Great food! Great service! By far the best local restaurant gem in BloNo. They need to either expand or allow for reservations, though. We usually go to Carmela's because of the stressful, annoying process of trying to get a table here. read more

Had my husband go in and check it out before we got the kids out of the car. He said that half the tables were open. So we get out of the car get the kids all ready walk in and she asks if we are on the list..... there was nobody sitting and waiting either? So did they just not like the way we looked? I'm so confused. I'm from out of town so I'm sure they don't care because we won't be back anyway. read more

The best brunch place in town. Staff is outstanding and friendly. Be sure to call ahead for seating. Always packed!

The food is SO good here and is the perfect place to have breakfast. The staff are all very kind and attentive despite being packed! Love this place read more

Everything here is fantastic all of the time. Fresh food and delicious flavors. The wait is worth it. Wish they could add on to the building or get a bigger space though. The business would justify it. Would also love if the hours were extended to dinner. Plenty of money there to make and customers who would come in. No shortage of business for delicious food and great service! read more

This place rocks! Great food. Interesting flavors. Love the chicken and biscuit - with egg, gravy, and a dab of hot sauce. Pumpkin pancakes today were great too! Cozy dining room. Usually have to wait (esp on Saturday's) but definitely worth it! read more

Fort Jesse Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Normal, Illinois

I agree it's the best breakfast restaurant in town! I've had some specialty coffee there as well that is very good!

The food is out of this world!! Service is just as good! This is definitely my go to place for breakfast. No complaints whatsoever.

Yummy! Their food is awesome! Try the Buffalo chicken horseshoe! It's my staple there!

Food is very good , staff is very friendly. Shrimp and Grits were my absolute favorite dish. I would always recommend this spot

FJC is the place to go. Inventive menu, good pricing, excellent service and Gluten Free options. This is a local non-chain restaurant for all to come and dine, enjoy your morning with friends and take pleasure in good food. Be aware the lines can get long and if you're a table of two, but sitting at a table for four, kindly table share. FJC gets my business over any expensive new-fangled chain. Invest here. read more

Excellent food! Great service! From the coffee to the entrees, I've never had anything but awesome food here! One of my favorite places to eat and I always bring out of town guests here and they love it! read more

You're probably not going to find a better breakfast place in the B-N area. The food is very good, although it's not as good as the better Chicago area breakfast specialty places. I will say that the service is very friendly and attentive. A couple of things prevent me from giving this place 4 stars and make me settle with 3 as the more accurate rating. For one, there are no omelets on the menu. Maybe they would make you one if you asked, but for a breakfast place to not even have them on the menu is really strange. Also, there is basically no effort at all at creating a good dining atmosphere. It's extremely spartan inside, with basically just wood tables and chairs with a couple of random things hanging on the walls. And, the view from the windows is, well...a tire factory : ( Move this place to a cooler location, get some decent decor, and give me omeletes on the menu, and this place is 4 stars all the way. read more

Delicious food and they were very accommodating. My husband and I asked to split an order of eggs Benedict but I want my eggs poached and he likes his scrambled: no problem! Definitely recommend. read more

Best breakfast joint in town. Eclectic delicious menu items, decent portion sizes, and excellent coffee.

Great local restaurant ! They are good about changing up the menu with great choices and super coffee drinks! Excited that you can reserve a table now online as it can be a long wait! read more

Loved this place!! Food is amazing! Service good!! Friendly and helpful staff! Enjoyed an eggs Benedict with greens! Awesome!!

Nice little cozy spot. Everything looks simple and clean. They have coffee while you wait. It's very homely place. The food is good also. Hostess was friendly and are waiter was nice also. Great place for breakfast. read more

Fort Jesse Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Normal, Illinois

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Unique food and great service. A place to go to when you want something a little different. Love to support local businesses!

