Coffee Cup

FRENCH TOAST.
Sorry, I couldn’t start my review without immediately shouting out their best offering.
There you go, page skimmers! You don’t need to read any further!
How could I not have reviewed Coffee Cup sooner than this when I am there on a weekly basis?! Fail.
You know you have an addiction when you’re on a first name basis with not only your regular waitress but also the owners. lol
Coffee Cup, like others have said, is a great neighborhood breakfast joint serving up endless coffee and giant portions that would make even Thor cry mercy. Definitely a place where the regulars flock and the old men are there at the crack of dawn for their daily coffee and old man neighborhood gossip. The place gets busy and is seat yourself but it’s worth it. On that note, it’s cash only so bring a wad. (Though you won’t need the whole wad because it’s pretty affordable!)
Back to the FRENCH TOAST. It’s seriously the best french toast I have ever had in my life. It’s fluffy and sweet with cinnamon and powdered sugar with a heaping scoop of whipped butter. It doesn’t get any better. Seriously. EVERY other place we go (yes, we cheat on them sometimes, I’ll explain later.) and try the french toast it is extremely disappointing in comparison. Get it.
My go-​to order is pretty simple: 2 eggs over easy with a side of hash brown w/​fried onions. You’ll get like 3 – 4 eggs and about a pound of hash browns. Mix those heavenly onions up into your hash browns and then carefully slide those eggs on top and then poke ‘em so the silky yolk saturates the potatoes. It’s amazing.
Sometimes I will also get one pancake with a side of sausage links and make my own little pigs in a blanket. A giant blanket. I mean that pancake is bigger than my head and it is deeeelicious.
My other half NEVER strays from the French Toast. EVER. Never ever.
OH! And when it’s watermelon season and you order a side of fruit, you get a hunk of watermelon with a knife stabbed into it and it’s the best thing ever. Seriously. yeah you have to cut it yourself but that’s half the fun!
Okay, here is my explanation on why we cheat on them sometimes…
Jimmy and Tommy (and Julie!) if you’re reading this, I am sorry! It’s constructive criticism; Please still give us extra bacon and eggs when you see us. :)
Coffee Cup doesn’t have the following: Shredded cheddar (only slices of american cheese), hollandaise for benedicts (or benedicts for that matter), and they are also missing biscuits and gravy. These things are crucial to my rotating breakfast experience. I used to get their omelettes which are pretty good and big but I was ALWAYS thrown off by them just slapping a slice of american cheese on top and inside and calling it a day. For how much of a home-​cooked type of place this is I wish they had some real cheddar. I don’t want processed slices in my omelette. :(So yes, every now and then we go somewhere else if I am craving a cajun breakfast smothered in hollandaise or some biscuits and gravy but 90% of the time Coffee Cup is our place.
On one last note I did get lunch there on a rare occasion and had the patty melt. It was pretty damn good; the fries were big steak fries but lacked flavor so get some salt and some ranch and give those babies a bath or something.
In conclusion, Coffee Cup will always be our «Cheers» and I highly recommend you make the time to stop in and say Hi. Tell Julie that Nichole and Daniel* sent you. :)
*Daniel doesn’t condone anything I say in this review on his behalf and his opinions are his own. He will only agree with his undying love for the French Toast, The Coffee Cup in general, and the graciousness that is Julie, Jimmy, and Tommy.

I used to live less than a block from this place. It’s a cozy diner. Superb breakfast. If you leave this place hungry, it’s your own fault. The prices are more than fair for what you get. Honestly, it’s just good diner food and a generous amount of it at that. Everything from the bacon to the pancakes to the hashbrowns are what you’d expect from a place like this. I’d consider this my hometown diner and, whilst I cannot simply cross the street to get here anymore, I can drive and not worry about parking as it is ample.

They only take cash or check only. It’s very old school vibe that I like soo much! I came in to order to go, everyone of the employees is so nice. They all give you a warm smile, and it has a wonderful atmosphere. All of the food was just as great! So much better than other dinners I’ve been too.

This place is definitely a place for regulars. It’s small and loud. I would not come here if I was looking for a quite place for breakfast/​brunch. It was very busy but the staff was good at refilling our coffee cup and out water and was very attentive. The meals were huge so go there hungry or split a meal otherwise you will be bringing home lots of leftovers. Overall a good place to check out if you are on rice street.

