Express Cafe has some excellent breakfast and highly recommended checking them out! I came by myself yesterday and had the bacon and eggs... simple yet so good! This morning I had the french toast and my husband got the bacon and cheese omelette with a waffle. They make their own donuts, so I had to get one for later. Everything was amazing! We sat at the bar and could hear the country music in the kitchen which we enjoyed. Emmerson was such a sweet server and Ken (regular) picked up our tab! Thank you, Ken. That was very kind of you! : ) read more

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Great find for me! But not new! Express Café was established in 1988. We arrived on a Sunday around 11:30am and I fully expected a long way. They quoted us 15 minutes, but we were seated within five minutes. Andee took great care of me and my mom, coffee and tea cups always full, waffle and french toast orders delivered promptly. The waffle was especially good... I'll get that again next time. Or, the French dip at the next table looked pretty good too with wedge fries. read more

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Great food. Great prices. Friendly staff. Love Express Cafe for breakfast. Big portions at a really decent price. read more

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Express Cafe will always have a tender spot in my heart. I have so many fond memories of this joint. Many breakfasts have been eaten here when my daughter was little. Many mother's day outings here with my daughter before I worked my 13 hour shift serving other moms. It will forever hold the best memories for me. It has been close to 9 years since I have eaten here. Moving towards the north end created a big distance between us. But I was in the area with my neice today so we stopped in for breakfast. There's no other place in Meridian that I'd rather eat breakfast at! I remember this joint when the old owners owned it. It honestly was run down, old and dated. Your typical greasy spoon. My friend, Bob, took it over about 10 years ago and has totally given it the face lift it needed. It's brighter, cleaner and welcoming. I love the fresh flowers with our beautiful country's flag by the front door. I love the flowers painted on the windows too, it gives it such a fun appearance. I love the bright white building with the black trim. I love the bright lines in the parking lot. It's been revamped outside and it's gorgeous. Inside of the venue has had work done as well. The drapes were red, white and blue to go with the 4th of July. I love that they decorated for America's birthday. I'm sure they change it through the different holidays. The lighting is brighter. The decor is simple and fun. It just looks cleaner and fresh inside. It's not the old greasy spoon it used to be. My neice and I decided to sit at the bar, that's where my daughter and I used to eat at all the time. Kaitlyn greeted us and got our drinks started. I got hot coffee and my neice got an orange juice. I appreciate the creamer they had neatly placed by the condiments. It was nice not to have them just thrown in a bowl. Little details like that are fantastic. After breezing over the menu, we got our food placed with Kaitlyn. I got the popeye omelet with only 2 eggs instead of 3, cheddar instead of Swiss with no onions or mushrooms. I got fruit instead of bread and potatoes. My neice got the Belgian waffle with strawberries and whipped cream on top with a side of hashbrowns. My omelet was cooked perfectly. It had a generous amount of spinach. We know spinach shrinks really bad when it's cooked and vanishes. You can tell they didn't hold back with the spinach. The cheese was nice and melty in the middle. Even though I asked for my omelet to be 1 egg shy of it's normal 3, I only ate half. It was a hearty omelet. My fruit was ok. It wasn't fresh fruit but I didn't mind. I ate a much as I could. My neice polished half of her huge waffle. It looked tasty with the berries and whipped cream. The side of hashbrowns was no joke. It was such a huge portion! We ate about a third of it and took the rest home to enjoy later. My friend, Bob has done such an amazing job making this place his own. Express Cafe will always be one of Meridian's best breakfast joints. The amount of years it's been around speaks for itself. I'm so proud of Bob and all that he's done. The food was good today. Service from Kaitlyn was fantastic! I'm just sad that it took my close to 9 years to come back. That's going to change and I look forward to having Express Cafe be a part of my day sometime soon. I won't allow another 9 years to pass by. read more

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We go there every.single.weekend - it's that good! The service is always exceptional from Jake, Ashlyn, Ricki, Andi, Courtney, Emerson, and Natalie. (I hope I'm not forgetting anyone!) We never have to wait very long, even though it's usually packed. The food is always delicious! The biscuits & gravy, waffles, country potatoes, chicken fried steak...omg everything is sooo good. It's our favorite breakfast spot! read more

