Heartland Cafe Catering & Bakery

UPDATE — stopped for lunch and restaurant is closed with a sign saying new restaurant coming soon. VERY BUMMED. Look forward to seeing whats next.

Horrible experience Heartland Café restaurant. Seated at a wet table. I asked the waitress to dry the table and she brought another wet towel. Took a long time to get our drinks. After the drinks came we had to wait for plates. To top it off we had to locate someone to get us silverware. The buffet was expensive. Ran out of shrimp. The restaurant was not busy. There were plenty of unenthusiastic, slow staff. The table next to us also commented this would be their last time visiting the restaurant. Ditto. There are better places to spend my money and get quality service. Good luck staying open… the are going to need it.

This would have been a 2-​Star review if it was based on the food alone, but the atmosphere and the coffee brought it up to 3 stars. Cute location with a small town feel. The plain black coffee was very good as well. Omelets, hash browns and pancakes were nothing special. Would come back for breakfast again but wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

Quality nostalgic food here. Pancakes, pigs-​in-​a-​blanket, chicken fried steak and more. At our lunch table the classic BLT had crunchy wheat toast with thick bacon and large crispy waffle fries. The hot roast beef sandwich had a mound of freshly mashed potatoes. We cleaned our plates. The old brick building in downtown Elkhorn has simple inside dining and a nice outside eating area. Take the time to look toward the ceiling when you step inside. You will find a row of uneven bricks left standing after a fire that took off the second story, once a dance hall. There are good old-​fashioned cooks in this kitchen.

Saw this cute little place this morning while shopping with my sister. Went in to have brunch. Very cute, quaint little place, about half full.
No one greeted us. So we got menus and sat down. My sister went and used the restroom.
Still no greeting. No «hey, we’ll be with you in a minute». No «hi». No waters or any kind of acknowledgement.
About 10 minutes and a peek at the menu and we decided not to stay. Looked like decent enough food but we didn’t have the pleasure of trying it.

Went to Taco Thursday last night. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WOULD MAKE ME GO BACK. Service was SLOW, food was luke warm, should have sent it back, but waited so long, didn, t want to wait any longer.

The food and service was good but it was the same breakfast I could get at ihop/​village inn/denny’s for about 3 – 4 more dollars.
I think people like this place because they see familiar faces while breakfasting, which sometimes is worth the extra $ 1 or 2.

Never go back.
1. Breakfast prices were a bit high. I live in San Francisco and was expecting a basic breakfast to be less then SF… NOPE!
2. Wife ordered steak & Eggs. Eggs were OK but the steak was rancid. Smelled awful. When I informed the waiter he said he would check into it and then did nothing.
3. I wish I could write a better review in that I wish downtown Elkhorn a good future. So I think I am biased towards liking the place.

I love the atmosphere of this place. It’s a cozy little place with brick walls and a great staff. We were the first to arrive for the breakfast buffet on Saturday morning and greeted upon entering. I’m not a fan of buffets, but if I go, I make sure I’m one of the first to arrive so I don’t get a plate of food that has been hovered over by a hundred people. The potatoes were excellent… the biscuits were very heavy, not the light and flaky kind. The gravy was cold… it didn’t have enough time to heat up at the buffet table. BUT, it was such a relaxing place to spend the morning so I had to give it four stars. I would pay $ 7.99 again.

Have been here for the Saturday Jazz and decided to give them a try for their Sunday brunch. They did not disappoint! Many options, refilled often, and reasonably priced (13.99 adult, 7 for kids, drinks included). I would recommend the potatoes, bread pudding, and if you can stand a bit of a line, the omelet bar. Husband had the biscuits and gravy, said the gravy was a bit thinner than he would like. Good solid place, and gets bonus points for being locally owned and operated and for supporting live music.

I want to love the Heartland Café … I used to.
What changed?
It is still a quaint little spot in a great location but on my last few visits I have been disappointed. Not being a big biscuits and gravy fan, a while back I tried the $ 3.50 breakfast special (its now $ 4+ and less food) I LOVED their biscuits — back then, they were corn meal based … but now they are the same bland biscuits you find anywhere. The gravy is even different and less flavorful.
Now wiser and leery of the biscuits, on our last visit I stuck to the basics. However my eggs were overcooked and the bacon had a fake smoke flavor. *sigh*
The cinnamon rolls even changed — they used to be ooey-​gooey and to die for, but again on our last visit, our «to-​go» cinnamon roll was dry and didn’t even appear to be the same roll that we remembered from our previous visits (when we were lucky and early enough to even get one)
We may head back … but I fear a third strike and the Heartland Café may be out for us.

I was in Elkhorn early this morning to meet with another restaurant and discuss making them a LivingSocial destination. The meeting was early and I had to leave the house w/​o breakfast in order to make the 9 am appointment.
After my meeting I noticed a sign that said «Breakfast $ 4.39». I entered the Heartland Café on the side of the business that is also a florist. I walked past the buffet into a warm, and utterly charming café.
I ordered the #3 from the $ 4.39 menu, a breakfast burrito with their signature home fries.
Here’s what amazed me. The ingredients were fresh, the eggs portion generous and the tortilla crisp on the outside without loosing the lovely chewiness I crave. I could have been in Texas. Then the potatoes. Chunks of deep fried goodness tossed with sautéed green onions and peppers. The veggies were crisp and cooked through so someone in that kitchen knows the right temp and time needed to do this right. It’s served with a fresh tomato salsa that kicks it up a gentle notch.
Come in for the atmosphere and friendly service. Stay for the amazingly good food.