We needed to pick up some flour for our business from Swany White Flour, located right here in Freeport, MN--known for having the best bread flour in the area. Since my wife is five months pregnant and constantly hungry, we decided to stop by Charlie's Cafe, also in Freeport. As soon as we arrived, we were quickly seated in a booth and placed our orders. I went for the three-meat omelette, which included three eggs, hashbrowns, and toast. My wife opted for a Denver omelette, skipping the mushrooms, along with a side of French toast. It was your classic diner breakfast--thankfully, we didn't find any hair, nails, or Band-Aids in our food! The hashbrowns were a standout for me; they tasted freshly made rather than frozen. We also got regular coffee, which was just okay. The service was satisfactory--our server was around but not particularly engaging, which was alright. I can definitely see us stopping by again for lunch after this delicious breakfast! read more

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Yummy food!! We had the walleye and it did not disappoint!! Servers were friendly and helpful!!

Food amazing, the breakfast was so delicious you won't believe it. The hot chocolate great.it was pretty calming inside seeing how the place was shown. Service was the best in a while at a cafe. read more

Wonderfully prepared high quality made from scratch homemade food. This is one of the best restaurants we have been to. We return to Charlie's frequently, on of the few restaurants we go back to, most others are not worth the disappointment of returning to. Excellent daily specials that are reasonably priced read more

Local small town cafe. Cute decor and kitschy. Really cute sitdown with you kids, family or team environment. They serve authentic German food for discerniing gourmand. Schnitzel, smoked pork chops or even just darn good chili are all worth the effort it takes to skip cooking. They get incredibly busy on the weekends. Fortunately, it's because the staff and new owners are quite amazing and responsive to their patrons. I am posting this because I was blessed by other patrons and it's nice to pay it forward so these business owners can take pride in also building their community. This is a perfect spot for a bit of Norman Rockwells America, if you like to indulge in wholesome across the board. read more

I'm a fan of classic diners and this one fits the bill. Good foos. Decent prices, considering the economy. I would give it $$ for cost. Excellent coffee with carafe at table. We had biscuits and gravy and a roast beef commercial. Very good sausage gravy. The commercial was, essentially, a roast beef sammy on wheat smothered in brown gravy. Pile some of the beef on top for a truly excellent meal. Friendly and attentive waitstaff. I would recommend stopping in to enjoy a nice, comfy meal. read more

It just doesn't get any better! Best breakfast around. And don't eve. Get me started on the pies!

This seat yourself typical "greasy spoon" restaurant was a decent place to grab breakfast on a Sunday morning. We had a large group and we're able to grab tables for everyone. The caramel roll was the best thing I ordered. The hashbrowns were cooked to perfection, but the scrambled eggs were the fake/eggs from a bag. One person in our group ordered chicken strips and fries and didn't get their food until after everyone ate. Lots of parking available, no handicap parking. read more

The special continental roast beef sandwich is Terrific! Don't pass on this comfort meal. We stop frequently traveling on 94. I know others make this a must stop for lunch or dinner. read more

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Ordered burger baskets. I had sweet potato fries with my mushroom and Swiss. Hubby had crinkle fries with deluxe burger. His fries were ok but he had a side of hot gravy which made them much better. Burgers were ok. Nothing to write home about. Busy place with people buying homemade cinnamon rolls and pie. read more

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Excellent caramel rolls and friendly staff! We always stop here on our way through the area.

Charlie's Cafe is the perfect spot to stop in for lunch or breakfast. I was passing thru town on my way to grand forks and was elated to find Charlie's Cafe right off of I-94 W. I had the Cabin Burger with onion rings, absolutely delicious. If I lived in Freeport, I would be a regular diner and try many more options on the menu. We also ordered the chicken cheddar and broccoli soup, it was creamy and the bowl was the perfect amount for lunch. The service was great, the waitstaff was friendly and frequently checked on the table. The atmosphere is great. The bathrooms were clean as well. I will definitely come back next time I pass thru. read more

Stopped by while driving through & we were thrilled to find this little gem. We all ordered breakfast & we were all thrilled with our choices. I had the breakfast skillet which was perfectly sized & perfectly cooked. If you're in this area I'd definitely recommend it. I wish we had time to taste all the sweets they had available- each one of them looked incredible. read more

Great halfway stopping point point between the cities and Ottertail Lake. Food like mama used to make. So much to choose from. Never a bad meal. I always make sure to get a slice of pie. read more