Bacon, Bacon, Bacon. Stopped in here for breakfast, and I'm really glad I did. This is one of those hole in the wall kind of places that always seems to get the food right. The dining room is a little long and narrow, even slightly awkward, however the food is amazing. I ordered the biscuits and gravy platter which comes with a good helping of eggs two biscuits with gravy and four glorious, extremely thick, flavorful slices of bacon. The waitresses were friendly and very efficient. This is my new favorite breakfast place in Meridian. read more

We had such a great breakfast here to go back and be disappointed for Lunch. The breakfast was amazing from the biscuits and gravy to the Veggie omelette and fantastic pancakes we were very impressed, but Lunch was a wilted iceberg salad that came with a production style chicken strip, my wife could not eat either one. I had a cheeseburger that was OK but nothing to write home about, a bit on the bland side. Highly recommend them for breakfast, I will go back and try them again for something different on the lunch menu, but I think breakfast is the best bet read more

Express cafe never disappoints! The portions are HUGE, the service is excellent and they have a drive-thru pick up window! My husband loves coming here, every server is so friendly and the food is always good. The best part is you can add a waffle, a giant pancake or biscuits and gravy to any meal. Did I mention the portions are HUGE? If you're hungry for a good breakfast, you can't go wrong. read more

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I've now gone here twice and I truly appreciate the friendly service, hometown feel from the moment you walk in the front door and food that you want to chow down on because it makes you feel all sorts of happy inside. My first visit was average...though the food itself was pretty good. I had the create your own omelet with sausage, onions, tomatoes, cheese and home potatoes on the side. The omelet itself was full of each item, perfectly cooked. The sourdough bread tasted a little stale and needed far more butter than provided. Lemonade and orange juice are from concentrate and have a odd flavor, almost like the stuff you get from continental breakfast hotel lobbies. However I went in today and opted for the half sausage and biscuit breakfast with a perfectly cooked over-medium egg and a juicy sausage patty. Same great service (quick!), same great greeting from the start. Hubby ordered the pancake combo with scrambled eggs and a sausage patty. He loved the fluffy "large" pancake (beware, a small pancake is a "large" pancake and a large pancake is huge!), but the scrambled eggs seemed a little dry. Overall the sausage gravy and biscuit were truly scrumptious and really made for a perfect breakfast. read more

Old fashioned local cafe. Clean and basic with a u shaped counter , tables and wood booths. The breakfast are wonderful, delicious and huge. The wait staff was friendly and helpful. Another favorite! read more

Excellent food!! Great service and cozy atmosphere!! Chicken fried steak is my absolute favorite.

Wasn't expecting much when we walked up to the restaurant....kinda outdated outside, not flashy....oh but wait! Ordered the 1/2 biscuits and gravy meal with scrambled eggs and sausage patty. What I got was delishness on a plate! The gravy was homemade and fresh. The eggs were fluffy and the sausage patty was yummy. 10/10 the coffee was hot and fresh and hazelnut creamer was brought to me by the lovely Ricki. The marionberry jam is house made so of course I bought a jar (or two) for the road. I cannot say enough great things about my breakfast there 12/22...oh I almost forgot, the place is spotless! After eating at a place the other day....lets call them "Yroken Bolk" and seeing how filthy everything was from the window sills to the floors...Express Cafe is clean, welcoming and wonderful. Thank you for a great breakfast. You have a fan now read more

Outstanding restaurant operation. This was my first visit and I will definitely be going back. * Service (5 stars) - Having been in the restaurant industry for over 25 years, I am keenly aware of the inability to hire and retain quality employees (particularly since the pandemic). The owners and managers at this restaurant are doing something right, as they had all hands on deck. The max capacity of the restaurant is 125, and it looked to me as if the employee to customer ration was one staffer for every 10 guests. * Food (5 stars) - My visit was for breakfast, but I have to believe that the lunch offerings would be every bit as good as my French toast with eggs and bacon. I am not able to identify how exactly they make their French toast so tasty, but I don't think I've ever had better. * Value $$ (5 stars) - Given our country's current state of extreme inflation, the meal price was fair for the quality. The cafe does offer some daily specials. My visit was on a Saturday morning and they had a full house, with a few open seats at for counter service. If you are looking for great traditional breakfast choices, you will not go wrong with the Express Cafe. read more

