Balsam Lake Cafe

Jennifer Wilson

2024-04

Absolutely delicious breakfast! We placed a large order for take out and they prepared it quickly and accurately. I tried the Meat Lovers Omelette and Eggs Benedict, they were both absolutely delicious. Perhaps the best omelette I have ever had! The breakfast potatoes were top notch as well. Great food and friendly service!Kid-friendliness: Board games and kid’s menus.

Radi Johnson

2023-07

Taking a needed break...I finally got out to enjoy breakfast at a local place! Love the atmosphere with the outdoor patio area that is dog friendly and also live music at 11a! Street side has a portable fire pit which looks like it would be fun to sit n have a drink by it!Tried the Cinnamon french toast special which has a custardy texture to it for appetizer. Followed by corned beef hash (w/o toast) and traditional eggs benedict (w/o english muffin).All of it was delicious! You can't go wrong eating here!Shout out to Hannah (our server) and all the crew - very friendly service and food arrived hot n fresh!Lake life!

Lori Broman

2021-05

Absolutely delicious! The carmel roll was decadent, best homemade corned beef hash ever! The pancakes, biscuits, country fried steak, we were all raving. And such a friendly cozy atmosphere. We'll be back!!

John Parks

2023-05

Wow, here I am in a small town called Balsam Lake in rural Wisconsin writing a review for a great small cafe. Go ahead, be surprised, I’ll wait…...! Well, you might find yourself here at some point, and you just might be looking for a place to have breakfast or lunch. Balsam Lake Cafe, without a doubt, has the best breakfast in town; period! They have the best Biscuits and Gravy that I have come across since I left my mothers kitchen. I think their secret is that they take their time and make all of their fare from scratch. I have to tell you, as good as the breakfast is, their cook knows how to make a hamburger (and don’t forget gravy and biscuits). I love Jalapeño peppers and this cook uses Jalapeño infused bacon that makes the simple act of eating a hamburger a epicurean event. I have been eating at this cafe when I am in town for about 6 years, but since the new owners (Angie and her family)have taken over they have really redefined their A-game. I don’t know their hours—that is probably on the review page—but I do know that reviews can’t tell the whole story; so please, don’t take my word for it, go and order food and decide for yourself. Odds are you’ll be glad you did. (Couple of pictures for reference)

Jon Heggen

2022-05

A nice find as we bike across the country. Such a pleasant place to stop, refresh and replenish. The food was delicious and the portions large to fuel our ride. I love the atmosphere.

JAB

2021-05

Balsam Lake Cafe is a clean, cozy, family run restaurant. The chai latte was very good and the french toast made out of cinnamon fritter bread was heavy and pudding cake-like with syrup soaked in. The cinnamon rolls were a bit dry. A hard-working son in the kitchen exercised patience with his mom's chastisement, this is a family business.

Tim Stinson

2023-12

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Smith Bridget

2023-08

This was the best breakfast food my husband and I have had at a restaurant in a very long time! My husband had the country fried steak and it was delicious! It seemed to be made from scratch. I the veggie omelette which was also delicious! Very fresh ingredients! Oh and the hash browns were fresh grated potatoes and they were nice and crispy but not burnt. We will definitely be back!

sarie transue

2023-05

Food was very good! It's a very small space and the servers were nice but too busy. Granted it is memorial weekend. I would go back!

Mark Snider

2023-09

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Jen Matthiesen

2023-05

We were greeted very rudely. My pancakes were over cooked and tasted burnt so I couldn't even taste the blueberries. Probably would not return or even recommend to my customers.

Nicolas Blomstrand

2023-12

We are regulars here. The food is always fantastic and the staff are incredibly friendly. Highly recommend to everyone. And the take and bake food is also fantastic.Parking: Park in front of building on street, behind building in small gravel lot, and next lot over is a paved city parking space.Wheelchair accessibility: No stairs, wheelchair accessible.

