It was very busy on a Friday morning. The staff needs improvement but the food is excellent!

Great atmosphere and food was fantastic. Would highly recommend as a place to go! Will come again!

This is one of our favorite breakfast spots. The coffee choices are divine and the food is pretty darned good.

We've gone to The Roost many time in the past, including throughout COVID. The food is generally good, BUT... They NEVER get phone orders correct. The last three times they have either sent significant portions of the order incorrect, not sent paid-for items at all, or miss key items that were to be on a specific order. Today, of 5 full breakfast meals, they got two right, sent us an item not ordered, and didn't send a side that was ordered and paid for. In addition, we've found staff to be rather irritable on a consistent basis over the past 18 months, with several distasteful interactions - despite our attempting to be light. We're done. I'd suggest Alchemy as the better choice. read more

wow I don't even know where to start. I had the chorizo and egg and woooooooow omg, coming from a first gen Mexican I have had ALOT of authentic "chorizo y huevo con papa" and let me tell you guys, this place is sooooo good and fresh. The presentation and the Garnish of the plate was so cute get so simple. the staff was amazing and welcoming, the coffee was nice and warm and complimented the food. the aesthetic of the place was nice and warm and cohesive. I really only come down to Lawrence when I have a dentist appointment but I will 100 and once percent be back to The Roost! as many of the locals may know the parking situation on Mass st is not the best but it is worth the walk. read more

The Roost - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

3.5 stars, rounding up for the patio and good service. If you're just looking for coffee, take this up another star (to 4.5). My boyfriend really enjoyed their (VERY reasonably priced) drip coffee, and I quite enjoyed the honey nut latte (which was actually not obnoxiously sweet and pretty well-balanced). As for breakfast, we got the blackberry muffin, cinnamon roll, biscuits and gravy, bacon, and more. The blackberry muffin was a standout - moist with a good but not overwhelming distribution of blackberries. The cinnamon roll was fine but meh - the dough was boring and perhaps a bit overbaked. I initially wasn't thrilled by the biscuit, but returning to the dish after eating some other food, the flavorful gravy had softened the biscuit nicely. The bacon had a nice flavor as well. We waited about 15 minutes for a table for 3 at 9am on a holiday weekend. Overall, a great place to grab coffee and a good place to grab brunch. read more

I wish I could eat here every weekend. Classic breakfast food that hits the spot every time.

I should start this by saying that Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and I am SUPER particular about the quality of breakfast foods at restaurants. That being said, The Roost is by far my favorite breakfast place in Lawrence. I have ordered an omelette in the past (which was amazing) and the cinnamon roll (which is huge) but I most often order the egg sandwich with my eggs cooked over medium, lettuce, tomato, and spicy mayo. I judge breakfast restaurants on how they cook eggs over-medium and The Roost does it perfectly every time. Their cocktails and coffee choices are great, their bacon is super crispy, and I haven't had anything there that I didn't really enjoy. My one tip: get there early or be prepared to wait awhile. read more

Crazy great service behind the bar and terrific food. She's a 10 out 10 for sure and will be our place to start each game day Saturday! Best Mimosas in town. read more

While visiting our daughter @ KU, we decided to try this place for brunch at her suggestion. What a great choice it was! Top notch customer service with so many choices on the menu. My favorite feature was the "self serve" coffee bar. You can choose any of the several coffees featured with all the "add ins" available right there. I love being able to fill my coffee when I want more without having to flag down the server. Plus, I just like to get up & move - checking out the place! Serving sizes were plentiful & tasty. We will be back. Fun location with tons of activity around the area. read more

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Obsessed with corned beef jts my favorite food. I always get the corned beef hash here. I know good corned beef and this is just alright. CORNED BEEF CORNED BEEF CORNED BEEF read more

So delicious! The breakfast foods are incredible, and the lunch menu is a mix of hearty and healthy. We like the coffee bar, too. Highly recommend! read more

The blueberry breakfast bar is literally one of the best things I've ever eaten. So crumbly (in a good way) and buttery, it's almost like a piece of breakfast cobbler. The lattes are delicious as well - love that they have oat milk. The house made vanilla marshmallows are delicious as well!!! I'm disappointed they didn't have Banoffee pie, but the breakfast bar makes up for it. read more

third visit, wife liked it so took her there for mothers day. service was good they seemed to try really hard to be nice....well until my wife ordered her eggs sunny side up and they came out scrambled. we told the waitress and she brought out two nice sunny side up eggs. when we got the bill they charged us for the two eggs. food was good but not that good. not going back for a while. read more

