I love discovering places like this. We were passing through Monticello on our way to Moab. I had just got a speeding ticket and wanted to get out of the car and enjoy a coffee beverage somewhere. High Desert Cafe looked inviting, so we made a stop here. This place is pretty cool. The outside of the building is very colorful. High Desert Cafe is a coffee shop, gift shop and diner all in one building. We first checked out the gift shop area before getting our coffee. They have a number of shirts, blankets, jewelry, local stones and art for sale. High Desert Cafe has two separate counters - one for coffee and tea drinks and the other one for food. The food menu has a variety of sandwiches, burgers, salads, breakfast items, smoothies and ice cream. It was early, so we ordered breakfast burritos and coffee on it. The kitchen staff was nice and chatted with us while they cooked our food. There is a small dining area where you can eat your meal when it is ready. High Desert Cafe is a nice hidden gem to stop by if you are passing through Monticello. read more

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I really liked this little cafe in Monticello! I was staying in an airbnb out here so I dropped by this spot in the morning while on a road trip to get breakfast. They had all the basic breakfast items, things like omelettes and pancakes, etc. They had a decent list of drinks too, and even though it wasn't on the menu they did make me a lavender london fog since they had the ingredients for it. The food was very filling and I left happy! The inside gives off a diner vibe, but slightly more upscale/indie? And they sell some independent products (e.g. lip balm, recipe books, etc.). Bathroom was pretty decent too, but there's only one stall so note that you may have to wait if a few folks are also dining there (was pretty quiet the random weekday morning I cam though). Plenty of free street parking available outside too. Overall it's a cute little spot for brunch if you're passing through Monticello. read more

High Desert Cafe - Out front - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Monticello, Utah

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What a gem for breakfast and coffee. The food and service were great. My latte was made just right. I would highly recommend this place for breakfast if you are going through this town. read more

The food was great! We had an omelette with potatoes, an extra side of bacon, regular coffee and a latte with coconut milk. Everything tasted delicious! The service was great. The indoor dining room has beautiful art all around (available to purchase if interested). There are tables outdoors, too. Highly recommend! read more

I drove past this place for years not realizing there was this darling restaurant/coffeehouse/smoothie place right on route 191. I've had their turkey wrap to go, all fresh ingredients. My favorite is the smoothie that has everything from lions mane to maple syrup. Now, if they were only open in the winter. read more

The food was so good! I just left and I already miss the macaroni salad. Staff was very helpful and friendly. I would 100% recommend!!

Solid 4. Perfectly acceptable diner food. The over-medium eggs were cooked perfectly, but hubs said his scrambled were a little overdone. The breakfast potatoes were slightly sweet, which was odd, but passable. The bacon was thick and tasty. The toast was a little chewy, but again, fine. Service was great and it's a nice quiet place to have breakfast. read more

High Desert Cafe - Sunrise special - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Monticello, Utah

Cute little place. We both had paninis. The staff was friendly. Great quick stop for a bite.

Nice breakfast & lunch cafe. Limited menu, see pics, but delicious food. We had a breakfast burrito w/ sausage, potatoes, green chilis, union, & cheese. My wife had the 2 egg breakfast with bacon? Taylor's, & toast. Reasonable prices and indoor or outdoor seating. We recommend this place. Open til 2pm. read more

High Desert Cafe - Lunch menu - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Monticello, Utah

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A solid place with the only decent coffee serving latte (no oatmilk but they had coconut and almond milk). Super cute store selling jewelry and native blankets too. Smoothies, Sandwiches, and breakfast with indoor and outdoor eating area. Ordered coffee which was decent. My almond milk latte was good with SF vanilla Breakfast burrito we added bacon and sausage was good but needed some creaminess to offset the acidity from the green Chili (it wasn't spicy hot just medium). Overall I would rate this place a 3.5 in the bay area but since it the ONLY decent coffee place in monticello. They get a 5! Service was good girl just started was friendly and barrista was nice. read more

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Decent bfast, order at the bar. Self serve coffee pot for $4. Clean place to stop for a quick bite.