This is my absolute favorite diner. Nothing fancy, but they have all the standards, and they are always great. The omelets are perfect, the hashbrowns are plentiful, the coffee’s good, and the waitresses know their shit. I highly recommend the giant pancakes. I don’t think I’ve ever finished an entire meal (plan on having leftovers!), but a full meal is usually under $ 10. Heads up that they only take cash and checks, no credit cards (they do have an ATM). And they do take-​out, for when you’re too hungover to deal with people.
When you want diner food, this is exactly the place you want to be.

Massive omlettes! Great hashbrowns! Great service every time I have been here. It is the hidden gem of breakfast restaurants in all of Minnesota!

Classic breakfast at its absolute best. I’m a big boy, and I love big portions, but most of the time big portions are just a lot of mediocre crap. Not here.
3 eggs (yeah, three) over easy and perfect with a runny yolk. I’ve never seen a pile of hash browns this big. I was expecting a starchy mess, but it wasn’t. Gloriously browned and well seasoned. Bacon. I counted 7 slices in my plate. Seven. And these weren’t small sad looking slices. They were big, thick, crispy, and so damn flavorful. For me the star of the show was the pancakes. I know I’m gonna get a lot of flack for this, but as I was eating them I couldn’t help saying that they were the best pancakes I’ve ever had. I couldn’t explain why. The flavor and texture was perfect. Who knows, but they were so damn good.
This place isn’t much to look at and its in a rather run down part of town. For what you get on your plate, the prices are excellent. I would plan on skipping lunch and having a light dinner that day. In fact, we took home food and I never do that, but these hash browns were killer the next morning.

We saw a silly ad on Facebook that this place was one of the top ten diners in Minnesota. In short, that is as silly as Facebook. Waitress was grumpy. They had Fox News blaring. I asked that they change the channel and was told, with certainty, no. They did turn it down which made it possible to think and enjoy my surroundings. It is a nice little dive appropriately enjoyed by the fine local people in north St. Paul. My wife’s patty melt wasn’t horrible. I order chicken noodle soup and a Rubin. The soup tasted ok (I guess if you put enough salt into anything it’ll taste ok). The noodles were gross. They had been sitting in the soup for so long, they had become soggy. I couldn’t eat the Rubin. I was raised to clean my plate. No matter what. I usually do that. It says a lot that I left half of the Rubin uneaten. I’m sure this is a fine place to hang out if you live on Rice Street in North St. Paul. Other than that, I see no reason to go here. We won’t be back.

If your not hungry get out! Just forget about this place because here you won’t leave hungry! I can eat a large pizza by myself however: this quaint dinning facility has really messed with my manhood. I can only eat ½ of their everything omelette, huge chunks of meat they are not shy about making you feel like a king! I’m getting full just writing about it. Reasonably priced as well.

I used to go to coffee cup years ago. I went there today and it was still as good as before. Steak and eggs were wonderful. Big portions, low prices.

Great little family owned restaurant! Went here on a spur of the moment craving some breakfast food. We got seated right away and were greeted by a friendly server named Leah. The place was packed and I now know why! I ordered just the sausage and cheese omelet and it was HUGE! Came with an English muffin, I also ordered one pancake and thankfully only one because it was enough for like three people! Food came out promptly and was nice and hot. Portions were huge, next time I come back (which I will be!) I will be splitting the meal. Never once had to ask for refills or anything that we might need because our server was great, which is appreciated especially on a busy morning. Definitely recommend it!

So it’s a early Saturday morning and my friends and I needed a place to eat from a fun night out. Got there at 5 am and this sweet old lady (wish I had gotten her name) greeted us and sat us down. Got us our water, did the whole service routine. With our first time being there, I asked her what’s the signature dish. She said I would not be disappointed in the Ranch Breakfast. So 4 of us 6 went with the Ranch Breakfast. The order came super quick. I’m a big story teller and they got that dish out before midway through my story. PORTION WAS HUGE!!! If I can’t make it to Uptowners on Grand and Lexington, I’m hitting this spot!!! Meal was super good!!! My party of 6 enjoy our meal.
I wish we got our servers name. She’s an old lady, skinny, with a sweet little voice like a movie screen grandma. She was super friendly and took great care of us. A party of 6 drunks and she held high standards. Joked with us, checked in on us, refilled our water, the whole sha bang.
The only knock off I had would be that they don’t accept any card payments. But food and service were beyond great.

