If you like extra crispy bacon and burnt pancakes this is the place. I ordered a blueberry pancake with a side of bacon and my husband ordered #4. We also ordered 2 hot drinks. The drinks luke warm. My husband's meal was good except the extra crispy bacon. I sent my pancake back and the second one was similar to the first. No apology given. read more

Slow to acknowledge our existence when we walked in. My granddaughter's bacon cheeseburger order, with instructions to hold everything else apparently meant hold the cheese as well. I had the $14.50 grass-fed all-beef burger (the menu promised "incredible flavor"). It was incredibly tasteless, possibly because it was incredibly overdone, as was the bacon cheeseless burger next to me. We ate our meals on a very sticky table -mentioned in other reviews. And by sticky: my granddaughter's stuffed toy had to be peeled off the table, leaving a little fur behind. No one asked us 'how is everything?' They learned that restraint from previous frank responses. And I am sympathetic to the suggestion of 'just send the food back.' Or 'just complain to the management.' But consider particular circumstances and time constraints - never mind the chance of resolution, given the apathy in the room. This will have to do as a complaint to management. Hope it improves their food and service. read more

Went to try this place with my family, staff didn't greet us when we walked in and it felt like we were bothering them. Both the burgers and the BLT had no flavor, the bacon was burnt to a crisp to a point where it was falling apart, and the fries were raw on the inside. The decor was cute but it was dirty, the garbage that was in plain view of everyone was full and spilling onto the ground. The tables were sticky like they haven't been wiped off in weeks. Not impressed, will not return. read more

Food and coffee was great, easy parking, lots of tables. Gluten free options available.

Super disappointed, I heard good things about this place but my burger tasted like straight up charcoal. It was burned beyond belief. And my girlfriend sandwich was also awful. Thank God they had free Wi-Fi for all the college kids sitting in there doing nothing. read more

The good: the food and coffee came fairly quickly. The food was tasty. We ordered an everything bagel with veggie cream cheese and the spinach and mushroom omelette and a hot chai and an iced chai. The less than good. For an $11 omelette with toast and fruit I really expect more than one small, dry slice of grapefruit. The omelette was small. The chai was adequate. The tables were all sticky. We moved several times trying to find a non-sticky table. Lacking in gluten free options. read more

Cute place, friendly staff. I had the chicken salad (so good!) and the kettle chips but everything on the menu looked good. Will visit again next time I'm in town. read more

Cute spot for breakfast! Great service and food is made to order. This meant it took a bit but it was worth the wait. Delicious coffee while waiting. My husband had the breakfast sandwich and said it was great. I had a bacon and cheese omelette which was very good. Only recommendation would be to crumble the bacon a little and add more cheese. The cheese was very cooked and probably really good but it was negligible in portion. The bacon was good but would have been easier to eat if broken up a little instead of being full strips in the omelette. read more

Food was good but forgot fruit to go with my mom omelet. Staff was polite but quiet. Over nice place to grab a bite to eat or a drink.

Lunch time. Waiting over 40 minutes for a BLT, bowl of soup and salad. Not sure when it will arrive. If you are on a lunch hour and need to get back to work, avoid this place. read more

I am shocked by the less-than-three star reviews. This spot has won my heart again and again and again. I dream about their breakfast options. I fantasize about their drinks. I rave about their pizza to anyone who will listen. I crave their paninis on a weekly basis. Additionally, their food is fresh, made from scratch, and locally sourced--like ALL food should be! If you want a more specific review, check out my review for Cottonwood Coffee. You can basically take the entire thing and apply it to this place. :) read more

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I love the breakfast and lunch here! The fact that they use local sources for their food is a huge plus. When your food doesn't have far to travel, freshness is increased and you can taste the difference. I usually eat here 3 or 4 times a week because they have such healthy selections that are seasoned so well. I've had a few of their dinner dishes... the grilled salmon on a bed of spinach is delicious! Oh you must try the Linguine Alfredo with tiger shrimp. I believe the linguine is made from scratch... so fresh and bursting with flavor. One of Brookings jewels in the local restaurant arena. A definite must if you're in Brookings! read more

Cottonwood Bistro - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Brookings, South Dakota

The food is decent, overpriced fare that an average bistro might offer. The coffee and other beverages are wonderful, but don't fully redeem the food experience. The service is friendly, but inept and slow at times. Management needs to step up and make the place run a little more efficiently. Get a coffee and forget the rest. read more

Food was very plain and potatoes half cooked. No condiments to add flavor. Thought I was waiting on something delicious, I don't mind waiting for food if it's worth it, the breakfast wasn't. Waited 45 minutes to be disappointed. Should've just went across the street to McDonald's read more

I was so happy to find Tea Source tea in Brookings! Not many restaurants, if any, ever offer good loose leaf tea. We went to Cottonwood Bistro for breakfast twice and loved the omelets, French toast and breakfast burrito! My family enjoyed the coffee and lattes as well. It was quite busy when we arrived on a Sunday morning so it took awhile to get our food, but we were not in a hurry. The staff are very friendly and offered refills on tea and coffee while we waited. This will be our breakfast place next time we visit, and we'll check it out for lunch too! read more