Ate here 2 days in a row! Excellent breakfast, strong coffee and jewelry and art shop is beautiful

I was hopeful, but slightly disappointed. We were greeted by a very sullen cashier. I tried to lighten the atmosphere but to no avail. I felt like I was an imposition quite honestly. The food came out and it was goods we have the 2 egg breakfast with bacon. The eggs and bacon were very good, hash browns were strange and not very BROWN. Coffee was excellent too. You order at the counter, they bring it to you. When she brought our food, again no friendliness. So, food was very good, service not good. Maybe it was a bad day, I'm always open to trying again. read more

High Desert Cafe - a counter with a plate of doughnuts - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Monticello, Utah

We ordered the wrap and soup. The rolls with the soup were soft and good. Soup was creamy with real broccoli small chunks in it. The wrap seems to be a bit tough for my husband to chew. The gift store addition was interesting. Lots if vipers there plus native gifts. read more

High Desert Cafe - Creamy broccoli soup - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Monticello, Utah

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Best place in town to grab a cappuccino, pastries or lunch. Serving Craven coffee roasters. If you're a coffee lover you'll know this is very special coffee. Great customer service. They go Above and beyond welcoming you to dine in or just chat at coffee bar. To cut back on the loitering and NON customers I really like the NO WIFI and Laptops. Thats a 5 Star PLUS bonus. Call ahead for to go also is awesome on the Go. Look forward to another visit through town. read more

High Desert Cafe - menus on the wall - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Monticello, Utah

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Came in an hour before they closed for the day, thinking that was plenty of time to enjoy lunch. The first words out of the mouth of the girl taking our order were "Just so you know, we're only doing take out." Not the friendliest of welcomes, but we were hungry and it's a small town so there weren't a ton of options for lunch. The food was good. We ate outside at a table in front of the cafe since it was take out only. We finished eating 15 minutes before closing time, went to throw our trash away, and the door was already locked! I normally don't write reviews, let alone negative ones, but this was pretty bad on the customer service side for sure! read more

Cute stop on our way to Moab. BBQ burger was delicious, as was the apple cranberry walnut salad. Neat building with seating inside and out. We got our food quickly, but we were the only ones there at the time. read more

The Asian salad and the avocado toast were really good! I really like how they put crunchy noodles in the salad .

They have the best breakfast burritos! Friendly service and the only place to get a good latte anywhere nearby.

Grabbed an almond milk latte from here on our way out of Moab. Very cute cafe with an outside seating area as well as an indoor seating area. Doesn't look very big from the outside, but it can actually sit quite a number of people. There's a nice little area displaying and selling local artists' work and crafts. It was nice to browse around while waiting for my latte. When I walked in, there wasn't anyone waiting, but two people working behind the counter. Neither one acknowledged us, even after standing there for a solid 3 minutes. It was so strange...like I was invisible. I cheerfully greeted "hi!!" followed by a "um...is this where I order?" (There were two counters. One is the counter to the kitchen and the other is like a coffee counter where the espresso machine is located). The gentleman behind the counter simply responded "give me a minute" without looking up while shuffling around some orders. After some time, I was able to order, but walked out feeling unwelcomed. The latte was good, but it's a shame that the staff/customer service is lacking. Wouldn't go out of my way for this place, but if you need a quick pick me up, it's a good place to stop. read more

Nice people, Good food. Would have been perfect if the seating areas had been wheelchair accessible. read more

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There weren't a lot of dining options in this small town. However, since the café was down the street and the only place that was opened at 8 am, we went here instead. The place has character, a quaint and artsy eatery. And surprisingly, breakfast was decent. I had a smoothie called cranberry crush, a bit tangy, but I got used to it after a little while. I also had the rise and shine, a typical breakfast platter with eggs, hashbrown, and bacon. The scrambled eggs were buttery. I didn't finish my breakfast since it was a bit heavy, and we were about to go hiking in Canyonlands. As we ate, the owner also stopped by and chatted with us, a very sweet and humble man. Please stop by and give them your support if you're ever in the area. read more

I had the pulled pork sandwich. It was great! Very tasty. Even the fries were home cut and fried. Quick service. The place is neat with all sorts of art, jewelry and metal work. All for sale too. read more

I was just passing through Monticello and the restaurant I used to eat at was no more. I stopped at the High Desert Cafe and was very pleasantly surprised. The food was good and there was plenty of it. The service was fast and friendly and the prices were reasonable. They also had some very nice art on display and for sale by local artisans including some absolutely beautiful high quality Navajo rugs. I will stop here again the next time is in the area read more

High Desert Cafe - The High Desert Cafe - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Monticello, Utah

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We've eaten at the High Desert Cafe several time over the years and it's always been good. We stopped there again earlier this month and I had some sort of bacon, green chili cheeses burger. I have to say it was, bar none, the best burger I've ever had, and I've had quite a few. My wife felt the same about her sandwich. Highly recommended. read more

Fast service, great coffee, and your usual breakfasts. It was conveniently located on the main road.