We loved Charlie's! It was a welcome relief from all the Subways and Mcdonalds off the highway. The staff was very nice, and as we came in at 3pm in the middle of the week the place was nearly empty. You seat yourselves here and menus are on the table, along with (unexpectedly) a gluten-free menu. We were promptly given water. We ordered the 21 shrimp basket (which came with a lot more than 21 pieces of shrimp, fries, and toast), french toast (3 slices of french toast and 2 eggs), a grilled chicken sandwich, and a kid's mini corndog basket. The shrimp and fries were crispy and hot, french toast was thick and not too greasy, eggs were perfect, and the sandwich and mini-corndogs were great too. Bathrooms were clean, portions were good, and prices were reasonable. We will definitely stop in again the next time we're on a road trip on 94. The town looked really cute as well. read more

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Saw the sign on the freeway thought we would give it a try. What a treat!! Incredibly fast, friendly service. Impeccably clean. It was a treat to watch the staff-they all hustled ! Refreshing in today's world. Down home cooking. We will be a stopping again when passing through. read more

Stopped there two times in 24 hours on a trip from the cities to Fargo. Cute little cafe with friendly staff, good food, prices, and service. Will be a regular stop for us when we make that trip! read more

I was charged GT (gratuity tip) on my bill at not 10%, not 20% but 25%. I thought that was a lot for a small town cafe.

I'll start with the staff were very friendly, courteous and helpful. Felt very homey. I saw the reviews and decided to stop by since they were pretty good and favorable. This place was packed which also gave me hopes it would be pretty good. Unfortunately this wasn't the case. I love small town diners and cafes but this one fell short. Everywhere I go I have to try the soups and chili lol. They had both my favs which are chili and chicken wild rice. The chicken wild rice should be called wild rice with maybe some chicken in your cup. The rice also didn't look or taste like the wild rice usually in this type of soup. Not to be mean but the one piece I found was very small. The soup also tasted like cans of cream of chicken. There wasn't any flavor or fresh ingredients that I could find. The chili reminded me of cafeteria taco meat and had very few beans, no flavor other than the pool of oil it's swimming in. Not good at all. Told the waitress the truth as she asked if anything was wrong. She apologized but that was it. The omelette I also had high hopes for. But even that fell flat. The meat inside the meat omelette was cold and uneven. The ham also tasted old and as if it was slightly spoiled. I hope this isn't the norm as it seems many many many people enjoy it. Maybe another day that isn't so busy would be better. Love the ambiance and home town hospitality though. Not all bad but the food wouldn't bring me back unfortunately. read more

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I have been going since a kid when they had a giant container of suckers to pick out. When they changed owners, I guess that disappeared. Regardless, I love every single thing I order. But the Caramel Rolls beat everything else read more

Great atmosphere, good food. Best dish was the wild rice soup. Other food was good, but the soup was out of this world.

The story goes that this is where Garrison Keillor hung out listening to the conversations that led to his best-selling book "Lake Wobegon Days." Regardless of whether you're a Keillor fan or not, this very typical small-town diner/cafe is what you'd expect. It's almost like it's frozen in time. You'll find tables spaced closely together, fresh, hot cafe-style food in good portions, and delicious desserts. I can't believe that someone wrote to avoid the pie. The pies I've tasted have been excellent, as have the caramel rolls, the breakfasts, and the sandwiches. If you love German food, you have to go on Wednesday night for all your German favorites. Don't expect Charlie's to be a romantic spot to eat. Like I said, it's close-quarters, where you'll be able to hear the conversation at the next table. But you won't go home hungry. Everyone has to try Charlie's at some point. read more

Recently, we were on our way from the Twin Cities area towards NW Minnesota when my mom and I were looking for a place to get a late morning breakfast. We had gotten off at the exit for Freeport as my mom was also looking for any signs for the area known as Lake Wobegone (which we had seen along the way up on 94). As we were heading into town, we found Charlie' Café and decided to stop in. We were seated quickly and I scanned the menu. I found what I was looking for in one of their skillets (with 3 kinds of meat in it) and my mom settled on a simple egg and sausage kind of breakfast. The food which was served a short time later, was great. My skillet had just the right amount of meats, mushrooms, onion, potatoes, and peppers (and cheese too) and was very tasty. Prices were not bad either. I'll gladly stop at this place again when passing through. read more

Decent, wouldn't go out of the way to go to again. Service was ok, fries were warmish. Nice manager. Cheap eats. Every table is a booth. Didn't love my patty melt, but I ate the whole thing, so wasn't the worst i ever ate. My friend loved the all the food he ordered as you can see in the pic. But he loves everything. read more

Charlie's Cafe - All the food fit for a king - American Near Me - Freeport, Minnesota

Me and my fiancé just had a new baby, if you have kids you know how hard it is to cook good meals aswell as try to eat them with a newborn. We order pickup orders about once a week for something easy and good, super short wait time it's usually always 15mins or less. very good food and love the pickup orders read more

We stopped in on a Sunday morning while driving from Fargo to Minneapolis. We were surprised to find they had a Sunday buffet set up in their basement. Every item on the buffet was delicious ...fried shrimp,chicken, egg bake, cheesey hash browns, mashed potatoes, cole slaw, salad bar and even desert !!! The sticky caramel buns were amazing...highly recommend this local cafe. read more

Great atmosphere and delicious food tucked away on small town Freeport. Always worth the drive for all day breakfast!

