet tea and water the coffee was very strong seem kind of old and it took our server some time to find cream as all they had on the tables was flavored. After about 15 minutes and asking two other servers for creamer milk our server brought over a cup of milk the coffee.. it seem to take some time for order to arrive but definitely worth the wait! The lemon risotto blueberry pancakes were amazing and the stuff French toast was out of this world.. The biscuits and gravy was good but had a bit of a mystery meat in it I want to say it was baloney but my companion disagrees.. the food was amazing the service was absolutely under par you would think a little family-owned restaurant the servers would be a little more engaging as in checking on the table refilling the drinks just overall customer service which this visit lacked. Would definitely be back but definitely recommend it...

My BFAM* Steve offered to take us to breakfast this morning at a place that "makes the best biscuits & gravy" that he'd "ever eaten at a restaurant."

There's no possible way one can pass up something after an introduction like THAT! So we loaded up the car and we moved to Beverly...Hills that is...

No wait, he took us to Banana River Cafe in Satellite Beach. And let me tell you, he wasn't lying. First of all, let me state that I agree 100%. No part of this was ever found in some prepackaged mix where they just added hot water. No. There is an abundance of sausage cooked into the gravy and to say that they spoon it liberally o er a fresh baked biscuit is an understatement of the highest order. Secondly, let me admit that I messed up and ordered the eggs (2) and the turkey sausage, which is freshly ground and mixed on site. Why did I mess up? Well it's because of just how much of the biscuits and gravy you get! The eggs were scrambled and were light and fluffy and incredibly tasty. The sausage was moist and subtly spiced, but unfortunately, I could not eat everything. I was stuffed to the gills!

Did I mention that I ordered a sweet tea to drink and the dude didn't even bat an eye? When I verified "wait, you guys have sweet iced tea?!?" He replied, "Absolutely." That on its own is nearly worthy of 5 stars. But combined with the excellent food quality, top of the line service, AND the real brewed sweet tea, this place cranks everything straight to 11. Unfortunately, I can only give 5 stars. Rest well knowing they earned them!

tl;dr: Banana River Cafe, the Spinal Tap of...