It was super busy so I was hesitant- I had an incredible authentic food experience. It was delicious and staff was super friendly. They have an amazing gift selection as well and we purchased a beautiful blanket for Christmas. Bye Monticello and hello Oregon! read more

It held such great promise. We stopped for coffee on day 1 as we headed out for a hike. The coffee was good and my friend had an americano as that's the only decaf they had. Fair enough. The people are friendly. The place is clean and cheerful, though a little bland. So we stopped the second day for a proper breakfast. There is a small outside area but it looked pretty hot so we ate inside. The food was disappointing. My over easy eggs were way overcooked and my friend said her breakfast burrito was bland at best. We may try again if we're up that way as there is little else around for breakfast and lunch. They have a full smoothie menu. Maybe those are good. And sandwiches and burgers. We didn't have any of those so I'll let others comment on that. read more

** Hidden Gem Alert **. A solid 4! We were desperately hungry for warm food after a 19 degree camping night. We were not disappointed. My omelette was incredible. Hands down best, fluffy omelette I've had in a very long while (and we eat out for breakfast a LOT). My partner's pork bagel sandwich was also delish. The coffee and service was super fantastic too! read more

They can't make scrambled eggs. Really? Scrambled eggs don't look like shucked corn, you can pick them up with fork not use a spoon. Good bacon. read more

Got kicked out for using my laptop... I get the whole "be in the moment" mentality but I had work to get done and it is ridiculous to not allow a paying customer to use their laptop! read more

Fantastic small family-run cafe with a wide menu selection. I had the #3 bagel and it was out of this world. Friendly service. If passing through Monticello, this is a must stop. read more

High Desert Cafe - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Monticello, Utah

Let me start off by saying my carne asada tacos were very delicious and the best meal of my trip! The service was beyond uninspired and when my food was brought out there were no utensils or napkins. I had to walk inside to ask and had to deal with someone who seemed like they wanted to be anywhere but at work. You have an otherwise great restaurant so please ask your employees to at least try and fake it a bit! read more

Another disappointed customer. Employees seemed bothered by customers. Here's a bit of advice: If you don't want to work, please stay home. No welcome, no thank you, no kindness whatsoever. A totally forgettable experience. Left very disappointed. Based on the other reviews, this seems to be the regular experience at this place. Don't waste your time. Get your coffee at Maverick, at least it is freshly ground before you and the employees actually smile and converse with you. read more

We stopped by for lunch on day one of a week and a half long camping tour of a bunch of National Parks including Arches and the Grand Canyon. Not sure why I had low expectations, but I was happy to be proven wrong. Delicious fish tacos! Well-seasoned. Everyone enjoyed their meals. Foodie kids enjoyed their brisket burger and panini too! read more

Cute little cafe. Good menu choices on the menu, but Healthy options, and a good cup of coffee. Staff was polite and friendly. Nice outdoor patio with both shade and sun. read more

We went to High Desert Cafe twice for late breakfast while staying at the nearby Domes. Great standard breakfast, great green chile egg burrito and the breakfast panini was so good we ordered it both days. Really flavorful smoothies also; enjoyed on a nice patio under a giant elm tree. Small staff juggling a lot of things but I wouldn't say that they were slow. read more

Turkey panini with fries. Excellent sandwich with fries that have never been frozen. Spring mix salad was fresh and was consumed prior to picture. Left overs for dinner! read more

I had the bagel with egg, spinach, pesto and avocado and it was SO GOOD. I have super bad sensory issues so i was scared of how much egg was on my bagel but they cooked it perfectly so it didn't overwhelm me. AND THE PEACH SMOOTHIE IS AMAZING!! GET A SMOOTHIE!!!!!!!! The place, is THE CUTEST EVER. It's so colorful and the dude at front is so nice. 100/10. read more

Great place for breakfast. Staff friendly, Food hearty. A car club came in before us but they were still on top of our order. Cool gifts there too. read more