Stopped in on a road trip back to Chicago. It was our lucky day! While the majority of the breakfasts combine chicken and waffles in a variety of ways they were still surprisingly unique tastings. I highly recommend chicken and waffles Benedict. The chicken was crispy, tender, and juicy. It's a dish i know I'll continue to think of from time to time lol. Our table also enjoyed traditional chicken and waffles that came with syrup that had a little kick. Don't pass by this place! read more

FJC; what to say...this place is amazing!! We have been a few times now for brunch and every time is worth the 40-60min wait. Seems long, but it's a small cafe so there are fewer tables. However the wait never feels long, they have bags and sidewalk chalk, as well as complimentary coffee. The food is awesome. They always have a delicious cold brew & a special menu item. We've been so happy with everything we've tried. Also, the staff are great. Always upbeat, friendly, and prompt. read more

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The best breakfast spot in town! Nothing else comes close. Except for maybe Shannon's

We absolutely LOVE all the food items on the menu here. Offering breakfast only during the time they are open on the weekend from 7-2 Monday- Friday they do add in a lunch menu starting at 11 We really enjoy the savory items. My husband orders shrimp and grits on the weekends and also jambalaya when we go during the week. I like to order new things ha each time I go but still fall back on a favorite of eggs Benedict The only down side to the cafe is their popularity which has caused very long waits. The thing is- the food really is worth a wait read more

The food is fantastic! I recommend the pulled pork eggs Benedict and the chicken and waffles. The service lacks organization and a sense of urgency. I watched the cooks prepare food and nobody was wearing gloves or washing hands. Kind of scary and concerning from a food safety point of view. read more

Oh my goodness! It's no wonder there was a 45 minute wait there this morning! The food is phenomenal! I had the cornmeal pancakes. It's a fascinating combination of ingredients, but it all works perfectly together. I had a side of hash browns which I also enjoyed. I was also very impressed with the service! Everyone was friendly and knew their jobs. It's a well oiled machine and it would have to be to have that kind of following! Great value! Amazing food and the cost is economical. read more

The food was fantastic! We waited 45 minutes for a table but it was well worth it. Our waiter was friendly. They offer great coffee. Our family will be back. Enjoy. #SeñorFood read more

Fort Jesse Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Normal, Illinois

My first visit here was quite busy but it's a Saturday but who isn't!? I had the Cornmeal Pancakes, on the menu are marked as "most magical" and they most certainly were!! The service fabulous and will come back for sure! read more

Get the chicken and waffles and the fresh squeezed lemonade...I could've drank probably a gallon...and the food was really really really good! We stopped here after checking out yelp on our way down to St. Louis and I was SO GLAD we did!!! YUM! read more

Fort Jesse Cafe - Chicken and waffling it UP! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Normal, Illinois

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Oh my!! This place is amazing!! I just had the BBQ pulled pork Benedict on jalapeño Biscuit.. Gwen our waitress was totally attentive and the food came out perfect and in a timely manner!! I highly recommend this place!! read more

Fort Jesse Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Normal, Illinois

This is probably one of my favorite breakfast places ever!! Everything was great! I knew it was going to be good when I pulled up and there was a group of people waiting to be sat! It was a 45 minute wait but it was worth it!!! I got the chicken fried steak and it was perfect! I could not have asked for anything better! Our server Gwen was fantastic!! So attentive and answered all of our questions! Absolutely perfect and I recommend this place as a must try!!! read more

Fort Jesse Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Normal, Illinois

Came around 8am on Saturday and had to wait for 20min for a table. I'm sure no matter what time you come, especially on the weekends, there'll be a wait. Having to wait for a table on a weekend morning at a good breakfast place should come as no surprise though. On to the food. Creative menu with twists on the classics. I was debating between the bbq Benedict and the country fried steak. Ended up going with the steak since it's what I get most often at a breakfast joint. The main problem with my meal is that everything was so delicious that I'll likely end up getting the same thing every time I find myself in the area, even though the menu really deserves to be explored. I'll have to come with others so I can sample things off their plates. No joke though, I've had many, many country fried steaks in my life, and I believe this one may be the best I've ever had. What about it was so good? The steak, gravy, eggs, hash browns, biscuit??? I can vouch for everything other than the gravy since I never get gravy on my country fried steaks. I know it's super weird but that's the way I like em. I ended up subbing a side of grits for the gravy which is pretty sweet they let you do that with no upcharge. The biscuit was equally amazing, and with every bite I found myself asking how the hash browns, which look very standard, were so delicious. Even the grits, which I was sure I'd end up not eating since I leave those for the end and oftentimes don't finish, were finished up with enthusiasm. I'll surely be back whenever I'm in this part of the state during breakfast hours. Oh, and service was also very good. This place gets my highest recommendation read more