For a little whole in the wall diner this place is worth trying. I came here one early Sunday morning with my fiancé, mom and niece for breakfast. The portions are big enough for two people in my opinion. They don’t skimp on the bacon or the hash browns. No measly 2 or 3 pieces of bacon here try like six pieces! I personally don’t eat meat but hey that’s still excites me. The waitress we had was sweet and very attentive. If you like big pancakes, lots of bacons and mounds of hash browns this place is for you.

Breakfast is the meal to have here and be sure to come hungry! The portions are enough to feed the biggest appetite. I have never finished the giant pile of hash browns that came with my omelet yet. For lunch in the winter on Fridays they have a chicken dumpling soup that is just incredible. Its worth a drive sliding through the snow just for that.
the staff is wonderful and they are running all the time making things perfect for everyone.
Everyone is dressed casual so come as you are. You will like eating here

Fantastic food at a great price, the servings are huge and I guarantee will fill you up. The pancakes are ginormous and the omelets are as well.

Our «go to dive» when we roll out of bed & don’t feel like getting dressed up for breakfast.
Not the best coffee but I appreciate the nice staff, prompt refills & service. I prefer to support Mom & Pop’s over chains.
Hubby & I usually share the Gyro Omelet & French Toast w/​the kids. Huge portions, always leftovers.
Be hungry or beware of pancakes the size of a medium pizza lol

Coffee Cup was a great example of a diner done right.
After a cheery greeting, we sat at the counter because it was fairly open (and we’d be nearer the coffee).
I was in the mood for a big american breakfast. The ranch breakfast seemed to fit the bill. My wife and I both ordered it. I got a side of jalapeños and onions.
Everything seemed bigger than I expected. Even the eggs appeared to be large. I had 5 or 6 strips of bacon.
The side of peppers and onions filled a 6″ plate. Nice fresh peppers with plenty of zing sauted with a white onion.
The hash browns were well prepared and delivered in mind boggling proportions.
Our server was great and we never lacked for coffee.
I tapped out long before the hash browns ended, a full and happy customer.

This is my place for breakfast. Fair prices and LARGE portions means that you will leave with a fat wallet, fat stomach, and leftovers. Unless you have a bottomless pit for a stomach you will always bring out leftovers.
The interior is modest and reminiscent of a small town place but once again if the food is great and the place is clean I really don’t mind. It makes me feel like back home anyways!
The wait staff are amazing and go out of their way every time to make sure you have a full cup of coffee and that your food is what you were expecting.
If you are on Rice street and really craving some decent breakfast food skip the Perkins and go here instead!

My husband has been wanting to try this place forever. Anyone who knows me well, knows I LOVE breakfast. I don’t know why I didn’t try this place sooner.
Loved the:
Steak Fries– these are getting harder to find these days.
Chicken and Dumpling Soup– pretty darn good. Haven’t had dumplings in a long time.
Ranch Breakfast– a huge amount of everything! Hashbrowns, bacon which was a welcome surprise, toast and eggs.
For the price you can’t go wrong.
Will defintely be back for one heck of a hearty breakfast.

In business since 1952, The Coffee Cup is a Rice St neighborhood icon. You can tell that its a special place when you arrive. It’s very busy and staff have ongoing banter with regular customers. Since it was my first visit, I ordered the highly-​recommended Gyro Omelette. It was HUGE (3 eggs) and came with a generous portion of hash browns and toast.
While the restaurant is special, I didn’t find anything special about my breakfast. The omelette was good. Thin egg, stuffed with a hearty later of gyro meat. However, the toast was limp, the hashbrowns were unseasoned, the coffee was watery.
I ate the whole omelette, but barely touched the rest. However, this review is based on a single visit. The menu has a lot of interesting offerings — such as fried chicken– that could be worthy of high ratings. If I was a neighborhood local, I’d definitely explore the menu in more detail. However, as someone who made the journey for breakfast, It’ll probably explore a handful of other notable twin city diners before returning.