Express Cafe - French toast combo. Note that I couldn't wait and ate a piece of the bacon before taking the pic! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

This is Idaho! A wonderful Mom & Pop kind of Restaurant! The employees are so friendly! The food excellent & served nice and hot! Ever bit as good or better than First Watch or some of the other Food Chains! Today was our first time and we would love to come back and highly recommend! Clean...yes! It was refreshing to see how the young men and women are trained to clean the tables, booth & chairs. They work as a team! If I could give it 10 stars, I would! Delicious! read more

Great old skool diner! Customer service is well beyond the chain places and it shows. Lots of choices on the menu to choose from breakfast or lunch anytime. Seating is a bit limited as it is especially packed for brunch on Sunday so get there early! read more

Express Cafe - BLT with a fried egg and cheese - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

Walked in today didn't want to sit at bar so I got sat to the very very back. I sat down only to be greeted by flies. The server came asked if I wanted coffee to start. I asked if they had decaf? She stated reluctant "if we don't I can make some". I decided to not take it further and left. Sometimes you get that feeling like you shouldn't continue but yet sometime we do and regret it later. I think I made the right choice today. Not coming back sorry. read more

I've come here a lot, and always had a great meal. They serve lunch or breakfast. The breads they use are delicious, and have fresh donuts made daily! I love the old cafe vibe, and the service is the best! You can also order ahead and pick up the food in the "drive thru" which is a door on the side. read more

What an amazing cafe! Bummed it took me so long to come here. I came on a weekday morning on my way to work to pick up a Club Sandwich for lunch that day. When I called on the phone, I'm assuming Natalie (as shown on receipt) was super friendly, knowledgeable about the menu, and very accommodating. I placed the order and drove there. When I arrived, I walked into the cutest, work with what you got, cafe! Super clean! U shaped counter right where it should be, dining room to the right. First thing I noticed, besides cleanliness was they were adequately staffed. Hostess, dedicated counter person answering phone via headset. Multiple cooks, multiple servers. Customers all looked relaxed and enjoying their time there. The Club sandwich was a bit different as the cheese was melted, but still tasted great, and fries were cooked right. I had leftovers as I'm not a big eater. It was $15 for the club with fries, and in the pic just know there were more fries underneath the sandwich. I got 2 meals out of it, so win win. Can't wait to come back for breakfast with a friend. read more

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Food is great. Service is great too Booths are not the most comfortable tho. Prices are reasonable when compared to other places read more

I've been going to express cafe since 2001, and have never been disappointed. Friendly staff, great food, and good prices. Could use more parking... lol. read more

The last time I was here was about 5 years ago. We got seated right upon arrive. They have curtains separating each table. Everyone is required to wear a mask except while you are at your table. We order 2 coffees I gotta admit the coffee wasn't as good, its too weak in taste. Its like water down coffee. But the food WOW!! THE FOOD........ The food its great the portions are big the taste is big so I can't complain about the quality of food. They got the part down. Service was good. We order 2 meals to go and that was just as good as eating in the restaurant. I'll definitely come back again. read more

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Always extremely friendly staff and super yummy food that reminds me of mornings with my grandma.

Today my wife, daughter, and I decided to go here for breakfast. My wife had read some reviews and they were positive. As we approached, I realized I had driven past this place hundreds of times. It isn't very big, so it is easy to miss. We went inside and were greeted by very friendly staff and were immediately seated. Our waitress, was Aneta, and she gave us great service. Our daughter ordered eggs Benedict, my wife had the veggie skillet, and I had the meat lovers skillet. All of us loved our breakfast. The food was fresh, cooked just right, and we never had to ask for refills of coffee or water. The portions were good, and the prices were very reasonable. My wife wants to go back and try their hamburgers for lunch. This is a small place, and easy to pass by, but if you are ever in Meridian, and hungry for breakfast, stop here it is really good. read more

We have gone to other restaurant in Meridian and find the quality of both the food and the service to be the best. It is very clean and the wait staff is great. Have to admit we go there twice a week. Prices are reasonable and never had a bad meal. read more

Great service, great food and a wonderful diner vibe. The kids meal was so big both of my kids shared it. Definitely worth the price.

