Harlow's Cafe - Great Coffee, Expensive Potatoes, and a Slow Fall from Grace…read more
There's something about a familiar breakfast joint that keeps you coming back. Maybe it's nostalgia, maybe it's habit, or maybe you're just hoping the next visit will remind you why you liked the place in the first place.
Our first visit of 2025 brought us back to Harlow's for a late breakfast. The wait was short, sitting outside in the shade was pleasant, and the coffee? Excellent! Hot, fresh, and constantly topped off. If there's one thing Harlow's knows how to do, it's keep a coffee cup full.
Unfortunately, the rest of the experience wasn't quite as comforting.
We were seated near the bar, close to the kitchen and the hallway leading to the restrooms. A busy, noisy little intersection where conversations compete with kitchen traffic. The front door was propped open, allowing an occasional cold breeze to remind us that breakfast apparently came with complimentary air conditioning.
Then came the menu. Good grief! It's enormous, cluttered with words, themes, and enough information to keep you reading longer than some newspaper articles. And here's something parents should know: **NO KIDS MENU!**
We ordered the Pancho for my grandson, figuring it was the closest thing to a children's breakfast. At over $15, it wasn't exactly a bargain. Substitutions were either unavailable or came with an additional charge.
I ordered my usual country fried steak breakfast with country potatoes and sourdough toast. Nothing particularly memorable, but the coffee continued doing the heavy lifting.
Fast-forward to November 2026.
Another visit, another opportunity for Harlow's to win me over. Unfortunately, this time the bill made a stronger impression than the food.
Twenty-two dollars for chicken fried steak sitting on a mountain of bland potatoes, buried beneath a waterfall of gravy, accompanied by overcooked eggs. That's right, $22 for a breakfast that seemed to substitute quantity for quality.
Look, I understand food costs have increased. Labor, ingredients, utilities, everything costs more these days. But charging premium prices for ordinary food doesn't magically turn it into a premium dining experience. A mountain of flavorless potatoes and an ocean of gravy aren't substitutes for a properly prepared meal.
And then there's the $4 cup of coffee.
Now, I'll give credit where it's due. Harlow's still makes a great cup of coffee. But at four bucks a cup, even that little pleasure starts feeling less like a treat and more like another reminder that breakfast isn't what it used to be.
The restroom report?
A respectable **B on the Luis Scale**. Luis did mention that waiting in line to use the facilities isn't exactly enjoyable. I didn't inspect them myself, but perhaps making both restrooms available to anyone would help with the wait. Then again, considering some men's questionable ability to aim at a stationary target, perhaps that's a discussion best left for another day.
The verdict?
I've enjoyed visiting Harlow's over the years, and there's still something appealing about the place. But with each visit, it seems to slip a little further down my list of favorite breakfast spots.
Good coffee can bring people through the door, but good food at a reasonable price is what keeps them coming back. At $22 for a disappointing chicken fried steak and another $4 for coffee, I'm beginning to wonder whether I'm paying for breakfast or helping finance the potato industry.
As always, don't forget to tip your servers. They're working hard, and the menu prices aren't their doing.
On to the next!