I'm glad expériences like this exist on days like this. The sun is out, the weather is warm, a blessed day indeed. I had never been to this restaurant before today, and frankly speaking, it wasn't my first choice but I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the outside set up, it allowed me to enjoy this beautiful day, which the food complimented well. The service was great and that made the experience that much better. Now I guess you are wondering what I had, well Im getting to that. I had the smoked salmon benny, it's the one in the beautiful photo I took. I received my order in a timely manner, and it tasted as I expected. The chef knows what they're doing. My recommendation if the weather allows, is to choose outside seating if it's available or don't, just head over and enjoy the service and food. As for me, I was able to experience good food, great service and the wonderful weather at this restaurant and for that, I'm grateful! read more

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Not worth the poor management. There are many other places to eat breakfast in lawrence. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere.

I only stopped in for a morning coffee which was very good. The food and morning cocktails that were being served definitely makes me want to go back to try it for myself. read more

This is a pretty good breakfast/brunch spot. I had the smoked salmon bagel and it definitely hit the spot. The salmon was fresh and full of flavor and the everything bagel was perfectly toasted. My friend had a slice of French Toast, scrambled eggs, and Canadian bacon. The bacon and eggs was delish, but the french toast lacked flavor. Below average iced coffee. read more

The Roost - Smoked Salmon Bagel - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

Grabbed some brunch here and got an iced lavender latte. The first sip I had the coffee audibly sighed in pleasure. Probably the best coffee I've had in my life. read more

This is a great option for a group but be ready for a long wait during peak times. The cool thing is that we put our name in and because there was a 45 minute wait, they took our number and called us when our table was ready. We were able to walk around downtown while waiting and since we had small kids, that was awesome! I can't recommend the biscuits and gravy. It was so salty that my kids and I couldn't eat more than a couple bites. It was disappointing because that is one of their favorite breakfasts. The pancakes aren't anything fantastic either. However, everything else we tried was very good. A couple people in our group had the salads and it was really good with chicken. I had the feta, spinach and tomato omelet and it was really, really good! The potatoes were firm and almost undercooked but had a great flavor. The whole grain toast was delicious. My brother in law said the French toast was also really good. We had great service and friendly staff! Thanks for the meal! read more

I love a good breakfast and The Roost delivers. I had been eagerly anticipating the opening of the Roost (ever since Miltons moved out of the space), as Lawrence can always use a breakfast-go-to place. The updated interior is very interesting, like the inside of a barn meets an early 1960s classroom--in a good way. The space is clean and sleek, with interesting accents of wood and vintage industrial furniture. My one complaint is that the acoustics are a little off, due to the choice of interior. IT is pretty loud in the restaurant, but the tables are far enough apart that I did not feel at all crowded by the conversation at tables around us. We waited around 30 minutes on a Saturday morning, but it was ok, since there is serve-yourself coffee while you wait. This is a good time to spend gazing in to the case of delicious baked goods--I highly recommend the maple bacon biscuit (almost scone-like in consistency, it had at least 1, if not 2, full slices of bacon crumbled in to it). Once we were seated, our service was very fast, if a little harried, and we were able to peruse the menu. Lunch is not served until 11am, so we stuck with breakfast, but it was a difficult decision, since so many items sounded delicious. They have french toast and pancakes, biscuits and gravy, omelets and benedicts, but also some less standard fare, like amazing potato pancakes (more on this later), chorizo scramble with avocado, and an amazing sounding hash. I got the potato pancakes---so creamy and smooth on the inside, while crispy and caramelized on the outside, served with eggs and toast, this is an amazing way to start the day. My dining companion got traditional benedict, and pancakes, both of which were also good (but by then I was in potato pancake heaven and could only stop shoveling in the food to briefly consider his dishes). We were unable to sample all the tempting cocktails that are available for breakfast and brunch consumption, but I have made a promise to myself to get back there shortly. Vodka and tomato water? A variety of blood marys? Sage and tequila? Prosecco and Pomegranite juice...the list goes on and on. read more