I don't get the hype. I went for breakfast on a Tuesday and didn't have to wait. Ordered the chicken and waffles. Was very disappointed to get chicken tenders and not real fried chicken. They weren't even very good chicken tenders. The waffle was ok, but didn't care of the spicy syrup. Maybe I'll try it again and order something different, but only if I don't have to wait in line. read more

Nice cafe vibe. Food is great. Really like it there. Would suppers to friends and family as great place to go.

Best local breakfast place in town! Quirky & friendly servers. Awesome specials throughout the week... including their Mo-joe coffee! Everyone I know agrees- Ft Jesse is the BEST! Support local! read more

Fort Jesse Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Normal, Illinois

Very good! Love the burrito and pretty much everything else! Nothing else to add to this review.

Wonderful food. Everything I've had so far has been great. Food is fresh and tasty creative.

There is not one person I've spoken to who has a bad thing to say about Fort Jesse Cafe! This is how breakfast should be. Great wait staff, excellent food, and a menu that changes just enough to keep you trying new things. I think the only thing I haven't tried yet is the "Shrimp & Grits", and that's only because I haven't got around to it! Yes, the wait in line can be long if you don't get here early enough, but I have never heard anyone complain about the wait because the food is just that awesome. Don't ever change, Ft Jesse Cafe! We love you! read more

Such good brunch spot. I had a bruschetta hash bowl this time. Delicious. Foodie type spot, chicken and waffles. Everything done in a way that makes you think and talk about flavor combos. One of the best in BN. read more

After all of the hype, we decided that we should check it out for ourselves. Once again, I'm convinced that this community could be served a plate of garbage and give a five star review. We ordered biscuits and gravy (which came recommended by our very inexperienced waitress) and grandpas breakfast, which is just a couple eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast with homemade jam. These are breakfast standards that you can get at any greasy spoon. But FJC was supposed to be higher end, and "something you would find in Chicago" according to friends and other reviews.... Those people are sadly mistaken. This is a cheap wannabe ripoff of something you might find in Chicago. For having a "real" chef, the food was extremely bland and hard to develop and appetite for. The eggs were way undercooked, and the hashbrowns were literally dripping with grease. The homemade jam... Well let's just say they should consider buying jam from now on. But the most disappointing was the biscuit and gravy. It tasted like flour. No other taste at all, just wet flour. When our waitress came back and asked how it was, we told her that it wasn't good, she said "ok" and took the food. We waited another half an hour before she returned with the bill for the full amount and not even an apology. I've never EVER returned food at a restaurant before, but would expect someone to at least come and ask what the issue was. But it was very obvious that most of the wait staff had never worked that kind of job before. The other frustrating part is the seating and the space inside the restaurant. There are only large dining room tables like you would have at home, and there are not very many of them. This creates a long wait even at slow times. The problem then, is that there is no waiting space inside the restaurant. If there are more than 3-4 people waiting, you are in the way of food coming out. It forces most of the waiting customers to wait outside. So good luck when it's not a beautiful day. It just seems like this was a poorly planned restaurant. TL;DR Bland food, poor service, have to wait outside because of no space inside. DEFINITELY NOT WORTH THE HYPE! read more

Would definitely go back because the place has a good vibe, but the limited menu is heavily weighted toward breakfast. Almost decided to leave after looking at the menu but was too far from the door slip out. Had the buffalo chicken over fries and was so so. The homemade sauce was pretty boring. They do chicken and waffles which every other table was eating...but that's soooooo yesterday. Nice and clean place...wait staff pretty eclectic which some people like. Overall a decent place. read more