We've been there a few times when in Brookings and it's our "go to" breakfast place. No need to grab a Starbucks as they have great coffee also. Out last visit they were super short handed because a cook called in sick and was taking a long time. We all understand and instead of just giving us a small discount they gave us our entire meal free! Will definitely keep coming back! read more

Another place I'd really like to love, but nope... I think we seriously overwhelmed the two employees when our group of 7 came in for breakfast. The whole ordeal took over 1 and 1/2 hours. After we ordered, five of us were brought our beverages. One. At. A. Time. The other two finally had to ask for theirs when their food arrived. We had to ask for silverware. Then the people who had oatmeal had to ask for spoons. One person in our group ordered walnut pancakes, but was told - as other food was delivered - that they had "just" run out of walnuts. He made another selection, but he was not refunded the price difference. Two people who ordered eggs & toast got their food first. They were finished before the last person at our table was served. I ordered the French toast, and it was two very thin slices of bread with a few blueberries (on the menu, it said it had strawberries) for $7. My husband's burrito was bland, dry, and had most of the ingredients "on the side" rather than wrapped up in the tortilla. This is a wonderful concept - and very welcome among the bleak Brookings dining scene. The execution is lacking, and service is so slow. Only got the second star for quality coffee and having vegan options. Skip the food (unless you have several hours to wait for an OK meal), and just go for drinks. read more

This was going to be one star but the latte and the jam and the idea of the place kept me from being too harsh. Not sure what was going on today with the people running the place but it was a comedy of errors that kept us waiting for our food for over an hour. The place was not busy when we arrived and we ordered breakfast items thinking that frying an egg or two with toast shouldn't take too long. After about 30 minutes and after watching orders come out for people who had ordered after us we checked and they had no idea what happened to our order. They were apologetic and offered our money back after we made it clear we were in a hurry. We were offered a free latte for our trouble and assured our food would be right out. While waiting we got refills on our coffee and the guy doing the refills mixed up the cups and gave us back one of our own cups and the cup used by a guy sitting at a table next to us who also went up for a refill at the same time. We also saw other unsanitary moves such as bare hands used to grab ice cubes for drinks without washing hands. After more waiting and more orders coming out before ours we checked again and 30 additional minutes later we got our food. My friend's over easy eggs were cold and the breakfast burrito was just okay. The best thing about the meal was the toast and jam. I think the idea of this place is great but I would only come back for coffee. read more

Nice coffee shop in Brookings. The coffee is strong and I highly recommend the chai latte. The burgers are good however the crab cake sandwich was just ok. They look like they have a good breakfast offering as well. read more

wow! waited almost 40 mins for my breakfast, the other folks got served way before me, and I spent $17.00 for a tiny tiny (very tiny) omelette and toast, and RAW fried potatoes! when I said, these are Raw she said, "thats the way we make them" Um,,,, really? bring me some cooked potatoes that I can actually eat, I said. Super slow food service, small portions, with lackluster staff makes this place one to Avoid. read more

Always a good time here. Great for breakfast and lunch, or a quick cup of coffee when you need to study! The foods are all locally acquired (grass-fed beef) etc. read more

Great little place. It smells like home as you walk in. The folks there are super nice. The coffee strong and flavorful. The food prepared with care. And tastes wonderful! Hint* get the baked oatmeal! read more

Cottonwood Bistro - Baked oatmeal. So fargin good!!! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Brookings, South Dakota

Hands down, some of the best tasting coffee I ever had. Nice relaxing atmosphere and spacious enough to accommodate small groups. Jacob, the owner, is very friendly and goes out of his way to make sure your visit is great. Check this place out...you will love it. read more

Constructive criticism: there's no gluten-free options. My mom is very sensitive to gluten. When she went there she asked instead of toast could she get extra fruit instead, they gave her one extra orange slice read more

The food was amazing as well as the coffee and the service was excellent as an out of state visitor I would happily recomend to friends passing threw and would come back on trips myself! read more

This place is great despite what the others say. If you've ever been to a coffee shop you should know a cappuccino isn't sweet like the ones you get at a gas station. Awesome food and coffee is amazing. read more

My In-Laws really like Cottonwood Bistro and usually want to go there when in town. I am somewhat less of a fan. Perhaps it's because they live for mocha this and latte that. But I am not a coffee drinker so the appeal of someone pouring hot water over ground up beans does not draw me in, thus my review is more about their food and customer service. And for me both are hit or miss. Some menu items are overpriced while others seem more reasonable. They do a pretty good job with the basics but some of their more "creative" menu items seem to be a bit more of a struggle and don't always seem to turn out right. The same inconsistency could be said about their customer service. Sometimes they are fast and friendly, other times I feel like they are annoyed that I interrupted them with my patronage. Overall it has never been so bad that I would drop them down to 2 stars, but it has also never been so good that they deserve 4 or more. To me Cottonwood is just an average place that I go to every once in a long while for an average dining experience. read more

Good coffee and great grass fed beef burgers. Tried the bacon and blue burger. Delicious!