We had stopped by Charlie's on our way to Fargo. Our group got the Reuben, Southwest Salad, Bleu Cheese Burger, and the Roast Beef Commercial. All were enjoyed by our party. The Reuben I had was a little soggy, but that's the hard part about making one. Sadly after a good entree experience, we had to follow it up with some pie. Their strawberry rhubarb was okay, but the lemon meringue was way too gelatinous to be enjoyable. If you're on the road and looking for a place to grab some food, Charlie's is great - just avoid the pie. read more

Charlie's Cafe - The Reuben - American Near Me - Freeport, Minnesota

Really good fluffy pancakes. Yummy biscuits and gravy. The mashed potatoes and gravy were good too. Nice staff good prices.

This is one of the two restaurants located in this lovely little oasis in the vast wilderness of Minnesota of off I94. We were passing through on a Sunday afternoon and decided to try this place out for lunch. This place is no more that you your typical small town restaurant but it seems to be very popular with the locals. the service was very flighty for lack of a better term. Our waitress forgot Lara's soup and her milk and the manager forgot to bring me my Heinz 57 steak sauce. I really did not need that sauce because the steak was actually a tasty cut of meat. My steak may have even been a local resident of the surrounding area before I ingested it. I am thinking my eggs may have been local at one point too as they seemed very fresh. My only complaint with the food was with my coffee and I can't really hold this against them. I think the water just tastes awful everywhere in southern Minnesota outside of Minneapolis. read more

If you didn't have a calendar here, you'd never know what year it was. It reminded me of the cafe from In the Heat of the Night. It's just under 2 hours to Fargo. From now on I don't stop anywhere else on the way up or back. I enjoyed the breakfast skillet and a bite of caramel roll. But on the way back we stopped for pie. My choice was chocolate cream. At last, people in MN who know what it is. Not that french silk crap. A huge filled piece and the most tender traditional crust. Since I love German food I gotta get here some Wednesday evening just for that. A part of MN history. read more

I like this place! Small town feel, good food and great service. Very reasonable prices and lots of American family restaurant menu choices. Only con, probably can't bring a huge group because it's a small place. Ordered a BLT salad, a ham dinner, side of fries, two coffees and a pop all for $18- that's a sweet deal. If I get a chance to go back, I'm ordering some of their pies... looked just like how grandma made them. read more

Okay, So let me start by saying that this is a wholesome simple, affordable and sweet small town Cafe. But do not let that words small and simple make you think this place is basic.. because its anything but. Cafe Charlies, Charlies Cafe or even just "Charlie's" is an absolute icon of Central Minnesota! Its a landmark of the Tri county area, a shining point of pride for the people of Stearns County, a Minnesota emblem and a slice of The Greater Midwest, but mostly it is illustrative of The American character, a front piece for our shared American Experience. Every time you come into Charlies it feels like a place that is close like home yet so thrilling that it could seem as if it were your first time visiting. With a warm, friendly down to earth staff, Charlies shows that the family owned restaurant is far from dead. The management not only runs a smooth operation, with fast service and stunning food, they give you a reason to come back EVERY single time. Cafe Charlie's is cost effective and generous in portion, and timely in their service. with a lovely atmosphere that any small town diner would love to have. being at Charlies is such a good time for friends and family, lovers, loners, travelers, business partners and foodies alike. If the Olive Garden slogan is " When you're here you're family" what does that make Charlie's? I don't know. Find out for yourself and join the extended family Now lets talk about the real deal here. The food! Charlie's Cafe has all the menu items you would see at a small town Cafe, or a chain restaurant, (i.e. Applebees, Denny's, Chilli's, Perkins) or at a local bar, or a bakery, your grandmas kitchen and a 1950's retro dinner. This is the thing that I think will grab most people. That menu is more like a menu from a multi genre restaurant in the heart of New York City than it is a menu from your local Mom and Pop diner. The menu is organized, clean cut, fun, understandable, descriptive and yet not gaudy. Let me reiterate the Herculean depth of this menu. If you want a cheeseburger with buffalo wings at 6:03AM You got it! or maybe you are feeling a veal steak and green bean fries chased down with a strawberry milk shake, perhaps butter finger milkshake at 8:00PM after a long day, or maybe you and the family all feel like a veal steak with ice cream and buffalo wraps as sides, but your wife feels like tacos and a shrimp basket with coleslaw and sauerkraut.. Well Charlies as that and you won't even have to dig to find it. well either way Charlies will have it. Now as if the menu variety wasn't its one variety show, Charlie's also has their own German night where even more food is brought to the already all encompassing menu. On German night expect to be cultured in a worldly swirl of The Deutschland. Outside of that they have a massive selection of pies, cakes and baked goods, even for me a regularly I see things on that baked goods menu I have never seen before, There may never be enough time to try it all! Also on Sunday mornings, there is a breakfast-brunch-lunch buffet in the basement (yes there is a basement!) where a weekly rotating supply of dishes are offered. and somehow after all of these great indulgences, its at the door where Cafe Charlie's really gets us. When you go to pay, you are met with a genuine smile and feeling of acceptance. As you exchange currency for your wonderous excursion at such a fine dinning establishment, you are given mints, either Andies or Patty mints your choice, you are typically called by your first name, this being because of the larger statistical numbers of returning customers. I degress, its the thing there, the thing at the register that gets you. Its the home made caramel rolls. Charlies Caramel rolls can only undermine any hyperbole. these rolls will convince even those without sweet tooth. These rolls can be purchased either chilled or warm, either at the table (pre, with or post meal) but I think they are best right before you leave, either warm or cold, because there is nothing better than capping off some Charlie's, with more Charlie's. I really can't say enough about this place, and that's because its impossible to say enough, words don't describe it, even the futility of thought is realized as one tries to comprehend how sublime this is establishment is. So try it for yourself, you won't regret it. P.S. if you find yourself to be thirsty afterward, please check out either Schiffler's Liquor in St. Anthony or the many Shady's Locations in the area. read more

