The theme here is books and menu items are titles. Driving around downtown looking for a homemade…read morebreakfast spot this was across the bridge. A nice neighborhood too. Luckily we beat the crowd and I was able to snag the last piece of quiche. Lots of groups gather here. I got a coffee that I think was local. There were 3 servers ours was younger and newer, Alyssa. I had to ask someone else for utensils before we got the food. We split some great hash browns. Basil got A farewell to sausages omelet and juice. We both enjoyed a local coffee. This was a great start to our trip out East to the Chicago burbs. I think it will be our stop from now on and should be yours as well.

Review Visit: November 14th, 2024…read more Maybe not THAT grand... The short trip to Eau Claire was coming to a close and I needed some food before I hit the road home. Around the corner from where Tim lives is a cafe he's been to a few times. We took the short stroll there to get some breakfast and coffee in us. We popped in after the major breakfast crowd and before the lunch crowd made the small cafe packed. We took a seat towards the front by the window so we could get some natural light to go with our meal. Our waitress was a hoot. She was professional but really chatty and we all quickly got on the topic of horror movies, spooky things, and the love for reading. I got the house coffee with a biscotti stick to go with it. Tim got a latte thing. The waitress forgot my biscotti but quickly brought it over when I asked her about it. As for our meal, I ordered just the french toast and Tim got a full course meal. I wanted to eat somewhat light as I had the long drive but... when I say I got french toast... it was the most basic two slices of french toast I've ever had. It ended up tasting decent but for $8.49, it just felt like it needed to some with a side of protein or eggs or something. Tim said his The Grand Gatsby and Bread Pudding was good, even if he doesn't care for Mango, which is what his Bread Pudding flavor was. The biscotti was really good, even better dipped in the coffee. The coffee itself was your typical drip coffee that you'd find across the country. Not great but not bad. It served it purpose. While it was a bit of a letdown that my last meal before heading home was less than stellar but the memories made at the cafe (and the whole trip) are one you can't put a rating on. With that in mind, if we visit here again in 2025, I will definitely get a more substantial meal than two meager slices of french toast.

Sandwiches here are delicious! I got the veggie sandwich and white bean chili. Both were very tasty…read moreand made me want to try more of their food! They have a great specialty food and gift selection. The staff is friendly and helpful. I totally recommend this place!

Great place, cute and the sandwiches were amazing! Definitely glad we checked this place out…read more Wish I would have had room to try the ice cream.

I love the food and the ambiance. Service is not bad either. Place your order at the counter and…read morewait. But while you wait look at all the artwork, signs, antiques, etc.

Good vibes, food came out fast. Hoagie is definitely the way to go. We got roast beef since they…read morewere out of turkey. Hoagie was good but didn't "wow" me either. My friend from Philly said that he'd prefer wawa.

This is a great family restaurant. This is an Eau Claire staple. It's been here for decades and…read morestill serves great food with great service. Your greeted with a small serving of warm vanilla pudding. I almost always get the chicken gizzards and have since childhood. The hash browns are perfect. Unfortunately the "pie lady" retired, so they have "pie in a cup" instead of the whole Pies. The place is very nostalgic for me, it hasn't really changed much in decades. And I like that.

Great food at a great value. Nice family restaurant. Very wonderful wait staff..The warm vanilla…read morepudding is great ...

It a nice place for unique food the food was good the service wasn't quick but wasn't slowread more

Awesome Thai spot! Sizeable dining room, friendly and efficient service, and great food. Very…read morewalkable surrounding location.

The food was out of this world the French toast Was good and…read morethe homemade hot coco too You order at the counter and they find ur table and cool ambiance

Our nephew loved his stuffed French Toast. My wife found her GF muffin tasteless and was told that…read morethe muffin was heated by microwave from its frozen state. Coffees were warm, not hot. The whipped cream was clearly not real cream.

I'm so excited we got to stop by and try things. The service was very friendly and prompt. I had…read morethe everything seasoning and cream cheese croissant which was really flavorful and had great texture. The kids inhaled the homemade blackberry pop tart. Chai latte was delicious, not too sweet, not too spicy and I love the variety of steamers available for kids. They even offered to make them kid temp! Space was cozy and had plenty of tables when we went (10am weekday).