Mary Ernst

2023-09

My disabled daughter and I drove northeast 1 1/2 hours to meet my other daughter, her husband, and my two grandchildren. They drove 1 1/2 hours southwest. We met last winter at this little restaurant to celebrate a late Christmas and were very happy with the food and friendly service. However, this time was not so great. We arrived at 9am and planned to take the same small area where we had all met last winter. The rest of the group had not yet arrived. I was totally shocked by the rudeness of one of the waitresses. Very loudly and in front of other customers, she told us we could not be seated because they don't seat people until the whole group is there and to go wait outside. Now, if this was some rule we had never heard of, she could have politely addressed the situation rather than embarrass us in front of everyone. The rest of the group arrived and we were seated. By 9:30 we had our order in but soon realized they were way behind with cooking. It took until 11:00 for some of our orders to trickle out. We did notice that people who had placed orders after ours were served first because they threatened to leave. As guests ate and left, Miss Hospitality was not the short-tempered person we had encountered earlier. Despite this, we all felt she needed some education in customer service because "warm and fuzzy" did not describe her. The other staff were friendly. The food was pretty good. All it took was one rude person to throw a wrench into what should have been a pleasant day for me to celebrate my grandchildren's birthdays. We will never go back to this restaurant.

Cassie Thomson

2024-01

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Angela Naser

2022-05

Hands down the best biscuits I’ve ever had! I’ll be dreaming of them. The Balsam Benedict was a fun twist on a classic. All the food was incredible. Perfect portions. We’re already thinking of reasons to go back.

D S.

2023-08

I came here on a break from a job site, walked in, and got seated at the nice little diner countertop. I didn’t expect the four seasons, I was looking for a good breakfast in a small town, and that’s what I got. Great quiet atmosphere, simple, waiter and cook were friendly and didn’t ask a ton of questions, good eggs and pancakes. That’s all we really need in a wild world that we live in today. Good people, real food, and a minute to slow down. That’s my two cents.

All McC

2023-06

Coffee is great, food is great, staff are friendly and welcoming. Better yet, you know the food is being made with thought and love. The cafe is an excellent choice for a morning brunch, especially when they have their mimosa flights! Highly recommend to anyone!

Kristen Murphy

2022-05

The Balsam Lake Cafe has some of the BEST food in town. I also love their iced coffee! You can't go wrong with their eggs benedict or a mimosa flight.

Jack Menth

2023-05

I highly recommend going here, the people that work here provide great service. They were so enthusiastic to be around. Their food is sweet, savory, and fresh. The cost of the food made sense if you compare it to the quality of the food/restaurant. The Balsam Hash is the bomb. And don’t forget to get their Special with their homemade cranberry sauce. We were debating if we should go to McDonald’s, later we found out that would be the worst mistake in our life.

Mike Peterson

2023-06

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Amber Leigh

2023-05

I’m a vegetarian. I had the veggie omelette with home fries it was delicious.

Susan Peterson

2023-05

The corned beef hash, eggs and rye toast was phenomenal. Even leftover the next day was pretty darn tasty.Their Swedish meatballs are yummy, too!

Rosalie Wolff

2023-05

I might be a little biased since this place holds so much history for my family, but it is truly my favorite cafe. Everyone who works there is so friendly and the owner is an absolute sweetheart. My husband and I have had pretty much every single thing on the menu now and it is all delicious! Their gouda mac and cheese from the take and bake section is the best mac I have ever had. The swedish meatballs and tater tot hot dish are also must haves. My hubby's favorites are any of the benedicts, the burrito, and the reuben!

Angela Anderson

2024-02

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Rochelle Johnson

2022-05

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Gary

2022-05

Had breakfast there on a Saturday morning. This is a really great local cafe. The staff were really awesome. Very nice, welcoming. Food was excellent. The French toast was great, I think the bread was homemade, not 100% sure. My friend had eggs and hashbrowns. Was really good. Breakfast for two was about $22.00. Highly recommend!

McKenna Booth

2023-05

We love our breakfasts here! The food is always delicious and perfectly portioned. Plus they have a variety of games to enjoy at your table!

Megan Langer

2020-05

We've eaten here 4 or 5 times recently. I love their lunch specials, the last one we had came with tator tots which were fantastic. The lunch specials tend to be my favorite, large portions and great prices. Also try the BLT and the biscuits and gravy. We will be back soon. Enjoy!

Johanna Alling

2023-05

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brian laney

2022-05

I’ve had breakfast here 4 times and the food is excellent. And not small town greasy breakfast (which I’m good with) but high quality ingredients. Great service and good people. A must visit on a weekend to trip to the area.