It might not be the best food you've ever had, but you won't have bad food here ever. That was clear to me before I even ordered. I've eaten at A LOT of small, main street diners trying to maintain yesteryear, mainly by looking like they haven't been cleaned since yesteryear. Charlie's is spotless. That's an appreciated attention to detail absent in too many establishments. I had the quarter chicken Thursday evening special, dark meat, salad, and baked potato. My son had the country fried steak breakfast (served all day) with hash browns and two eggs. There was plenty o room for greasy, and it just wasn't there. The chicken was nothing special. My son's breakfast though was nearly perfect -- perfectly cooked sunny side eggs, perfectly crisper hash browns. The real highlight was the pie-- pecan for him; coconut creme for me. Let's just say this: I'll stop at Charlie's anytime just for the pie. The coconut creme was high, tall, and firm with a marvelously browned meringue. The pecan wad good too. Don't miss this Minnesota classic stop. read more

Charlie's Cafe - Coconut cream pie at Charlie's. - American Near Me - Freeport, Minnesota

Awesome and charming. Wednesday night is German night and we had the potato pancakes. This is my favorite place to go when traveling between Fargo and the cities. read more

Charlie's Cafe - Wednesday night potato pancakes. Awesome and a bargain. - American Near Me - Freeport, Minnesota

This place is a win! Must stop if your traveling on 94! Very small town, but the place was packed for a Thursday at lunch. Service was super fast and super nice!!! Food was excellent (country fried steak). I will def be coming back to get the Beef Commercial! Everyone around us was ordering it and talking about how amazing it is! Can't wait for the next visit! read more

Sometimes Freeport can just be a drive thorough town. It's just off the freeway between the Twin Cities and Alexandria. But time after time those big yellow signs just keep beckoning you in. Well, it is worth the stop. We swung in on a quite Thursday evening on the way to Fargo. I was hankering for some fried chicken and guess what the special was? That's right 1/4 chicken dinner for a measly $7.95. Both me and my wife ordered the special. It arrived quickly and was steaming hot. The chicken was deliciously crispy on the outside, while still nice and moist on the inside. I had the side of coleslaw which was just as good with a slightly sweet taste with little to no tang. Yummy! The fries (steak) were good, but nothing to brag about. Overall the service was homey and quaint. The food was delicious and prompt, and the cafe is just a perfect slice of small town america. Loved it! read more

Great Minnesota cafe. I like the extensive menu with all my favorites, including shrimp burgers and pizza burgers. Clean and friendly. They serve breakfast lunch supper and fresh baked pies. Freeport is a cute little town just of Hwy 94 read more

Just what you expect when you hear cafe! Busy busy place on a Saturday lunchtime but the food was good and so was the service!

Great home cooking style with fair prices - just off the interstate so fast in and out - GO! Great eats read more

Charlie's Cafe - Taylor tot hotdish - American Near Me - Freeport, Minnesota