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The Roost is my favorite place to get breakfast. When my wife and I get up on weekend mornings, if we decide to go out for breakfast, our choice is The Roost nearly every single time. I was looking through my reviews and I realized that I had never reviewed The Roost. "How can that be?" I asked myself, "I've been there so many times and talked it up to plenty of people. Hell, I've even been the Duke there a couple of times (when Mrs. R. doesn't steal it away from me like a sneaky pixie). What gives?" What I think has happened is that I've conflated all of my talking about The Roost into thinking that I've already written the review. Well, now I'm going to rectify that. The Roost is a great casual breakfast / lunch place in the heart of downtown Lawrence. Lawrencians always love to get breakfast (note to aspiring restauranteurs : open a great breakfast place in Lawrence and the city will beat a path to your door!). The Roost moved right into an open niche in downtown and took some of the elements of what made it great and improved on it. First things first -- The Roost gets busy, and weekend mornings are the worst. If you're planning to go grab breakfast, either get there early, or be ready for the wait. The wait isn't terrible if it's a lazy weekend day and you have nothing else to do, but it can be up to an hour or more depending on your party size and timing. But, if you have the time, then this is the perfect opportunity to grab a cup of coffee from the bar Get a mug, fill it, and hang out on the bench or sidewalk and wait for your name. No need to wait for ordering breakfast to get your first jolt of joe, just dive right in. As for breakfast -- I split my time between the eggs benedict (The Bennys) and the Rooster or Kansan. For the Bennys I go for either the traditional or the salmon -- both are great, and both come with a great Hollandaise and breakfast potatoes. Between the Rooster and the Kansan, the Kansan is where I go if I feel I'm about to devour the world, because I'll get it with the pancake side. I probably should order the Rooster, but the little red devil on my shoulder says "Get the Kansan! You need those pancakes!" It's all a great breakfast. Mrs. R tends to go for the biscuits and gravy, which comes out in a big bowl with a generous portion of gravy. I'm not sure how much is in each, but you can get the B&G in a half or a full order. If you're undecided about whether to get the B&G for favor of something else, just order what you want and then split a half-order with your dining companion. Or throw caution to the wind and just get a half B&G as a side. Do what you want to do -- I'm not the boss of you. What also makes The Roost great are the drinks. The Roost keeps a slight edge over some other Lawrence breakfast places in that it has a full bar of stuff to have for breakfast cocktails, and the cocktails are pretty good. One of Mrs. R's favorites is the Old Smokey bloody mary, which comes in a shaker pint, with lots of smokey flavor, and is topped with Parmesan cheese and has a slice of bacon in it. Drink bacon, it's fantastic. I'm not much of a cocktails-before-noon person, but I do enjoy that they have canned beer to go with breakfast. Nothing like starting the day off with an Old Style or a Hamm's. I've also had some of their fancy booze & coffee or booze & tea drinks in the winter, and they're the perfect warmup for cold days. read more

The Roost - Brother Epp's Otchard -- Peach latte, bourbon, Frangelico. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

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Downtown can almost always use another entry in the breakfast slot and I have high hopes for The Roost. I just wish my expectation this a.m. could have been met but instead I was in for a mildly strange breakfast. First, lets get the wait staff out of the way because I was served by a delightful young lady with a perpetual smile and prompt service. That was the best thing about my visit (other than she forgot to tell me about coffee). When I arrived the restaurant was not 1/4 full. The person managing the front led me to the very back of the restaurant and into a corner booth for two, completely out of sight of the rest of the restaurant. Let's see, 1) I smiled and said hello, 2) showered and put on clean clothes this a.m., 3) was nicely dressed and 4) didn't need to go in hiding to dine. Odd start. I was promptly waited on and ordered coffee, then sat there for ten minutes wondering why it never came until I heard another server telling a couple around the corner that coffee was on your own service. OK, right, the old Milton's trick. Got it. The food: this is where I have an issue. Campfire breakfast had everything I was interested in. Two eggs sunny, avocado slices, fried tomatoes, cornbread and beans. Beans were clearly undercooked, slight hint of cumin which is to my liking, but undercooked beans are not a pleasant thing to eat--needing some salt in my opinion. Avocado: brown around the edges from what appeared to be oxidation (see photo). Hint to kitchen: a bit of citrus will stop that. Also clearly prepped hours ago so slices were stuck together. Eggs should not be crispy and hard on the edges, difficult to cut with a fork when sunny side up (again, see photo). The cornbread appears from a package mix, not a bad thing. The tomatoes were A-OK with a bit of seasoning, salt and pepper. Coffee was pedestrian. $11.24 before tip. $8.50 for the breakfast. They're clearly hitting below 20% food cost. I typically don't worry about that but when the meal doesn't hit the mark then yes, it's an issue. I'm very familiar with some of the reviewers here and follow them. What they're saying is on the mark. Kitchen laid an egg today. Now if they can just prepare it properly. The Roost is crying out for some competent management which was clearly missing in my visit. read more