Mindy and Laura were amazing. So welcoming and the food was so delicious Thank you for a wonderful brunch I loved the biscuits and gravy. Thank you again. Can't wait to move out here read more

Super delicious! Came here with the family as our last stop in Idaho before heading home. Perfect diner experience. I totally loved it. My son got the kids pancake and it was HUGE. Definitely more than he could eat but so good. I had the eggs Benedict and the Hollandaise was so flavorful and good. Huge portions of hash browns. The whole family was very happy with their meals. Staff is wearing masks, bathrooms are very clean, there are donuts up front! read more

Express Cafe - Donuts! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

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Where do you go for chicken fried steak? Here Have it my way Plain waffle. Chicken fried steak. Smothered in gravy. With 2 over easy eggs. Tom et 2 fav read more

Huge portions!!! Good food and always friendly staff!!! I have only been in for breakfast and would highly recommend any of the omelettes.

My husband and I enjoyed a bountiful breakfast of good grub and stellar service in this 'locals come here' unpretentious little spot that has been in business for 30 plus years. Operating seven days a week no less. Imagine the work involved! This is the kind of place where who owns it makes all the difference. Pride of ownership shows everywhere. YOU DON'T NEED TO BE SWANK TO BE SPECIAL: The staff loves working here and customers benefit from that in splendid service. The food is good home cookin' and the prices are fair. The cafe curtains, formica tables, flourescent light strips in the ceiling and seasonal painted motif on the windows in this sparkling clean space all work for a reminder that you don't need to be swank to be special. As we soaked it all in we told the friendly server, whose shirt was embroidered with "18 years" for her service there, if the guy who owns this decides to retire this will never be the same. She laughed and said, "You're right. We are never going to let him retire for that reason!" Some places pretend to be "old fashioned". This place is the real deal in the best possible meaning of high standards and work ethic. We are reminded that nothing lasts forever. So there you go. Go while you can. SET ASIDE PRETENSION & ENJOY: Another reviewer expressed less enthusiasm with this comment; "Great place for the older crowd but not a place for people who actually like food.". With all respect, how funny is THAT! :) Although I wasn't sure whether to laugh about it at first, they be my Peeps after all, the older crowd, I did chuckle in the end. On the premise that one gets better at what they do the longer they do it, we who are Boomers and beyond have a good amount of experience eating and drinking our way around the States and beyond. Good food we know. Of all ilks. And this is good food. So is Del Posto. This is not that. But it is good food for what it is. There may be reasons some people have better palates or food instincts than others. But age isn't the deciding factor. Still, this isn't a hipster hangout. So if that's a factor for you, there you go. Go find one. Otherwise, set pretension aside here and enjoy it for what it is. You won't find emu egg omelettes or mimosas served six ways or single grower coffee. You will find "we're glad you came" service and good home cookin'. Like Daily brand lean, perfectly cooked bacon, super hash browns, eggs served lots of different ways. pancakes, waffles...and on the days when Eggs Benedict is on the specials board you can even order a half portion if you ask. LOCALS I'd wager nearly all of the diners packing the place for breakfast on a weekday morning were local. BREAKFAST & LUNCH BOTH SERVED ALL DAY I doubt I'll need that lunch menu with breakfast available all times. But one never knows. If I live long enough, maybe I will. THIS N THAT: 1) PARKING: Private lot. 2) ACCESSIBILITY: One non van accessible parking space in the front lot. Van acessible space in side lot. Level in, all one one floor. Standard height tables. Women's loo is accessible but not men's...says my hubby re the latter. The ladies' can be used by gents who are disabled if they need accessible loo. 3) CROWDS: Lines out the door on weekends. Weekday breakfast time slows down a bit depending on day of the week but seems 10:30ish is a good bet time to get a table or better yet a booth! read more

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I am from out of town, but wish I lived closer! The waitress that we had was so helpful and made it so enjoyable. The restaurant is very cute and they use their space well. The food was unbelievable! The portion sizes are well worth the price you pay. I had the Belgian waffle with strawberries and whipped cream and would highly recommend! I left and told everyone that I saw for the rest of the day how amazing it was. Seriously, if you have a chance to go, you should go! read more