Cottonwood is my favorite place in town to get coffee and breakfast. The dishes are fairly priced and the atmosphere is nice and quiet in the mornings. They have a good offering of baked goods, breakfast and lunch plates, and coffee/espresso. The employees are always nice and attentive as well. The only complaint I can think of (and it's very minor) is that the homefries were a little bit undercooked for my taste. Their chocolate chip cookies are stellar. read more

Ate there twice for lunch. Both times I settled on grilled cheese, so I can't say I really explored the menu. My general impression was that it's decent but somewhat overpriced. My sandwich had the standard slabs of cheese (slightly undercooked on day 2) with a couple slices of tomato, a token pickle spear, and a smattering of potato chips. Nothing really to complain about, but not stellar in any way, either. I did appreciate the staff honesty; when I asked about a somewhat unusual soup combination (avocado and lemon), the assessment was blunt: "Kind of odd." read more

We waited an hour to receive two orders of French today and some bacon. When asked if they planned on making our meal anytime soon, the cashier replied that they had just gotten really busy. It's true that all of the tables were filled, but regardless, anyone with a middle school education and a griddle should be able to knock out some French toast and bacon in under 15 minutes. It's a Sunday morning. You should be prepared for a rush. read more

Horrible service! Two of us came in for lunch, my food came out right away but my daughter in law waited about 20 minutes and her order never came out. She then went to the counter to ask since no one came out to check on us. Her food had been sitting in the kitchen that whole time and they expected her to eat it. It was cold (was supposed to be a warm roast beef panini), so she asked for a fresh one. The waitress returned her sandwich back to the kitchen. After another 10 minutes the waitress came out and asked if we still wanted another sandwich!!!! We were thinking the new sandwich would be coming out soon!! They hadn't even started to make another one. (There were only 3 people in the restaurant including us!!) we finally asked for her money back. We will never go there again!! read more

I travel to Brookings on business several times a year. A local told us of Cottonwood Bistro claiming "it's one of those coffee shops where kids (college students) use the internet." We tried it out that day for lunch and loved it. I believe this is the more food-oriented sister of Cottonwood Coffee. Now every time I am in Brookings, I eat at Cottonwood Bistro just about every day (usually 4 or 5 times). The lunch menu is fantastic. Pizzas, burgers, paninis, soups, sandwiches, and more. This is not your typical junk prefab coffee shop fare, but prepared from scratch in the back kitchen as you order. Many ingredients are locally sourced, all are delicious. I won't even get into how many things I like, because I've yet to be disappointed. Sides are good too and they were willing to substitute a small green salad for chips many times (which I greatly appreciate). If you're a coffee drinker, the regular dark roast is great, and espresso drinks are good too. The croissants are good, especially the chocolate, almond, and raspberry cream cheese. I have only eaten dinner there once, but it was also very tasty. They bring a few items from the lunch menu and a few dinner-only things (grass-fed steaks, fish, pasta, polenta, and more). The only downside is that, on occasion, they are out of a few items. I guess this goes with the small town locally sourced menu. This ends up not being a big deal because the other selections are good too. read more

It was the worst service we've ever had in our life. When we came and put in our order, they lady at the front counter did not even say hello or smile. She said the food will be ready in 1/2 hour. Forty minutes later, we still didn't get our order, when we asked the employee, she got really offensive and did not apologize. It took one hour to get our food and they didn't even offer to refill our water. It was the worst and we are not coming back! read more

This place is a gem. Whenever we're in town, we eat here most days. The home made jam is just amazing.

Food was good-menu is limited. Service was ok. I had a cappuccino and the baked oatmeal. The oatmeal was great. My "cappuccino" was a latte, but the espresso shots were good. I hated (and learned along the way) that you have to ask for everything (water, ketchup, etc) at the counter when you order - or go back 100 times. It's a great idea and I'm happy to see a brunch spot in Brookings. I would prefer a more formal restaurant setup in terms of service. read more

Great sandwiches. Good variety and a fresh take on lunch. Prices are a little high, but the food was worth it.

I love Cottonwood Bistro. Their menu items are great. I love the hot Hanna banana for those days you want a grown up PB&J. Their Breakfast burrito are the best in Brookings. But the coffee here is AMAZING. There is definitely no complaints there!! Love the feeling of walking in and they already know what I want for my morning coffee. read more

You have to go here! Organic, local, healthy, flavorful food! Westcoast style!

Wonderful coffee! Really some of the best in town. The food is usually very good too. Sometimes the service is not the best, but it is still acceptable. Prices are above average, but not out of control. I go by this location daily and wish I could afford to be a regular. read more