I'm already nostalgic for this place…read more A new day means a new morning to visit a coffeehouse. Tim actually suggested this place as he mentioned its something he's wanted to try for awhile. We hopped in the car and headed out. I wasn't sure what to expect from The Nostalgic Bean since I was going into this trip without much of a plan besides a few odds and ends. But what a surprise this place is. It's in a cute little building with some sweet snail art on the side. Inside is quaint and cozy. The staff was super friendly while we did some do-si-do with other patrons of the bakery. Inside is small and due to the layout, it can get a bit crowded if they are busy at all. Normally this is a hassle but something about this place makes it fun. I got my usual americano and a corn jalapeno quiche. With how busy it was, the food and coffee didn't take much time to come out and the staff, again, was super friendly and helpful. I wanted a specific t-shirt and while they didn't have it on their merch shelf, the young lady took the time to locate one in their back stock area. Keep your eye peeled for me wearing it in future reviews :). The americano was pretty good, just a bit below the bitter level I like but it made drinking it a breeze. The quiche was really good, too. I don't think I've ever had one before this and I ended up getting it the next day when we came back with Matt. The second time we came back, we had the same level of friendliness and same awesome deliciousness. All their baked goods looked amazing and both Tim and Matt were in love with the place, too. Tim dabbled in their baked goods but I don't remember all that he got. Matt got a coffee and a small thing to eat as well. The Nostalgic Bean has become a staple for us when we visit Eau Claire. I feel like we will hit it up every time we visit Tim because we all just fell in love with the place. Just look at their baked goods online and you'll understand just how sweet this place is.

Overall, the experience was average. The coffee was great! The food had some wait but was overall…read morewhat you would expect, nothing special. The overall vibe was honestly pretty loud, definitely not a place you could have a conversation (especially during a busy morning).

I've been dying to check out The Nucleus, and oh my gosh, I'm so happy I finally did! We had a…read morelittle girls' brunch on Saturday, and it was absolutely perfect! From the yummy food to the sweet service and the cutest decor, it's safe to say we're already planning our next visit to try more of the menu! I went for an blended coffee called The (Frozen) Girl Scout (a dreamy peppermint mocha), and they were so sweet to make it decaf just for me. Their blender was on the fritz so it wasn't blended but it was just as yummy iced!! For food, I couldn't resist the strawberry-stuffed French toast--let me tell you, it was AMAZING. They totally piled on the whipped topping, and I was living for it! I can't wait to take my sister here next time! I think we just found our new brunch spot!

I love the food here. Especially the volcano bowl and the crab salad. Very clean and bright…read morefacility, though I've always done takeout. The staff was great for any customizations and very helpful. They go the extra mile.

Super clean restaurant. They have several popular selections that you can order or customize your…read moreown bowl. Plenty of choices for the base, white rice, brown rice, or quinoa. There was one other choice too, but I forgot what it was. Lots of toppings. You can sub and add additional things. some bottled beverages for sale or free lemon water. Super clean on the inside. Staff was friendly. My bowl was delicious and I will definitely go back. The raw fish seemed very fresh and was very delicious.

Attached to the Lismore hotel by Doubletree makes this restaurant super accessible to…read moreout-of-towners. Service 5/5: we did not make a reservation, but staff did everything to accommodate us and get us seated. I really appreciate how kind they were and once we were seated, our server was attentive, making sure our drinks were always filled and that we were enjoying our meal. Ambiance 5/5: stunning environment. I highly recommend you take a peek and look at the bar because it's a bunch of little pennies and it is the coolest sight to see (I believe I heard them call it the penny bar too). I really enjoy that you could see into the kitchen while the chefs worked and how fluid they all seemed to be in their craft. Food 3/5: I was really disappointed by the food. I ordered the roasted lamb as a big fan of lamb and it was overcooked and very salty. Also, the mint gelée coupled with the root beer glacé de viande was overwhelmingly sweet. The dish was lacking a balance of acid and spice. My fiancé ordered the tater tot hot dish and I am thankful that he ordered that because we ended up sharing that the rest of the meal. Even he could not eat the Lamb and he is must less picky about flavor profiles. The hotdish was a cheesy parmesan dream with sweet corn, peas, mushrooms and I liked the textural mixture of pork and veal. Overall, I'm not sure if I would come back for a meal here. I have seen that their pizzas are really popular because they are woodfired and I wish we would've checked that first, but I wanted a cozy elevated dinner and I'm still really bummed that we did not get that.

Been here before, but it's been a very long time. We were passing through the area and looking for…read morea place to eat. It happened to be a very busy weekend, and the Informalist was one of the few places that did not have a long line to get seated. Got in right away and seated for some brunch. The restaurant is spacious and well designed. It's a bit upscale, but perfectly capable of making people feel relaxed and welcome. We got greeted right away by the server and settled in with menus and waters. Our order wasn't complicated: some of the Custard Battered French Toast, a short stack of pancakes, and two eggs. I also ordered a London Fog Tea Latte (a little lavender, a little vanilla, and extra foam). It didn't take long for the food to come, but the London Fog took a while longer. The French Toast was amazingly good, and the pancakes and eggs were also very good. I was half done with my meal by the time my London Fog arrived, and the server was very apologetic (saying that the coffee shop was very busy). I might have been satisfied with that, but the London Fog was just okay. While there was some extra foam, the drink itself was flat, as if they just heated up the milk and mixed it with the tea. (They need to do a better job with polishing the steamed milk so that it creates a creamy texture, especially if they ar charging $8) Overall, a good experience, and a few tweaks would have made it excellent. Would stop again if I was in the mood for the French Toast.