Stopped by Mateo's for weekend brunch and quickly understood why it's such a popular local spot. I'd recommend getting there early because it can get busy! The menu features classic breakfast favorites, with generous portions and solid quality. The French toast was good, although it wasn't the traditional brioche-style French toast I prefer. The scrambled eggs, however, absolutely hit the spot. Service was great, the ambiance was welcoming, and I really had no complaints. I didn't have enough time to explore more of the menu, but I'd definitely come back to try some of their other breakfast options. Great food, great service, and a local favorite--definitely worth checking out! read more

Mateo’s cafe and Restaurant - Eggs and cinnamon French toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

Atmosphere: Lots of booths to sit in, super bright lights and bright white with lots of windows. Off street parking. There is a hostess stand and an area to sit while you wait for a table (it was about a 10 minute wait for a table). Service: They delivered the food and refilled coffee and waters promptly. Food: They can't accommodate any custom requests. I asked for extra crispy bacon on my eggs benedict and they said they would see what they could do. It was really soggy and chewy so I couldn't eat it (texture issue). Do not order the eggs benedict, three of us at the table ordered different variations of this dish and were all disappointed (zero texture, extra soggy, no flavor, too much hollandaise sauce). Do not order the eggs benedict on the potato pancakes if you are hungry, the potato pancakes were as thin as a dime and the size of my hand. I left hungry and went home to eat. The one person who didn't order the eggs benedict loved their food. The rest of the food that was coming out looked great, I think we just ordered the wrong dishes. We'll give this place a try again in the future to try something else off the menu. read more

Mateo’s cafe and Restaurant - Irish Benedict (sans bacon- I pulled it out because it was really flaccid) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

If you're not ready to wait a little bit or looking for a large restaurant, then this isn't the place. However, if you're looking for a great brunch and a LOT of it, it doesn't get better in the Fox Valley. Holy geez! My wife had leftovers for dinner and the next day's breakfast! I've never seen such a mound! Wish they had mimosas on a weekend, but the service is great, the portions are nuts, and the food is excellent! read more

Mateo’s cafe and Restaurant - Gyro skillet - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

This is a super cute cafe with great food and wonderful service. We were in Wisconsin for a Lawrence graduation and had a chance to explore this lovely little town that highlights midwestern hospitality. read more

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Had breakfast there Sunday morning. Friendly service, and the skillets are..... well I was able to eat 3/4 of the Chorzio skillet and I didn't eat anything else all day. Delicious! Thank you for being there. read more

I have dine here before and the food was delicious. Second time around was different. My steak was over cooked and there was a hair in the French fries. We notified the server who took it away. No apology, just "we're making a fresh batch". We knew they were surprised too; we could hear them in the kitchen. Service was okay. Nothing above and beyond. read more

Sucha cozy breakfast spot! This was such a perfect place to the start of any morning. I was really impressed with the menu selection. They have such an array - from savory to sweet. I went with the special of the day - pumpkin pancakes. Such a delicious choice, was flavorful. Also always have to go with a savory side. The diced home fries were so good. Great breakfast spot to hit up! read more

Mateo’s cafe and Restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

Absolutely delicious, filling and wholesome breakfast. Reasonably priced for the portions and quality you get! I had a pancake combo with banana nut caramel pancakes. We had leftovers which kept well. Staff were lovely and attentive, owner was very kind and the ambience was charming. Sort of an interesting blend of classic diner aesthetic with some more clean modern vibes. Overall amazing experience! read more

Outstanding! Great flavor and large portions at a very good price. Highly recommend. read more

Mateo’s cafe and Restaurant - Farmers omelet - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

What an excellent place to eat! It was packed when we arrived, which is always a good sign. Mateo's is nice and clean inside with very professional and friendly waitstaff. It didn't take us long to be seated, get menus, and most importantly, be offered hot coffee . I got "Mateo's eggs Benedict", which was absolutely delicious, perfectly cooked and soooo good. My wife got some amazing banana nut pancakes that she may have needed some help finishing...lucky....me........ The flapjacks were scrumptious and fresh as well. It was a really nice meal together, we never were left wanting for anything at all (coffee filled immediately). Bravo Mateo. No wonder you were packed with an OVERFLOWING parking lot! We will come again. This place is A number one folks!!! read more