The Roost - View from the far back corner - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

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This place has always been a great breakfast spot in the town! I always take my out of state friends when they visit and they always love it. read more

I have lived in Lawrence for 12 years and never been to The Roost so I was looking forward to trying this restaurant that people rave about. The restaurant was busy and very loud. I felt like my friends and I had to shout at each other to talk. There were lots of screaming children in the restaurant. I had the veggie hash, which was pretty disappointing. It consisted of undercooked crunchy potatoes with bland vegetables on top. When I ordered I asked for cheese and I got the smallest side of shredded cheese I have ever seen with an extra charge for it on the bill. I don't mind paying extra but I expected more than just a few sprinkles of cheese. The saving grace for the meal was the applebutter that came with the toast. The applebutter was delightful! I really wanted to agree with all the people who love this restaurant but unfortunately The Roost was nothing special. read more

Oh boy! Was this a fun joint! We stopped here on our way out west. I love the atmosphere on Mass St. in the morning. The place was humming with activity but we were seated quickly. The breakfasts are delicious. I had half an order of biscuits and gravy. Lots of sausage and flavor. Great corned beef hash. I'd love to come back here again. read more

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Amazing food! Very accommodating with gluten free options. Don't go at lunch time over a weekend if you are in a hurry.... 20 min wait is more like 50 minutes! read more

I would definitely go back here. In general, Lawrence doesn't offer great breakfast places...you are basically stuck with chain restaurants. The Roost is a nice change. For the same amount of money you would spent at Perkins, you can get fresh local food that is pretty good. The coffee bar is a nice touch, as well as some of the breakfast food you don't usually find in the Midwest. For example, latkes, bagel and lox. Nice addition to the town. read more

The Roost - Veggie omelet. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

Had a great brunch here today!! Like most reviewers commented, there was a 30 minute wait but the food is worth it!! Their hot chocolate comes with a huge homemade marshmallow!! Delicious! We had the Chorizo and eggs and it was full of flavor. Perfect serving size! The staff was super friendly and attentive. It's on the louder side but it's always busy and the atmosphere is happy and relaxing. Enjoy! read more

The food was really good and service was speedy. Price of the food was fair compared to other breakfast joints down the road. Would recommend to others! read more

The Roost - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

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The Roost, on Mass Street, in Lawrence, KS, is a fantastic restaurant. It has been in this same location for many years with a variety of owners. But one thing has never changed and that's the quality of their food. You are greeted by a friendly hostess and wait staff as well as a variety of coffee in pots lined up in the counter. The flavors are labeled You just pour yourself a cup and find a place to sit. If you arrive early on week days you may find an empty table awaiting you, on the weekend you can still grab a cup of coffee but you may have to wait a bit for a seat. Seating is available both inside and outside depending on the weather ! The Roost is a favorite for many Lawrence residents, students and tourists. This weekend I had French Toast, one slice is a meal, and it is totally delicious, a double, that's 2 slices will give you a take home box ! The servers and manager are very friendly, the service is fast & the food is delicious! The Roost also offers made to order omelets, a variety of pancakes, as well as many other choices. It also offers great Blood Marys and other "breakfast" cocktails! If you enjoy a great breakfast The Roost will meet your expectations ! Give it a try! read more

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During Dan and I's little vacation to Lawrence, we decided to try the Roost for breakfast and we were not disappointed! Getting up early, we arrived a little after 8 and had a bit of a wait, which gave us time to look at the menu and get a feel of the place. Warm and inviting, it has a slight upscale diner theme that is also comfortable with a long bar that you can sit at to enjoy your meal or a cocktail made to order. After being seated, we were greeted by a friendly and helpful waitress who took our drink order- Mimosa for me and Bloody Mary for Dan. Deciding on our menu items, I chose the Mushroom Leak Goat Cheese Omelet with a side of fruit instead of potatoes and Dan got the Potato pancakes. My omelet was cooked to perfection, full of creamy goat cheese and mushrooms, with the leeks adding a finale of flavor. Dan wasn't a big fan of his potato pancakes- being a little overcooked but the rest of his meal he enjoyed. Overall, it was a good experience and definitely would go back. Happy dining. read more