Express Cafe is Iconic locally owned and operated for over 30 years breakfast and lunch restaurant. 86th person to review Express Cafe in Meridian on Fairview near Meridian Rd. This is my 466th review. I wanted to try this place for such a long time, but they are open limited hours and are almost ALWAYS busy. Finally, I was able to try and to be honest I was disappointed. A-OK. Reading the many reviews my thoughts were..."YES!!!", but nothing sparked that in me. I took two of my babies with me and had a good time. Being a foodie I was excited for the home cooking and the large portions, but again, MEH. Perhaps I visited on an off day. I will say the people were pretty cool. Mostly younger teens. Some people though have been there for many years and they wear their start year on their sleeves-- which I thought was pretty neat! The parking lot is small but gets the job done. Walking into the restaurant you are greeted with a roundish table to sit at if you desire (bar like area) before being greeted and shown a table. The menu is very sufficient and similar to Sunrise. Many options for all. Nice hardy meals. BEWARE-- Something that I didn't like was the size of the kids' meal-- it was absolutely huge and I just didn't agree with that, personally. For the record, some may be okay with that, especially for leftovers, but not me-- my kid will eat the whole thing and I am trying to help her with good choices while eating out and portion sizes are important. The child's meal came with a large plate-sized pancake, 6 thick slices of bacon and three eggs-- too much for even a grown adult. I will say skip the Chef Salad-- watery and not fresh/quality ingredients and costly for such a salad. Also, the hot chocolate comes with sprinkles and was super cute! read more

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This has to be one of the better places to get breakfast in Meridian. We come here regularly and are never disappointed. The eggs are perfect every time. The wheat toast is top notch! read more

Best french toast ever!! everything on the menu is worth trying and the service is great

Breakfast and lunch only are served here. Haven't been in years, used to be one of the best breakfasts around. The food is decent, servings are quite large, service is very good, pleasant wait staff. The average breakfast was about 12.00, food was just ok. I had omelette, hash browns and toast, felt it was overpriced, nothing fancy. read more

Express Cafe - Spanish omelette - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

Delicious food, awesome staff, good old fashioned diner. One of our favorite places for breakfast on the weekends.

My Friend and I were Their this past Monday And it was our first time their and it won't be the last ! The Service was great our waitress and all the staff including the Kitchen staff were SO friendly it made us fell like we're with friends. The food was very good nice and hot , good portions and served in a timely manor. The Coffee kept coming without us needing to ask for more. And the place was Super Clean & SANITIZED and their restrooms were immaculate. Appreciate their hard work in keeping us Customer's safe . Everyone Should try this place . read more

Family/local environment. Decent food. Great bacon. Slight pricey for what you get. $40 for two meals and two coffees.

Don't really understand the hype behind this place. This was my first time here, I really wanted to like it based off the 5 star reviews, but I'm just not feeling it. The outside appearance looks dated, mostly artificial lighting vs natural light (gives you that school cafeteria type of feel) & somewhat cramped. Being such a small & tight space it gets loud, especially when you have 4 kids running around and randomly screaming behind you... That's not the fault of the restaurant, but I felt like I was sitting at the Seahawks stadium with the whole "12th man" factor. Anyways, the service was friendly, but we had about 3-4 people come up to us, whether it was taking orders for drinks, food, delivering food, and checking back on us. When it was time to ask for the bill I wasn't sure who to stop and ask. The food was pretty good, just lacked a little extra flavor. I'm just being honest, there are better breakfast options in the nearby location. Maybe I'm not impressed as much as the others since I didn't eat here while growing up in the area, or maybe I just need to give this another shot and hope it's not as busy / loud as the last time. Overall, light 3. Definitely not the worst place I've had breakfast, but certainly not the 5 star experience like everyone previously mentioned. read more

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Went here for breakfast and would go back again. Cool and unique place with tasty food. Went big and had chicken fried steak, very tasty, not chewy or tough like some I've had at other places. Gravy is tasty, I like what I make at home better but that's slightly unfair comparison. Eggs cooked as desired and very friendly/prompt staff. This place has a lot of regulars and rightly so. Want to check out for lunch someday. read more

Express Cafe - Chicken fried steak! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Meridian, Idaho