Went here with my dad as he was visiting and town for the morning. I was surprised that I've never heard of Mateo's because I live very close. We walked in to a pretty busy restaurant but were seated immediately. The server was very nice and pretty attentive. He gave my dad free milk for his coffee when there is normally a charge which was nice. The coffee here was very very good. Very smooth and no bitter taste. I ordered the 2 egg special with over easy eggs, hash browns , bacon, and three pancakes. Everything was spot on the bacon was cooked well, the hash browns were a very generous, eggs were tasty. However, the star of the show were the pancakes. My dad and I both said these were some of the best pancakes we've ever had. I don't know what they put in the batter but it's delicious. Will definitely be back! read more

Mateo’s cafe and Restaurant - Pancakes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

I think they have plenty of entrees to choose from. The option to build your own skillet (choose up to 3 meats, 2 cheeses and 5 vegetables) at roughly the same price as options listed is the biggest bang for your buck. This meal also comes on top of your choice of potato (I chose diced) with 3 eggs on top! What?! But wait, you also get a side of toast or pancakes or biscuits & gravy!!! Mind blown! The service was top notch. Our waiter was courteous, patient, and very attentive. For the size of the place, and being packed, the volume was surprisingly not overwhelming unlike places of similar size. So the acoustics were softened nicely. read more

My wife and I were looking for a good place to get an omelette. We wanted to go to another recommended place but they were no longer serving breakfast so we took a chance on Mateo's and it was wonderful. Portion sizes were filling and even had some left overs! Cute little place with a small town diner vibe. The staff were also super friendly and welcoming. When we come back to visit again I will definitely come back to try another omelette. read more

Wow, what took me so long to find this place? Food is excellent and service friendly and fast. I had a breakfast skillet and it was enough food for 3 breakfasts. And super yummy. read more

Mateo’s cafe and Restaurant - Mateo's skillet. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

Excellent attentive and friendly staff. Generous portions and great service. My Gyro skillet was a "Best Ever!" A new "Go To" place for sure. read more

I would say this was an average breakfast/diner experience. The food is good but not excellent; same with food and decor.

Great service, delicious food! Gluten free pancakes AND waffles stole my heart. Potato pancakes were also some of the best I've had.

Great breakfast place . Food is great and large portions . Great environment for a quick breakfast. Would definitely visit again. read more

Mateo’s cafe and Restaurant - Chilaquiles Verdes -Yumm - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

the menu, the food, the service and the ambiance...EXCELLENT! The Country benedict is sort of hard to find...Love it!

A clean though spartan cafe with friendly staff and good food. Tres leches pancakes - who knew? Quite tasty. I would not hesitate to visit here for breakfast again. read more

Good ambiance. Staff was super. Order came out right away. Food delicious and plenty. read more

Mateo’s cafe and Restaurant - Breakfast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

Very large breakfasts! Service is quick and kind. It is a fun place to go at any time of day, with everything we've tried turning out good.

Ordered the 2 egg platter with sausage Pattie's, biscuits and gravy with diced potatoes. Food was good, Pattie's were good and plenty of crispy potatoes. The biscuits and gravy were ok. Tasted a little doughy and the gravy was a simple gravy. No picture of biscuits and Harvey because there was a mix up and they came late. read more

Mateo’s cafe and Restaurant - 2 egg platter - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

Phenomenal breakfast! Went here with a group of about 15 people and they were excellent. Everyone loved their food, prices were low and portions were huge!! Great service as well, highly recommend!! read more

A typical breakfast/brunch spot with a nice interior. The wait staff was kind and greeted with smiles. The food here was all very bland except for the wings. I can't remember when i went to a place that did not throw a little salt on their steak. Maybe it is meant for self seasoning. Not sure if i will give this place another try.... read more

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This is a great place if you're looking for breakfast and brunch for an affordable price. The service is amazing as they welcomed me in and settled me at a table with a menu. The ambiance is also spectacular. One thing that did throw me off by just a little is how my steak was cooked. I asked for a medium rare but got rare instead. Some parts of the steak were even raw. Something I would look out for when dinning or taking out. But I enjoyed eating here! read more

took forever to get the food, watched a couple sit down, order, eat, and leave all within the time we were waiting for our food.