The Roost - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

I enjoyed the Fried Egg Breakfast Sammy - 2 eggs any style, chipotle mayo, lettuce, tomato, red onion on sourdough $5. I added Avocado to mine & had my eggs fried well-done. Was hearty & the chipotle mayo was more chipotle than mayo - appreciated. Hubby had a Short Stack of Buttermilk Pancakes & added the fruit for $1 - $4 total. Pancakes tasted great, however, stiffness gave away that they obviously had them sitting under a heat lamp, probably while waiting for my sammy to be assembled, which was disappointing. Small, but packed fruit bowl contained various fresh seasonal fruit, including raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, pineapples & honeydew. They appeared to be understaffed for a breakfast/lunch place on a Thursday @ 10am, since there were at least 5 previously bussed empty tables (4 chairs each) when they informed us it would be an approximate 30 min wait. There were at least 3 parties ahead of us, who appeared to have been waiting for a few mins or longer prior to our arrival. All parties were offered quicker seating at the dine-in bar, but all opted to wait. I'm pretty sure they seated us w/in about 15 mins at one of those empty tables I mentioned previously, so still a little confused by that. The food was a solid 4 out of 5 if you excuse the slightly stiff pancakes, but unfortunately didn't make up for the unnecessary wait to be seated & our slow waitress, who I had to ask for everything including the check and took 3-4 mins to bring the sour cream that I had originally ordered w/ my potato pancake after requesting for a 2nd time. There's something about watching someone move w/ purpose & appear to be trying really hard that makes falling short excusable. Unfortunately, our waitress didn't display these qualities, so I guess she didn't care that she was not providing us w/ the service that all paying customers deserve. Would go again to give them an opportunity to provide better service. Maybe just an off day for everyone. read more

The Roost - Fried Egg Sammy on Sourdough - added avocado. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

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True, home style cooking in a cozy atmosphere. Come during the week and you'll never leave disappointed. Come between Friday - Sunday and be prepared for a wait. But let's be honest, if there wasn't a wait would you really want it? Delicious food, good hot coffee bar, fast and friendly service. Big fan of this place during the week! read more

Campfire breakfast is delicious!!! The wait is always really long on the weekends but it's worth it

I do not make it to Lawerence very often but when I do I make it a point to eat breakfast at the Roost. Each time I've gone the wait has been around forty five minutes but it is well worth it. While you wait they do have self serve coffee usually four different options or there is a full service coffee bar you can order from while you wait. They also have lunch options but I've only had their breakfast which has been excellent on each visit. read more

I've been to the Roost several times now, and never had anything I didn't love. The breakfast is amazing, of course. The omelets are fluffy and full of tasty toppings. I've opted for the build your own, adding spinach, cheese, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and bacon. It was seriously one of the best omelets I've ever had. The eggs "Benny" are a delight - there are a few different versions I can't wait to try. But don't make the mistake of only eating breakfast here, the sandwiches, salads, and soups are also something to write home for. I adore the Reuben. Smokey pastrami, fresh sauerkraut, and creamy thousand island make for truly the best Reuben I've ever had. I keep meaning to try one of the delicious sounding varieties of mac & cheese. Perhaps next time...because there certainly will be a next time. read more

The Roost - Build your own omelet with sourdough toast and apple butter - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

Five stars! Dorothy welcome to Kansas! The serve yourself coffee bar has ONLY organic coffee, that's what i like to see!! They use mugs from a place called Love Garden-sea n sky institute for sonic reverberation studies." If you prefer, you can order a specialty espresso-based drink. There is a well-stocked pastry display for your sweet-tooth fantasies, plus an amazing breakfast or lunch. They open at 7 and there is free parking until 9:30 on the street. Nice fast friendly people working here! read more

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Ode to The Roost: Amazing service, amazing food, amazing coffee, amazing mood. Thank you! read more

The service was terrible. My family (4) and I got there after a party of 6 and before a couple parties of two and three. We were told it would be 10-20 minutes and sat down to wait. After about 15 minutes a table of four opened up, but they didn't seat anyone. At about the 25 minute mark another table for four opened up, the staff seated the party of 6. Then around 4 tables for 2 opened up, all of the parties that got there after us were seated. There were two empty tables for two that they could've pushed together for my family, as they pushed together tables for the other party. They did not do this. It had now been over 30 minutes, and so my family and I left. read more