They were very rude, and got mad cause i didn't know what i wanted they were very rushing. Especially the lady that sat us down. They food was delicious but the service was terrible. read more

Massive portions! I had the chorizo, jalepeno, scrambled egg skillet with hash brown and onions. It was delicious and I boxed up an entire 2nd portion. Husband had the breakfast burrito. Nice kick with all the jalepenos. Service was fast and attentive. read more

Mateo’s cafe and Restaurant - Chorizo Skillet - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

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Excellent food. Had an eggs Benedict but made with potatoes pancakes instead of English muffin. Husband had skillet, hot delicious and lots to take home. Yum read more

I want to write a review, but I don't, for fear of blowing this place up ( in a good way!) I love this place. I've only had breakfast there, but It is by far the best breakfast I've had out EVER! I always have the corned beef hash skillet, husband had omelet and daughter french toast. Every thing is piping hot, huge portions and service is super nice and attentive! They deserve a shout out! Nice job Mateo's! Nice job! read more

We were in Appleton on a weekend getaway. This gem is absolutely amazing! We came across this place while looking for the restaurant that was previously at this location (Apple Valley pancake House). We order the "Build Your Own Skillet" with scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, spinach, green pepper and onions with diced potatoes (which were seasoned and fried to perfection). The quality of the freshly prepared food (no pre-prepared food here) was over the top. The quantity of food was more than enough for the both of us (we shared the breakfast). To be honest, I have not had a breakfast this good in many many years. Bravo to the chef who prepared the food and Eduardo the server who was pleasant and attentive. We wish the best for this establishment as we believe it is a GREAT addition to the Appleton area. We encourage all to support this wonderful restaurant - you will NOT be disappointed. We only wish that we had a restaurant of this caliber where we live. read more

Mateo’s cafe and Restaurant - Custom skillet with sourdough toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

My new favorite breakfast place! Ordered a build your own skillet and it was massive. Two full meals and it was delicious! There was so much meat I almost wished there were more potatoes! I got a biscuit on the side and it was savory and classic. Fast service and great food! It is a smaller place, but would definitely be worth waiting for. read more

Mateo’s cafe and Restaurant - Build your own skillet - bacon, sausage, potatoes, eggs, and cheese - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

This restaurant is your quintessential diner in middle America. Every Midwest town needs one. I am giving three stars. The restaurant was clean, the service was great, and it was quiet enough that you didn't have to scream to have a conversation. It was very fairly priced. This restaurant has inspired me to create a rating system within Yelp called the VegScale™. I will rate restaurants on how vegetarian friendly their menu is on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the most vegetarian-friendly. I rank Mateo's 2 on the VegScale™. I am adding a couple of pictures of their menu, which shows a plethora of burgers, none of which feature a veggie patty. If you are a vegetarian, your options are limited to a typical egg dish, pancakes/waffles, a grilled cheese sandwich, or a grilled panini with veggies and no protein (unless you count cheese as protein). I'd like to see Mateo's add a veggie patty option for their burgers, it would not be hard to do and it is necessary in 2024. Since there are such limited vegetarian options, I opted for an egg skillet and my dish (pictured below) was just weird. I asked for the hash browns to be crispy. They may have initially been crispy, but then they stacked all the grilled veggies on top of the hash browns, which then made the hash browns soggy and not crispy. They topped off this monstrosity with a giant slab of a scrambled egg, which I suspect was made from liquid eggs, but I do not know for sure. I'd suggest that the remedy is to put the hash browns on one side of the skillet, and on the other side, put the eggs on the bottom and the veggies on top of the eggs. Or ideally, the eggs and veggies could be cooked together to make more of a scramble. All in all, this was an average dining experience. I will likely not go again until they add some more vegetarian options, but would recommend it to meat-eaters. read more

Mateo’s cafe and Restaurant - My dish with soggy hash browns on the bottom, veggies, and then the awkward slab of eggs on top. Tasted okay though! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

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After church breakfast, great service, all the staff was very friendly. Portions are HUGE and DELICIOUS! Pancakes were so good! Will go again. read more

LOVE this place!! My friends still rave about the breakfast diced potatoes here and how much they miss them! Always great food, HUGE portions, great prices. This is my and my husband's go to spot for breakfast. I will always recommend this place to everyone! read more

Mateo’s cafe and Restaurant - Spinach and feta omelette with the house potatoes. Also came with pancakes for a side. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

We had the opportunity to have breakfast at this cute cafe while visiting for a Green Bay Packer game. We were not disappointed!! The food was delicious with big portions, and excellent service. They aren't just open for breakfast, so be sure to stop by. You won't be disappointed. A great find!! read more

Delicious food!! Fast and efficient service too. Definitely a hot breakfast spot. I will go back again and again.

For a family dinner this is the place to go. Been at Mateo's at least a half a dozen times for breakfast, great omelettes and skillets. I think their pancakes are one of the best I have had portions are huge definitely can split meals service has always been very good and servers are pleasant if you go on a weekend expect to wait. read more

Amazing food and a great staff. Had the chicken fried steak platter with diced potatoes and biscuits and gravy. So full right now. Definitely check this place out. read more